7 Sales Strategy to Make the Most of Your Sales Calls

Sales calls are always tricky, no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are. If you are nervous about making sales calls, you are not alone. 

Despite all the apprehensions related to this marketing method, sales calls are still widely preferred and are successful. For instance, one study states that 59% of C-suite executives prefer sales calls over emails or messages. Yet, at the same time, few things are more annoying to customers than annoying cold sales calls. 

Today we will discuss seven sales strategies to make the most of every sales call. Making effective sales calls is one of the most valuable skills for any salesperson. So without further ado, let’s find out what the strategies are. 

7 Strategies to Make the Most Out of Sales Call

Learn more about the strategies below: 

1. Have a proper demographic understanding

There’s a difference between a planned sales call and a cold sales call. When it comes to cold sales calls, the chances of annoying the customer at the other end are very high. If you are just starting, it is always better to prepare beforehand. 

If you are responsible for making sales calls, you should also have at least some information about the person you are calling. Even basic demographic information is an excellent place to start from. For example, you would not talk to a 40-year-old and a 20-year-old similarly. 

Having information about your target customers makes sales calls much more efficient. But it is just the starting point. You still need to do a lot to convert from a sales call. 

2. Do not jump to the sales pitch

While the purpose of a sales call is to pitch, you should put effort into making your customer feel human. If you jump straight to the sales pitch, you are not beginning the conversation on a friendly note. 

At the same time, never be overfriendly with a prospect. Keep the exchanges strictly professional, but do not treat the person at the other end as a prospect only. Again, balance is the key here. 

It takes practice to master a friendly introduction. But once you attain perfection, it will be the most effective tool in your arsenal.

3. Clarify the sales call agenda

You do not want to beat around the bush in a sales call. Aim to make your sales call agenda clear as early as possible. That gives the prospect a chance to gather their thoughts and focus on the agenda. 

Once you are done with a brief, friendly introduction, jump straight to the agenda. It saves time for both you and your prospect and makes sure every word you speak affects the call's outcome. Make this a part of your practice to do it correctly in actual sales calls.

If you call a prospect you have interacted with before, setting an agenda makes sure you are on the same page since the last call. Of course, if the prospect’s needs have already been met, there’s no point in continuing the pitch. But if the prospect shows even the slightest interest, you should approach the call with complete seriousness. 

4. Talk about the pain points

Nothing strikes a chord with the prospect more than talking about the pain points they are experiencing in their lives. So it’s essential to lay down the pain points to set your call agenda. 

But to do that, you need to do a fair bit of research. It'll be much less impactful if you cite the same pain points for every prospect without personalizing them. But if you can address the specific problems that your prospect is facing, they'll be much more interested in what you offer. 

Here again, you must learn about your prospect to address the correct pain points. 

5. Promote your product’s value

Instead of talking about what your product/service can do, talk about how it can change your prospect’s life. This directly relates to talking about the pain points. As you discuss the pain points, highlight how your product can help solve them. 

For example, instead of telling how your product can address multiple pain points, talk about how your prospect’s life will be better with the product. 

The sales call becomes more personal when you talk about value instead of features. It is no longer about what your team has achieved. Now it is about how one product/service can bring a positive change in your prospect’s life. This small change in approach will have huge ramifications on the outcome. 

6. Be open to criticism

According to Salesforce, 85% of prospects and customers don't like the experience they have during sales calls. As prospects ourselves, we also do not always appreciate a sales call. So it’s natural for prospects to have complaints and criticisms. 

As a salesperson, it is your responsibility to take note of every objection that the prospect raises. Address the objections then and there if it is within your capacity. If it’s not, note them and discuss the same in team meetings. Making this a practice will help you improve progressively in sales calls.

7. Practice

While it seems apparent that you should practice sales calls, not many salespeople do it. Therefore, no matter how charismatic and spontaneous you are in real life, you must be prepared for all possible scenarios during a sales call. 

When you call a customer, you have no idea what they are doing or how their mental state is. Therefore, the chances of things not going as expected are much higher than things going according to the plan. 

When you practice your sales calls numerous times, you develop the ability to deliver tailored responses for different types of customers. But to achieve that competence, you must first practice with a wide range of people and scenarios. Practice makes everything perfect, including sales calls. 

One of the best ways to practice sales calls is to review past sales call recordings. Listen to successful and unsuccessful sales calls and note what they did right and wrong. Combining this with hypothetical scenarios will give you the best possible preparation. 

We hope these sales strategies will help you ace your sales calls. For more resources on sales strategy, head over to Juno School of Business. At Juno, we help you kickstart your sales career with aplomb! Learn more about us today.