Get the most out of the first sales call

Doing a first sales call can be both exciting and a little overwhelming. It’s the first time you set up a call with a prospect and pitch your product to them. The end result of these sales calls is to close the deal and sell your products.

There are different stages that need to be done during the sales call. These stages are:

  • Prospecting
  • Pitching
  • Have strong talking points
  • Closing the call on a good note or with further action

It might sound difficult at first. But with proper guidance and enough practice you can nail these steps perfectly.

What is a sales call?

A sales call is an unprompted phone call that a sales reps do to a potential client to sell his products. The aim is to reach out to future clients, engage them in a conversation and encourage them to use your company’s product or services.

Sales call can be:

  • B2B (business-to-business): selling products to other businesses
  • B2C (business-to-customer): selling products to individuals

Types of sales call

Sales calls can be of two types:

  • Cold sales call: this is one of the common types of sales call. Here, a salesperson contacts a prospect to whom they’ve never known and done any business before. Since the prospect doesn’t know the services, it’s necessary to do your research and create a personalized sales pitch to hook them up early in the sales call.
  • Warm sales call: when sales reps already know the prospect or spend some time building a relationship with the prospect before getting on a call with them, this is known as a warm sales call. Sales reps will call the prospect at a designated time to talk about business and pitch their services. Although a lot of preparation is not required, they still need to be familiar with the products or services they are going to sell.

The purpose of a sales call

Some of the most common goals of a sales call are:

  • To sell your products or services: sales calls are used to educate potential customers and convince them to use your services. The aim is to encourage them to buy the desired services from you.
  • Create excitement about your products or services: another use of sales calls is done to get customers excited about your new services. It can be used to let them know about different products and build a bond with them. Even if they don’t use your services, they can always refer someone who needs them.
  • Book a follow-up call: in some cases, the first discovery call isn’t the right fit to close the deal. In that situation, you can always ask the prospects whether it’s alright to do a follow-up call at some other time.

How to make the most of the first sales call?

Below are the seven tricks that will guide you to do your best in your first sales call:

Research First

Don’t overlook research. Spend a few minutes learning about your prospects, regardless of whether it’s a warm or cold call. Knowing their likes, needs, and wants helps you understand their pain points. This determines if they fit your business. Figure out how and why your products provide them value.

Short, Direct Introduction

Keep your intro short and to the point; prospects have limited time. Long, unnecessary intros aren’t needed. For cold calls, start by introducing yourself. For warm calls, have a small friendly conversation before discussing business.

Set Clear Expectations

A good sales call is precise, informative, and streamlined. For cold calls, tell prospects why you called to establish expectations upfront. For warm calls, share the proposed agenda and ask if they have additions.

Balance Speaking and Listening

An effective sales call balances speaking and listening, though the balance may vary. In cold calls, you’ll speak more to explain the product and the call’s reason. In warm calls, you’ll have a healthier balance. You need to listen to the customer’s issues and then speak about your solution.

Actionable Call to Action (CTA)

End the sales call with a powerful CTA. This CTA should inspire prospects to take action and allow you to measure the call’s success. The CTA can be to schedule a follow-up discussion or set up a demo.

Track Your Metrics

Tracking metrics is a vital part of the sales process. It allows you to measure your performance and provides an overview of the call results. The results show the best time for a sales call, the best intro types, and the ideal call length. Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool to record calls and analyze metrics.

Keep Working Hard

Don’t get discouraged by rejection; keep working hard. Many sales calls end with a ‘no,’ which can be disappointing. Don’t dwell on it. Instead, learn from the call and consider how to improve next time. The key is handling rejection and using it to fuel motivation. This helps you prepare better and polish your sales skills.

To make the most use of the sales call, you need to learn different sales transition phrases, use various effective words, know how to ask the right questions, build credibility, listen to your prospects and create an opportunity to talk about the next steps.