Sales Calls: Set Yourself Up For Success
Have you ever received sales calls from people and they pretended you’ve met even though you knew you hadn’t?
Or maybe they tell you something they knew about you in the sales calls, however, the information was wrong.
At what point did you end the call? Probably pretty quick.
Last week, I received a sales call out of the blue, the woman identified herself and then asked how I enjoyed my vacation. When I told her I hadn’t been on vacation she responded with, “Huh, not sure why I thought you were on vacation.” Next she said, “I know you recently participated in XYZ event and work closely with Sally and I’m wondering if you’re open to hearing about my event?”
My response, “I didn’t participate in that event, I do know Sally, however, we’ve never worked together.”
Her response, “Hmm, I thought you spoke at her event, well ok, anyway here’s what my event’s about….”
At that point, I’m assumed she’s confused me with someone else and called the wrong person. It happens, we all make mistakes from time to time. I politely stopped her and told her she called the wrong person.
She asked the name of my company and when I told her, she said, “Yes, Nikki Rausch at Sales Maven.” Then she jumped into her sales pitch again.
Wow, what a terrible way to start.
Her credibility was shot. She had no relevant context for her call other than she wanted to sell me something. So, she obviously didn't know me. She couldn't even say how she got my name, company name or phone number. A complete waste of a sales call especially since it’s so rare to get anyone live on a call nowadays.
Had she been prepared with accurate information, I may have been open to participating in her event. Why would I invest time and money with someone who’s already demonstrated accuracy is not important to her? Could I trust her to follow through on what she says she’ll do?
As a business owner, I’m not willing to take a risk and spend money with someone who not only has a bad start to the conversation but doesn’t even acknowledge it and keeps trying to sell me.
This week’s Savvy Sales Tip: You have so little time to make an impression, set yourself up for success by having a relevant and accurate reason for your sales calls. Check your facts to ensure you have accurate information before contacting clients.
Here are 3 steps to set yourself up for success when calling prospective clients:
- Step 1: Check your facts. If you're unsure about your information, look at the clients website, social media sites, etc. When you get a client live on a call, you want to be credible and establish value for the client.
- Step 2: Have a relevant and legitimate reason for the call. Here’s a possible language suggestion:
“Hello Cindy, I’m reaching out to you today because your business (insert business name) may find our upcoming conference is filled with your ideal target market. Is this something you have a few minutes to discuss further?” - Step 3: For the times when it turns out you have inaccurate information, acknowledge it, apologize and move on.
“Hmm, Cindy, I’m so sorry, it was my understanding you had worked with Sally in the past. To ensure this call is a productive use of your time, may I ask a couple quick clarifying questions to ensure this opportunity will benefit you and your business?”
Winging it isn’t a successful strategy no matter how good you think you are at selling. A lot happens in the first 30 seconds of interacting with a client.
Please be prepared and set yourself up for success in your sales calls.
Wishing you a successful sales week.
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