How to Get the Most Out of a Sales Call - Salesforce

At its most basic level, a sales call is a conversation between a salesperson and a prospect about the purchase of a product or service. These ... Skiptocontent     RESOURCECENTER BROWSEBYCATEGORY       HowtoGettheMostOutofaSalesCall Youonlygetonefirstimpressiononasalescall.Makesureit’sagoodone.   Aug03,2021|12minutes     Marketresearchdone?Check.Prospectsqualified?Check. Lookslikeyou’rereadytomakeasalescall. Thisisn’tjustaquickpitch,however.Themostsuccessfulsalescallsincludetailoredpresentationsandfocusonbuildingtrustwithprospectsbyaddressingtheiruniquepainpoints. AscelebratedentrepreneurSivaDevakinoted,“Salesisnotaboutselling,butaboutbuildingtrustandeducating.” Toensureyouleadasuccessfulsalescall,we’vecuratedexperttipsandtechniquesbelow,includingguidanceonhowtoprepare.Ready?Set?Sell!   Wait,whatisasalescall? Atitsmostbasiclevel,asalescallisaconversationbetweenasalespersonandaprospectaboutthepurchaseofaproductorservice.Thesecalls—mostoftenconductedeitherin-personorviavideo—involvemultipleparts,includinginitialagenda-settingbytherep,theproductpitch,ademo,prospectobjectionsandrepresponses,negotiation,andoutliningofnextsteps.Ideally,arepclosesasalescallwithaverbalagreementfromtheprospecttomakeapurchase. Thesalesprocessincludesproductandprospectresearch,prospecting,thesalescallandclose,andrelationship-building. Howdoyouprepareforasalescall? Inatypicalsalesprocess,muchofthepreparation,includingprospectresearchandqualification,occursdaysorweeksbeforethesalescallisevenscheduled.Thetasksexplainedbelowarespecifictothecallitself.   Setsalescallexpectationsbeforetheactualcall. Beforeyoumakethecall,determineyourprospect’sneedsandpainpoints.Thisavoidsanysurprisesduringthecallitself,asyou’vealreadyestablishedalignmentwithproductsolutionsandsetexpectationsofwhat’stocome. “Tellthemwhatyou’llcoverinthecall,butspecifically,shareashortvaluepropositionofhowyoucanpotentiallyhelpthem,”advisesMarcusChan,salescoachandpresidentofVenliConsultingGroup. Thisisalsoanopportunitytotactfullyaskwhoelseneedstobeinvolvedinthedecision-makingprocessbeforethepurchasecanbefinalized.Forlargercompanies,thisoftenincludeslegalteamsandhigh-levelcompanyexecutives.Sendanadvancecopyofthecontractorapreparedquotesoalldecisionmakerscanreviewsalesdetailsbeforethecall.   Createatailoredpresentation. InarecentSalesforcestudy,salesrepsreportedtheyoftenstruggletofullyunderstandtheirprospects’needs—inpartbecausetheydon’tconductadequateresearchorholddiscoverycalls.Theresultisagenericsalespitchthatdoesn’tframetheproductasasolutiontouniqueprospectproblems. Toavoidthis,makesureyouknoweachprospect’sneedsinsideandout.Thencreateaslidedeckorpresentationspecificallyaddressingthoseneeds. Also,keepyourprospect’scommunicationandengagementpreferencesinmindasyouprepareyourpitch.Somepreferstandardslideswhileothersmayenjoyvideoorinteractivecontent.   Prepademo. Talkingaboutyourproductasasolutiononlygoessofar.Toensureyou’redeliveringwhattheprospectneeds,considerpresentingavideoorinteractivedemoduringthesalescall.Keepittonomorethan10minutesand,ifneeded,prepthepersonleadingthedemosotheyknowtohighlightspecificfeaturesthatmeettheprospect’sneeds.   Determinelikelyobjectionsandresponses. Expectobjectionstothesale—evenifyou’vedoneyourhomeworkandmappedouttheperfectproductsolutionfortheprospect.Toprepareforthisinevitability,outlinethesalesobjectionsyourprospectislikelytohave,alongwithresponses.Usethisasareferenceduringthesalescall.   