Want to improve your sales call technique? Check out our Best Sales Call Advice for Success!

Whether it’s a cold call, referral call, or warm lead, making a sales call can be intimidating. It’s easy to procrastinate on making a call by working on other projects. You may, from time to time, even put off a call until tomorrow. Procrastinating on a call can be done for a number of reasons. You may not be in the ‘sales mood’. Maybe you’re not at your best. Possibly, there is too much on your mind to really concentrate on selling something. These are all valid reasons to hold off on a call for a little bit, but not if you’re holding off for more than a day. Time is money. The best way to save time is to set yourself up for success. To help you, we’re bringing you our Best Sales Call Advice for Success.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Practice.

The best way to get good at something is to practice. Nothing could be more good than practicing sales calls. You need to find your style and what works for you. Everyone needs to do this. The sales experts actually enjoy making sales calls. Why? They’re good at it because they’ve gotten a lot of practice.

To practice, ask another sales professional if you can do a mock- sales call with them. They know the objections you can face in a call. They can help you overcome objections and fine tune your pitch. You’ll also want to call some other sales professionals to hear their pitch. Call any company, and listen to their salespeople. Listen to what works and what doesn’t. This will give you a chance to hear what others do, so you can create a pitch that makes you different.  Don’t forget to practice with your family and friends. Everyone can help. The more you practice the more comfortable you will be for when you make a real sales call. Get good before you make the real one, so you don’t lose any potential sales.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Work on Your Opening.

When doing a sales call, your opening can make or break you. Make it unique. Don’t just say, “Hi! My name is X and I’m with Y company.” That type of greeting is too typical. It makes you sound like you’re trying to make it through a call sheet. It also sends the impression that you don’t care about the customer, only that this person says yes to buying what you’re selling. Trying something along the lines of “Good Morning, Mrs. X! Did I catch you at a bad time?” Using an opening like good morning, good afternoon, or good evening gives a nice change of pace. It also is a greeting that focuses on the customer. By asking if the person you’re trying to call is busy, it shows you care about their schedule. No one will give you the time of day if they are already preoccupied, even if you do have the perfect good or service they’re looking for to enhance their business. If the person can talk right away, great! If not say that you’re sorry to hear that, but how would a meeting the following day. Ask with two day and time options, not with one option ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. By giving options, the person is less likely to say no.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Spark Curiosity.

Simply mention your name, your company, and that you’ve helped other businesses similar to the one the person you are calling owns. Keep out the specifics of what you do or what your product you are selling. Spark their interest. Too many salespeople start by launching into what they do and how they’ll be amazing for the business. The problem is, this gives an opportunity to the potential customer to either hang up or say, “Oh you know, I think we’re doing okay with what we’re using. I appreciate your time.” Too many sales call end right there. It’s understandable. You can be a bit nervous and rush through things without knowing it. Take your time. Breathe. Take the call step by step.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Ask a Question.

Shy away from saying something along the lines of, “I have a product that you are going to love!” or “This service is going to change the way you do business!”  While all this may be true, there is a much better way to get your point across. Instead, try asking a question. Ask something along these lines, “If I can show you a way to lower your overhead, would you want to know more about it?” Questions engage the customer. People like to talk and have a conversation. Being talked at can scare someone away. By engaging someone with a question, it keeps their attention with you, it takes the call from a sales call to a conversation between business professionals.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Set a Meeting.

After you move the call from an introductory sales call and into a business conversation, you’ll want to set a meeting to get into more detail about your product or service. You may be talking to someone who wants to get into the detail right away. If so, that’s great! Go right into a sales pitch! However, more than likely, you’ll need to set another meeting. Ask if you can call or drop by one day in the morning or another day in the afternoon. By giving two day and time choices, it gives lessens the chance of the customer backing out on the meeting. Again, the key when asking for a meeting is not to make it a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. Instead, give options and let the person choose.

Pro-Tip: Ask for a meeting at an odd time of day. Like 1:15 or 1:45. It sticks in someone’s mind and shows that you are someone who is one time. If you’re trying to see to a particularly busy business professional, it ups the chance of getting a meeting because it would be at an odd hour, making it easier to pencil in and make work.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Confirm! Confirm! Confirm!

There is no easier way to lose a sale fast than to not confirm a meeting and miss it! When ending your call, confirm the date, time, and phone number. If you’re meeting will be done in person, you’ll also want to confirm the address. Make sure you get an email address for the person you will be meeting. Send them an email after your call to confirm the details again. One day before your meeting, send a reminder email. If the person you are meeting with has an assistant, call this person and confirm the meeting is on the books. Don’t forget! If you are doing an in-person meeting, you’ll want to check out the parking situation or public transportation options. Do this on your own time! No use in bothering a busy business person with this.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Get in the Right Mindset.

Figure out what makes you feel comfortable in a sales call. Do you need to stand up? Do you have a certain song you like to listen to pump yourself up? Do you have a particular YouTube video or TedTalk you watch to help you feel empowered? Do you need to look in a mirror when you’re on the call? Experts have said it helps you feel more engaged to see what you’re doing since you’re not looking at the person. Google a few techniques. Test out a few different methods and see what makes you feel most powerful and confident. Whatever it is, do it. You’ll be amazed how a simple action to make you feel empowered and confident will help your sales call technique.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Be Gracious.

No matter who you talk to, or what they say, don’t forget to be gracious and express gratitude. Thank somebody for their time. Mention how much you appreciate them taking time out of their busy schedule to speak with you. Being polite and having good manners goes a long way. Want to add a personal touch? Sending a handwritten thank you note will take you far among business professionals. Letter writing is a dying art. However, if you send a hand-written note on nice stationary, you will blow your competition out of the water. Keep the note simple and classy. Same goes for the stationary. Avoid a card from the drugstore that says ’thank you’. Go for informal notes that are embossed with your name on them.

Best Sales Call Advice for Success – Learn with Rejection and Success.

There is probably another reason you keep holding off on making a sales call: rejection. The rejection that comes from a day of fruitless sales calls can be tough. The best way to deal with rejection is to learn from it. Ask yourself, “What could have gone better in that call? What could I have done differently?” Keep in mind, that sometimes your product or service is not right for a business. That’s okay, but there is still something to learn from these types of calls. Make a list on what you can improve on for the next one. It’s good to take a break after a rejection call. Get up and go for a walk. Do something to get some fresh air.

You should also make notes and access what went well on a successful sales call. What was the highlight of the call? What did you do differently in the successful call versus the rejection call? Keep track of what worked and move on to the next call. Nothing makes you feel more confident and empowered for a sales call, than just coming off a successful call. After some time, you’ll have a fine-tuned sales pitch that works great for you.