Calling Prospects the RIGHT Way!

Instead of waiting for the phone to ring, be proactive in your prospecting and make the calls yourself! But, before you pick up the phone, it’s important to understand the steps for a successful prospecting call.

Guest Author: Mike Hilbert

Our guest author, Mike Hilbert, has 27 years of experience in the outsourced sales industry. He’s cracked the code on how facility managers run their days and knows the best way to get through to them. His company, Service Pros 4 Hire, helps businesses revamp their sales process.

Be Proactive with Prospects

Inbound marketing has plenty of potential for success. But sometimes, you may find it’s just not enough to fill your pipeline with warm leads. This is where strategic outbound tactics should come into play.

Outbound marketing can include several methods, such as emailing prospects and utilizing social media and direct mail. In this post, we want to highlight one specific method: phone calls.

Build Trust With Lead Nurturing

When we recommend calling potential leads, we aren’t talking about “cold calling.” 

What we are actually talking about here is a strategic phone call that will warm up prospects after marketing activities (such as an email or social media campaign) and before your sales team comes in. 

Don’t Use a Canned Sales Pitch 

People already have Google to find the information they might want or need about your products and services. This call should be customer-focused with the goal of showing your value while keeping their attention. The best way to keep a prospect’s attention is to talk about their pain points—that’s where research comes in.

Do Your Homework

Thoroughly researching the prospect prior beforehand is essential to a successful call. 

Review Prospect on LinkedIn

The first step is to review the prospect’s LinkedIn page to learn of any common interests, academic or organizational connections. Remember, you are aiming to form a human connection, and these can be great conversation starters!

Review Prospect’s Website

Gain insight into your prospect’s recent successes and current challenges by reviewing the company website. This will give you more talking points and show that you did your homework.

Know Your Prospect’s Team

Many companies will include a list of their leaders on the “Team” or “About” page of their website. Reviewing the leadership information can give you a glimpse into the organizational hierarchy and provide clues to who should be included in the sales process. 

Making the Call

Once you feel your research has prepared you for a fruitful conversation, it’s time to gear up to make the call.

Stand Up & Smile 

Consider standing up at your desk during the call. I have found that this helps you to sound clearer, more confident, and more relaxed. In addition, placing a mirror on the wall by your desk allows you to see your expression and adjust it accordingly. Prospects can sense if you are smiling or moody.

Pass the Gatekeeper

Identify yourself and your company when asking to connect with the prospect. You may first need to speak to a receptionist or gatekeeper. If this happens, be polite and ask for their help in getting in touch with the contact.

Building Rapport

Once you are on the line with your prospect, be sure to introduce yourself and your company again. 

Remember: the main point of the call is to show your value and build rapport with the prospect. To this end, your first call should not focus on making a sale. Instead, offer helpful information like blog posts or special promotions. If all goes well, you will already have a foot in the door for your next call with them. 

Listen to Prospect Concerns

Thanks to the research you already did, you should have a basic understanding of the company’s current challenges. Tell them about any experience you have with solving these problems and ask about their current situation.

Then it’s time to listen.

If you determine that your contact is a qualified prospect, then the objective of the call is to obtain a commitment for the next action (whatever you determine that to be).

Voicemail: To Leave or Not to Leave

If you reach the contact’s voicemail, you need to decide whether or not you are going to leave a message.

If you do decide to leave a message, there is a good chance you won't get a call back. The best you can hope for is some form of name recognition that the contact absorbs from your message. 

Of course, you can always hang up before the beep. This gives you the opportunity to try again soon.

Step Up Prospect Calls to Step Up Your Business

By being strategic with how you go about making outbound calls to prospects and by preparing beforehand, you will drive your business to the next level and stand out from the rest of the competition. 

Remember to take a human approach when making calls and focus on your prospects' needs. Utilizing these tactics will improve your overall sales process and lead to more leads!

For more information, visit ServicePros4Hire.com