MakesalescallprepeasywithSalesCloud Setasalescallagenda,reviewquotesandcontracts,takenotes,andautomaticallylogprospectcommunicationononeplatform. LearnmoreaboutSalesCloud 13tipsformakingasuccessfulsalescall Veteransalesrepswilltellyou:There’snomagicformulafortheperfectsalescall.Thatsaid,youcanstillmakesureyou’readdressingprospectneedsandmovingthingsclosertoasale.Thetipsbelow,sourcedfromsalesexperts,areagoodplacetostart. 1.Recordandreviewyourcall. Accordingtoa2021Salesforcesurvey,only32%ofsalesrepssaytheyreceiveexcellenttrainingorcoaching,includingtrainingonsalescalls.Thisresultsinalotofmissedopportunitiesand,insomecases,botcheddeals. Toensureyouhavetheinsightsneededtomastersalescalls,makesureeachoneisrecordedonyourphoneorvideoconferencingplatform.Whencallsarecomplete,reviewthem.Findobjectionsyoumighthavemissedorinsightsyoucouldhaveadded.ToolslikeEinsteinConversationInsightscanevenhelpyouanalyzecommonlyusedkeywordsandyourlisten/talkratio.Youcanalsosharecallswithyourmanagerorcolleaguesforfeedback.Remember:Eachcallisanopportunitytolearn,improve,andboostsales. 2.Startwithafriendlygreeting—butnottoofriendly. Manyrepsmakethemistakeoflaunchingintotheirsalespitchtoosoon.Youwanttobuildrapportandcomfortwithyourprospect,andthatstartswithafriendlygreeting—maybeevenchitchat. Chancautionsrepsnottogetsuperchummy,though.“Youdon’twanttobetoochatty,”hesays.“Thatcangetcheesyveryquicklyandprospectsseerightthroughit.”Keepthegreetingtojustafewminutes,thenmoveon. 3.Makesurenothinghaschangedsincethelastcommunication. Businessmovesfast,whichmeanschangeisconstant.Tobesureyou’renotwastingyourcarefullypreparedpitchonaprospectwhoseneedshaveshifted,prefaceyouragenda-settingwithasimplequestion:“Hasanythingchangedsincethelasttimewetalked?”Thisallowsyoutoadjustyourtalkingpointstomeettheirneedsinthemomentor,ifneeded,reschedulethecallsoyouhavetimetoprepareanewpitch. KeepnotesandtrackupdatesforeverydealinSalesforceAnywhere. 4.Setcallagendaandexpectations. Afterconfirmingthattheprospect’scircumstanceshaven’tsignificantlychanged,spellouttheagendaforthecall.Thismaychangeslightlyasthecallprogresses,butit’skeythatyousetexpectationssotheprospectisnotcaughtunawares.Thisagendashouldalignwithexpectationssetattheendofthediscoverycallandbeasstraightforwardaspossible. Shareyoursalescallagendaearlysotheprospectknowswhattoexpect. Belowiswhatatypicalsalesagendamightlooklike.Someoftheseitemsareforyoureyesonly.Theitemsinboldshouldbediscussedwiththeprospect.   Welcome:Greetandreviewprospect’ssituation ✅Welcome:Greetandreviewprospect’ssituation   Agenda:Outlinethemeeting ✅Agenda:Outlinethemeeting   Reviewprospectneeds:Confirmpainpoints ✅Reviewprospectneeds:Confirmpainpoints   Productoverview:Introduceproductfeaturesandfunctions ✅Productoverview:Introduceproductfeaturesandfunctions   Productsolutions:Explainhowyourproductaddressespainpoints ✅Productsolutions:Explainhowyourproductaddressespainpoints   Demo:Showcaseproductandhighlightproblem-solvingfeatures ✅Demo:Showcaseproductandhighlightproblem-solvingfeatures   Questions:Offeradditionalinformation(asneeded)andaddressobjections ✅Questions:Offeradditionalinformation(asneeded)andaddressobjections   Nextsteps:Outlineactionitemsandatimelineforclosingthedeal ✅Nextsteps:Outlineactionitemsandatimelineforclosingthedeal 5.Reiteratepainpoints. We’vesaiditonceandwe’llsayitagain:Reiterateyourprospect’spainpointsduringthecall.Thisaccomplishestwokeythings.Itshowsthatyoulistenedandareputtingtheirneedsfrontandcenter,anditsetsthestageforpresentingyourproductsolution. 