In the world of phone sales, everything has changed, and yet not much has changed at all. Telesales and cold calling are still major avenues of lead generation for companies today, including everyone from the entrepreneur to the enterprise corporation and all other businesses in between. Fortunately, there are plenty who have come before you and have worked to master the art that is sales, and you can look to their expertise to get all the insight and assistance that you need.Â
Weâve taken the time to research some of the best sales tactics from top sales leaders and professionals around the country and the world. They all offer their own valuable advice and perspective to help you improve your own phone sales, no matter what business youâre in.Â
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Sales trainer John Barrows says that voicemail tactics are a big part of your contact strategy. âIf your contact strategy includes quality and relevant messaging each time,â says Barrows, âit increases the chances of someone responding.â
There are some cases where you will inevitably have to leave a message. Itâs not the worst thing in the world. It can even be mastered if you take it seriously. Focus on delivering a voicemail that doesnât sound practiced, but still delivers a simple, direct message for every caller.Â
According to Brian Tracy, sales guru and entrepreneur, âIf you make 100 calls as fast as you can with no concern about whether or not people are interested, you will start to uncover good potential prospects. You will start to make appointments. You will start to make sales.â
A lot of people in sales freeze up and get discouraged by all the noâs and hang-ups or feel like theyâre doing something wrong if people arenât ready to convert right away. The fact is that itâs a numbers game and you have to desensitize yourself and remove the emotions. Focus on making as many calls as you can. If they say no, youâre clearing dead leads out and thatâs almost as valuable as getting a conversion.Â
Neil Rackham, a sales consultant, academic, and bestselling author of SPIN Selling, a pioneer in the consultative selling world, says that preparation is key:Â
âBefore I go out on an important sales call, with all the tools that are available, I still just carry around a little notepad and pencil. Iâll write down 3 or 4 good questions I want to ask, make a little plan, and then tear it up so that Iâm not pulling it out in front of my prospect.â
If you ask Neil Patel, SEO guru and co-founder of Quicksprout, Crazy Egg, and more, improving your selling starts by listening to your sales call recordings. Patel says, âThe best thing Iâve ever done when it comes to building my selling skills [and that of my team] is listening to recorded calls. Listen to your sales calls and do roleplay. More importantly, donât do this just once a week or once a monthâwe do this literally every single day with every salesperson on our team. Thatâs the reason our team closes so well.â
Salesforce Enablement Executive VP, Jody Kohner says, âYou canât get to the work, the productivity, and the innovation until youâve acknowledged the human first â with all the emotional layers weâre living through.âÂ
Sheâs referring to the pandemic and life in a different world after the shutdown, trying to revitalize the selling world in a space where both customers and sales leaders have been forever changedâpeople have been forever changed. They want the human connection above all else. Make that and your sales calls will be much more effective.Â
Again, Jody Kohner chimes in here, explaining the value of data in the modern world of sales, including cold calling and phone sales. According to Kohner, âData helps you understand whatâs happening and how itâs going to impact people.â If youâre going to make the most of those human connections, and your sales calls, you need to embrace data and prioritize metrics and analytics as a resource for helping improve your sales call campaigns and more.Â
Phil Gerbyshak, a sales training expert, says that setting goals and being aware of them for each cold call is going to help you achieve much better results. Gerbyshak offers this simple five-step method that takes less than two minutes:Â
If you can follow these steps, you should see much better outcomes from your calls. By taking the time to do the research, youâll sound a lot more like a helpful hand calling to offer assistance and less like someone calling to make a sale.Â
At Smith.ai, we know that youâre busy managing your sales team and other aspects of your business. You might not have time to revamp your sales efforts or the team to deliver the volume of calls you need. Thatâs where we come inâour 24/7 virtual receptionists can provide solutions for outbound sales and support, as well as assist with outreach campaigns, lead intake and scheduling, and so much more. Plus, weâll ensure that youâve got a strategy to manage it all and take care of everything along the way.Â
To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss what the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can do for your outbound phone sales and more. Youâll also find us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.
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