Love them or hate them outbound calling is a very important process in the sales and service arm of any organisation. When done poorly it can be a terrible experience for the caller and the person receiving the call but when done well it can a true win for both.
An outbound call is a call initiated from a company or business to a prospective buyer, or existing customer with an aim to achieve a goal. That might be to raise more revenue by having the buyer purchase an item or it might be to upsell products and services to existing customers or to provide them with information.
When outbound calling is done effectively it improves the chance of success significantly, if you or your team are outbound calling to generate sales the top 5 tips listed below is set to put you at the top of the sales ladder. On your way up the ladder Happening People offer you our Top 5 – How to Make Outbound Calling a Success.
1. Extract the Value and Your Goal
Before you dial a number really know what it is that you are selling. Ask yourself ‘What is the VALUE to your prospective client?” Link the features to the benefits and really understand what the product or service is designed to do. To successfully sell that product or upgrade you really need to convey the value of the product or the service to your customer and remember what your end goal is. This will help you maintain motivation.
2. Know your Target Clients
In a recent online article by www.smarta.com titled ‘ The Art of Cold Calling’ they discussed the merit of cold calling and decided it was not dead in the water as suggested by some. In fact a strong case was made for its validity especially in the era of social media. Sales expert Andy Preston said “You need to have done your homework beforehand,” he says. “You cannot make a professional cold call without knowing – at least – the name of the person you are trying to reach. Otherwise you create problems with the gatekeepers. People are far too savvy to pass on calls that begin, “Can you put me through to your head of marketing, please?” It’s pure laziness not to find out the names. It always has been. These days, tools like LinkedIn and Twitter can help you find out those names. And if you don’t do that, you’re daft.”
3. Develop a Structure
Once upon a time outbound scripts where a must. However in todays more sophisticated markets outbound call scripts can be deadly! It is recommended that you structure the call but keep it natural for research shows no one likes being talked at. A good structure will help you or your team keep the goal of the call in focus but ensure you do not get your customer or prospective customer offside. A good structure includes a series of prompts to help you guide yourself as well as a list of questions to keep you on track. This way you are more able to concentrate on what is being said and you can better tailor the call to the customer.
4. Knowledge and Handling Objections
A great outbound representative has usually developed a thick skin overtime. There are many areas that are unknown, the level of interest from your customer, their preconceptions of you, your business, your product or service. Their previous experience with your organisation may also be a mystery. Your ability to navigate these areas and gain knowledge of all these is important to the success of the call. So too is your ability to handle objections from your customers. Have a list of objections and possible responses and if you receive any new ones along the way, add these to the list and successful responses you or your team used.
5. Success and Improvements and measurement
As strange as it can be to hear yourself played back and to receive feedback on calls it is an essential step to improvement and success. Also too make clear notes on all your calls you may be able to rework your list at a later date and turn previous rejections into successful sales and calls. Measure your success rate
Effective outbound calling is a skill that can be easily acquired. Happening People have worked with many organisations through our Sales Academy and help their Sales Teams and dedicated Outbound Sales Teams move to the top of their game. Visit us at www.HappeningPeople.com or call us on 1800 68 67 69.
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