6.Talkaboutproductvalue,notfeatures. Asyouworkyourwaythroughyoursalespitch,leanheavilyonlanguagethatfavorsvalueandproblem-solving.Howareyouattemptingtomakeyourprospect’slifeeasierorbetter?Bespecificand,ifpossible,showmeasurableimprovements. AsChanframesit,therearetwoemotionalleversyouwanttopull:painandpleasure.Showtheprospecthowyoucantakeawaytheirpainwhilealsoaddingpleasure.Alwaysconnectthesesolutionstoyourproduct. Let’ssayyouselltravelinsuranceandaretalkingtoaprospectaboutinsuringanupcomingtriptoEurope.Youcanreferencethepeaceofmindyourprospectwouldfeelknowingtheirinvestmentinplaneticketsandhotelreservationsisfullyrefundableiftheirdestinationcityshutsdownduetoinclementweather.Evenbetter,youcanletthemknowaboutspecialdiscountsorgiftstheywouldenjoywiththepurchaseofaninsuranceplan.Painremoved,pleasuregained. 7.Referenceyouruniquedifferentiator. Mostproductshaveahealthyhelpingofcompetitorsinthemarket.Whileyoumaymakeacompellingcaseforsolvingyourprospect’sproblems,competingproductsfrequentlyoffersimilarsolutions.Toavoidbeingoutshonebyothercompanies,researchyourcompetitorsinadvanceandarticulatedifferentiatorsthatclearlyelevateyourproductaboveothers. Ifaprospectmentionsaspecificcompetitor,veteranSalesforceAccountExecutiveEdwardSwiderskisuggestsrespondingwithaquestion:“Askifthatcompetitorcanofferthefullbreadthofyourproduct’sfeatures.”Thisnudgestheprospecttoarticulateyourproduct’svalueforthemselves. Knowyourcompetitiveedgesoyoucanspeaktoitduringthesalescall. 8.Usepositivelanguage. Whatyousaymatters,buthowyousayitmattersmore.Thisisespeciallytrueinsales.Infact,leaningonempathetic,value-based,andpositivelanguageiscriticaltoearningprospects’trustandemotionalbuy-in.Oncetheseareinplace,closingasaleisrelativelyeasy. Forexample,insteadofusingtermslike“payment,”whichimpliesdebt,useawordlike“investment,”whichimpliesownershipandopportunity.Otherpositivetermslike“benefit,”“guarantee,”and“easy”areeffectivewaysofsecuringbuy-induringasalescall. 9.Respondtoobjectionswithquestionstofullyunderstandeachconcern. Newsalesrepsoftenreactdefensivelywhenprospectsobjecttoasale—evenwhentheobjectionisvalid.Whileit’sgoodtohavesomeresponsesinthebagtounderscoreyourproduct’svalue,thegoalinobjectionhandlingisnottofirebackwithcounterpoints. Chanadviseslisteningmorethantalkinginthesesituations.“Focusonunderstandingtheobjection,”hesays.“Followupwithquestions,askthemwheretheirconcernsarecomingfrom.Often,theseconcernsaresymptomsofabiggerproblem.That’swhatyouneedtounderstandbeforeyoucanrespondwithanythingofvalue.” Here’sanexampleofhowthismightplayoutinasalescall:   Prospect:  Ijustdon’tthinkI’mreadytobuyyet.Thecontractisprettylong.   Rep: Ihearyou,butcanyouhelpmeunderstandwhythelengthisaproblemforyou?    Prospect:  Ijustworryourneedswillchangeinthreemonths,fourmonths—heck,evenafewweeksin.Thenwe’restuckwithit.   Rep: SoifIunderstandyouright,you'reworriedthatifyourneedschange—whetherit’safewweeksinorafewmonthsin—you’llbestuckwithwhatwe’vechosentoday.Isthatright?   Prospect:  100%.   Rep: Sothataside,isthereanyotherreasonholdingyoubackfromworkingtogether?   Prospect:  Nope,that’sprettymuchit.   Rep: Andifthatweren’taconcern,you’dfeelcomfortablemovingforward?   Prospect:  Yeah,Ithinkso.   Rep: Iunderstand.I’veheardsimilarconcernsfromothers.Butletmeputyourmindatease.Ifyoudon’tseeauseforourproductafterafewmonths,wecantalkaboutearlycancellationorswitchyoutoadifferentproductthatwouldbettersuityourneeds.Wouldthatworkforyou?   Prospect:  Yeah,actuallythatwouldhelpalot.Sotellmeabouttheseotheroptions… 10.Activelylisten. Salesrepsareoftendingedfortalkingtoomuchinsalescalls.Thegoalduringthesecallsistoprovidevalueandsolutionsfortheprospectwhilemakingthemfeelheard.Thisrequiresmorelisteningthantalking;a60/40listen-talkratioisoftenfavoredbysalesexperts. Swiderskiputitsimply:“Focusonbeinggenuinelyinterested.Ifyouaregoingtotalk,spendmostofyourtimeaskingquestions.” 