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When you book more meetings, you’ll get more sales and partnership opportunities. It’s the nature of the business. Of course, getting those meetings in the first place can prove to be quite a challenge. Fortunately, the world of technology has made it a lot easier to book and have meetings that leave a lasting impression. In light of the pandemic, more people are accustomed to tools like Zoom and Discord as everyday tools, so the meeting itself isn’t an issue. But how do you get there?

When it comes to phone skills, there are a lot of different ones that have value. Selling is a lot different than it used to be, and yet in several ways, it’s also still relatively the same. If you are trying to build the best sales team, you’ll need to make sure that your sales development representatives (SDRs) have the best skills for their role.

If you’re in the market for a receptionist, outsourcing to a third-party provider or company is one of the options on your list. People like this option because it often allows them to get more for their money than hiring in-house. These companies also specialize in receptionist duties and admin work, giving them a leg up on any other admin professional. Of course, there are several types of receptionist services out there today. Choosing the best one can prove to be a bit of a challenge if you’re not sure what to look for.

If you’re looking to make the best impression, you have to do it from the moment that the interaction begins—right when you answer the phone. There is an entire industry dedicated to researching customer behavior and interactions to ensure that call centers, receptionists, and other professionals know how to answer the phone and deliver the professional image that their brand is trying to project.

Cold calling is far from dead. If anything, it has seen a resurgence in popularity as brands try to redefine the selling experience in today’s fast-paced, Internet-based society. Of course, the way that cold calls are made has changed slightly, since today’s consumer is much savvier and they get a ton of solicitation calls and junk messages every single day. If you want to get in on a good footing, the introduction is what counts.

In B2B sales, there is a hierarchy that must be followed. You can’t just call up a company, pitch to the receptionist, and land a new client because the person answering the phone liked what you had to say. Businesses have two main categories of people: gatekeepers and decision-makers (DMs). In this guide, we’ll help you learn all about getting past the gatekeepers to get decision-makers on the phone faster and easier.

The phone is always ringing—or at least, it should be if business is good. And yet, you don’t exactly want to be tethered to the desk all day or have your time eaten up by fielding phone calls left and right. How are you supposed to find the balance? As a decision-maker or business owner, it’s your job to talk to people and make sure that everyone who contacts your company gets what they need. That starts by answering the phone.

We know what you’re thinking—you can’t possibly afford to hire a receptionist, so how are you supposed to give your audience the dedicated attention that they deserve? That’s where outsourcing comes into play. Since the average employee will cost you about 1.25-1.4 times their annual salary for training, benefits, overhead, etc., outsourcing could be done for a fraction of that cost and give you a lot more solutions for your money.

Choosing the right way to field phone calls can quite literally make or break your business. When your startup has grown to the point that you’re no longer capable of fielding the calls on your own, you need to invite in professional help. Of course, that insinuates bringing in the right kind of help. What that means is a little different for everyone, but typically it involves a custom solution like outsourcing to a specialized answering service (like the dedicated virtual receptionists at Smith.ai, but more on us later).