When selling on the phone, oftentimes, sales reps don't understand how to structure a call. If you don’t have the right plan going into a sales call, it’s going to be much harder to close the deal.
Every sales call, from a cold call to a closing call, should follow a pre-planned structure that is meant to increase the likelihood of a desired result. However, that doesn’t mean there can’t be detours along the way.
It’s like driving somewhere new the first time—you will almost always use Google Maps to give you a plan and directions. Then, each proceeding time, you might use your directions a little less.
A sales call at any stage of the process should include the following five steps.
For more detailed information, you can refer to our internal link to the sales call notes. This resource will provide you with comprehensive insights into effectively structuring your sales calls.
1. Make an Introduction
The goal of the introduction is very simple: talk to the prospect and get them in the right frame of mind. Create context and build rapport. Make sure they are present and engaged in the conversation before attempting to pitch anything.
Examples:
- Did I catch you at a bad time?
- Do you have "x" in front of you?
2. Ask Questions
If this is the first sales call, this is where you qualify the lead. In later sales calls, this is when you ask deeper qualifying questions and do discovery in order to find out what has changed or happened since the last call and what the current status is.
Examples:
- How are you currently doing "x"?
- What did your team think of the proposal you and I talked about on our last call?
3. Deliver the Pitch
You've had a successful introduction and asked all the important questions to reach a real understanding of your prospect. This is the part of the conversation where you offer your pitch.
The pitch is not always going to be selling your entire product. Rather, it is going to be selling them on the objective of the call (i.e., a follow-up call, an in-person meeting, or a demo or a close). Your questions should help prepare you for the pitch.
Examples:
- We are going to streamline your process by …
- We are going to save you ‘x’ dollars each month by …
- We can solve your security challenge by ...
4. Manage Objections
A prospect almost never bites on the pitch with no questions or concerns. So, during this part of the call, you anticipate objections and manage and address them.
Examples:
- This is something I hear pretty frequently, but here’s the thing …
- I hear you. Most of our customers had the same concern. Let me tell you how we're addressing this today ...
5. End With a Call to Action
Finally, all sales calls should end with a call to action. If you don’t have a call to action (i.e., another call or a check-in after the client is using the product), then you will face an uphill battle the next time you talk with the prospect. Download your free sales script to make sure you always plan for this part of a sales conversation.
Examples:
- When are you going to be able to bring this back to your team?
- When is a good time for us to connect again?
The above five steps provide a great starting point for a sales rep of any experience. Now, try making it your own and see how things improve.