11.Balancestatisticswithstories. Whenprospectsaskabouttheeffectivenessofyourproduct,it’scommonforrepstorespondwithstats.Thesecanbecompelling,buttheycanalsoleadtoglassy-eyedstares. Asanalternative,StanfordMarketingProfessorJenniferAakersuggestsusingstoriestograbattentionandsecurebuy-in:“Researchshows…ourbrainsarewiredtounderstandandretainstories.Astoryisajourneythatmovesthelistener,andwhenthelistenergoesonthatjourney,theyfeeldifferent.Theresultispersuasionand,sometimes,action.” Chanthrowsinonecaveat,however.Ifyoufindthatyourdecisionmakerisanalyticalinnature,they’relikelytovalueclear-cutstatisticsthatvalidateyourproductasthebestsolutiontotheirproblem.Keepthisinmindanduserelevantmetricstosupportyourcompellingstories. HarryKurland,DirectorofNorthAmericanInsideSalesatdataprotectioncompanyVeeam,tiesthistogetherneatly:“Ask[yourprospect]tosharespecificexamplesasitpertainstochallengestheyarehaving.Dotheytellafullstory?Howquantitativedotheygetintheirreasoning?Peopletendtospeakhowtheylikebeingspokento,somirroryourprospect.” Don'tleanonstatsalone.Besureyoufoldinstoriesthatwillresonatewithprospects. 12.Don’tleavethecallwithouta“yes.” Oneofthebiggestmistakesnewrepsmakeisleavingsalescallsopen-ended.Prospectsfrequentlyrespondtopitcheswithacasual,“I’llthinkaboutit.”Newreps,aimingtoplease,agreetogivethemspacefordeliberation.Inevitably,however,prospectsarecaughtupinotherresponsibilitiesandforgetaboutthesale. Toavoidthis,closethecallwithacoupleofdirectquestions/comments: “You’vehighlightedXandYasproblemsforyourbusiness.We’vejusttakenalookattheproductandhowitcansolvethoseproblems.Doyouagreeit’sagoodsolutionforyou?” “Great.Itsoundslikewe’reonthesamepage.TotakecareofyourproblemsASAPwiththesolutionwe’vediscussed,allweneedtodoistakecareofsomeeasypaperworkandwe’llgetyouonboardedimmediately.Soundgood?” Ifaprospectwaffles,makeuseofwhatChancallsthe“costofinaction.”Explainthecostintime,money,andlaboriftheywaittomakeapurchasedecision.Whentheyrecognizetheconsequencesofwaiting,securinga“yes”tothesalebecomeseasier. Focusonsalescallcommunicationandleavecallloggingandrecord-keepingtoSalesCloud 13.Closewithnextsteps,includingatimelineforfollow-up. Afteryoureceiveyour“yes,”clearlyoutlinewhatwillhappenafterthecall.Thisincludesactionitemsforyou,theprospect,andanyotherdecisionmakersorstakeholders,aswellascleardeadlinesforeachactionitem.Askforagreementtothisschedule,andthenfollowupwithanemailsummarizingyourcall.Withaclearlyoutlinedtasklist,closingadealbecomessimplyamatterofkeepingtheprospectonschedule. HowtoSellChapters   00 Introduction   01 SalesProcess   02 SalesProspecting   03 SalesPipeline   04 SalesCall   05 SalesClosing       NextUp:HowtoCloseSalesLikeanAbsolutePro   It’stimetoinkthatdeal!Learnhowtoclosedealsquickly—whileensuringyourprospectissatisfied.Inthenextchapter,you’lllearn: Closingtechniquesusedbytopsalesreps Pitfallstoavoidwhenclosingasale Tipsonhowtoimproveyourclosings Readon       NextUp:HowtoCloseSalesLikeanAbsolutePro It’stimetoinkthatdeal!Learnhowtoclosedealsquickly—whileensuringyourprospectissatisfied.Inthenextchapter,you’lllearn:   Closingtechniquesusedbytopsalesreps Pitfallstoavoidwhenclosingasale Tipsonhowtoimproveyourclosings Readon     HowtoSellChapters   00 Introduction   01 SalesProcess   02 SalesProspecting   03 SalesPipeline   04 SalesCall   05 SalesClosing   MoreResources   StateofSalesReport Report StateofSales StateofSalesReport SalesCloud:SalesForceAutomation Demo SeeHowSalesCloudMakesSellingEasy SalesCloud:SalesForceAutomation Trailhead SalesRepTraining101     Gettimelyupdatesandfreshideasdeliveredtoyourinbox. 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