Phone sales tips and a look at active listening for sales professionals
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 7:45 am
Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) often hate cold calling as much as many recipients of those calls do.
However, armed with the proper methods and mindsets, selling over the phone can be both profitable and enjoyable.
In this article, we'll share some tips on how to achieve that, and we'll take a look at active listening and explain why it's so crucial for phone sales.
7 phone sales tips
1. Fix your attitude
A major part of cold calling is learning how to deal with rejection.
With the right mindset, every rejection is but a step closer toward the next conversion. Not just mathematically, but you can also learn from every call and grow into a better SDR.
However, if you let rejection put you in a negative state of mind, then every albania phone number list rejection will actually force you to step backward.
Always remember:
Most cold calls will not result in a sale
You only control your actions, not those of your prospects
2. Call at the right time
An easy way to increase conversions and become a “better” SDR is by simply calling your prospects at the right time.
The right time to make your call depends on your industry, target audience, and their location.
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However, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study shows that calling between 4 and 5 Pm can increase conversions by as much as three times compared to other time slots.
In other words, you can boost your performance significantly by calling at the right time.
3. Research your prospects
Just as cold emailing without personalization is bound to fail, so is cold calling without researching your prospects first.
Prepare for each call by getting to know your prospect a little.
Check their social media accounts (particularly LinkedIn), do a Google search for their name, and see if you can find what their pain points are and how your product can solve them.
Just imagine you're getting a call from an SDR and they immediately connect with you by mentioning some of the work issues you're currently experiencing. This is what you'd call opening with a bang!
Compare such a personalized call with a generic sales call that has you mentally tune out and hang up the phone faster than Usain Bolt can run 20 meters.
4. Record your calls and improve
Some calls result in rejection simply because the prospect isn't interested.
However, sometimes we do make mistakes.
By recording our cold calls, we can identify where we tend to slip up.
This allows us to become aware of our mistakes and implement improvements for subsequent calls.
This is very similar to sports teams watching the video of a game and identifying areas for improvement for the next one.
The best part is the mental aspect of it.
As long as you keep learning from losses, you'll still be winning
In short, a loss is never really a loss unless you don't learn from it.
5. Ask questions
Asking questions is an invaluable tool in the SDR's arsenal.
Instead of just firing words and phrases at your prospects, take the time to ask some questions and let them do the talking.
Not only does it show you're interested in more than just making a sale, it also allows you to probe for valuable information that will
Allow you to find hidden objections and address them
Make you a better SDR by getting to know your prospects and the problems they're experiencing
6. Summarize at the end of the call
From the moment your prospects pick up the call, they are bombarded with a lot of information about your product or service.
You can't expect them to remember all the good things that you offer them.
At the end of the call, remind them of what they'll get if they purchase.
Be concise and include the best benefits and features that your product offers.
7. Take frequent breaks throughout the day
Making cold calls requires a lot of energy.
However, armed with the proper methods and mindsets, selling over the phone can be both profitable and enjoyable.
In this article, we'll share some tips on how to achieve that, and we'll take a look at active listening and explain why it's so crucial for phone sales.
7 phone sales tips
1. Fix your attitude
A major part of cold calling is learning how to deal with rejection.
With the right mindset, every rejection is but a step closer toward the next conversion. Not just mathematically, but you can also learn from every call and grow into a better SDR.
However, if you let rejection put you in a negative state of mind, then every albania phone number list rejection will actually force you to step backward.
Always remember:
Most cold calls will not result in a sale
You only control your actions, not those of your prospects
2. Call at the right time
An easy way to increase conversions and become a “better” SDR is by simply calling your prospects at the right time.
The right time to make your call depends on your industry, target audience, and their location.
__wf_reserved_inherit
However, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study shows that calling between 4 and 5 Pm can increase conversions by as much as three times compared to other time slots.
In other words, you can boost your performance significantly by calling at the right time.
3. Research your prospects
Just as cold emailing without personalization is bound to fail, so is cold calling without researching your prospects first.
Prepare for each call by getting to know your prospect a little.
Check their social media accounts (particularly LinkedIn), do a Google search for their name, and see if you can find what their pain points are and how your product can solve them.
Just imagine you're getting a call from an SDR and they immediately connect with you by mentioning some of the work issues you're currently experiencing. This is what you'd call opening with a bang!
Compare such a personalized call with a generic sales call that has you mentally tune out and hang up the phone faster than Usain Bolt can run 20 meters.
4. Record your calls and improve
Some calls result in rejection simply because the prospect isn't interested.
However, sometimes we do make mistakes.
By recording our cold calls, we can identify where we tend to slip up.
This allows us to become aware of our mistakes and implement improvements for subsequent calls.
This is very similar to sports teams watching the video of a game and identifying areas for improvement for the next one.
The best part is the mental aspect of it.
As long as you keep learning from losses, you'll still be winning
In short, a loss is never really a loss unless you don't learn from it.
5. Ask questions
Asking questions is an invaluable tool in the SDR's arsenal.
Instead of just firing words and phrases at your prospects, take the time to ask some questions and let them do the talking.
Not only does it show you're interested in more than just making a sale, it also allows you to probe for valuable information that will
Allow you to find hidden objections and address them
Make you a better SDR by getting to know your prospects and the problems they're experiencing
6. Summarize at the end of the call
From the moment your prospects pick up the call, they are bombarded with a lot of information about your product or service.
You can't expect them to remember all the good things that you offer them.
At the end of the call, remind them of what they'll get if they purchase.
Be concise and include the best benefits and features that your product offers.
7. Take frequent breaks throughout the day
Making cold calls requires a lot of energy.