Before you pick up the phone or rush into someone’s office to try to sell anything, do some research. The goal is to create a comfortable framework in which you have enough knowledge to get started and to guarantee that you are prepared for various scenarios throughout the call itself.
Research
Don’t make calls without conducting some research first. Go online and find the company’s website; what do they do? Are there any identified contacts on the website? (It is much simpler to get through to a gatekeeper if you ask for someone by name rather than title). How large is the company? How long have they been doing business? Is there anything on their website that suggests they might require or purchase services like yours?
Don’t allow research take up all of your time. People have been known to hide during the research phase in order to avoid selling.
Do not research more than 10-20-30 companies at a time. Then start calling them.
Analysis
If you are a first-timer, divide the companies into two piles.
The first pile is called “awesome prospects”; these are organizations that plainly acquire your services and have a named contact.
The second pile is made up of “ordinary prospects”—everyone else.
Best Practice: How to Start
Practice on “ordinary prospects” initially. This allows you to hone your sales talents without compromising the business you actually desire. After phoning 100-300 typical prospects and feeling confident in your ability to handle the situation, you will be ready to go on to the “awesome prospects” list.
The only exception is if the company’s website indicates that they are currently tendering (or otherwise looking) for services similar to yours. Do not put these companies off—ever. Pick up the phone and ask how you may get involved in the process. If they’ve sent out an extremely clear buying signal, act immediately. Don’t expect to find many companies like this; they’re unusual.
Call Objectives:
You must have a goal for each call. It is extremely rare for a business-to-business (B2B) telesales representative to close a sale on their first call. In fact, any client who is eager to do business without first conducting some background checks, etc., is likely to be untrustworthy
The only exception is if you’re selling a really inexpensive goods. Sales of less than $100 are frequently not valuable enough to the client to warrant taking unnecessary safeguards; otherwise, expect them to require a bit more time to establish a relationship with you for the higher-ticket things you can provide.
Examples of call objectives are:
Obtaining the name (and other contact information) of the person who purchases services like yours.
Schedule a meeting with the individual who purchases services like yours.
Getting the individual to request marketing materials (such as your portfolio, CV, corporate brochure, etc.).
Getting the person to get a quote on a certain project.
Closing a sale
Every time you achieve an objective during a call, you get one step closer to a sale. It is much simpler to keep focused when you know what you are trying to accomplish when you call.
You can even write a little script (but never read it verbatim – it makes people sound like robots) to help you remember while you handle the conversation.
