You did it. After dozens of calls that didn’t pan out, you’ve finally gotten a lead that looks like it may have some promise. It’s a great feeling, but remember—the tough parts have yet to come. With the sheer volume of cold calling most salespeople do every day, it’s important to maximize the potential for a close each and every time you get some potential interest. It can be a long road from that first call to finally asking for the sale, and every step can make or break your chance.
- Set a follow up appointment. Before you hang up the phone during your cold call, get commitment for a follow up call or meeting. Don’t be vague and say you’ll call back “this week,” or “on Thursday”—set an exact date and time. As you near the date, go ahead and send a reminder email, with an included agenda.
- Ace your presentation. The presentation is maybe the most important part of the sales process, as it’s when you get to show off your product, and, more importantly, show the customer what it’s going to do for them. One mistake many salespeople make is zipping through their whole presentation, and then asking for questions at the end. Stopping periodically to ask if the customer is “still with you” or agrees with what you’ve said allows you to gauge how close you are to a sale and address any concerns they might have.
- Anticipate objections. If you’ve done your homework before your presentation, you’ll likely have identified a few objections or areas of concern the customer will likely raise. By figuring out how you’ll respond to these ahead of time, you’ll appear confident and prepared and won’t be left fumbling for words. Some customers won’t even raise their concerns during the presentation, and you’ll be left wondering why the sale flopped—unless you can anticipate them ahead of time.
Here at Acquirent, we know sales. In fact, we’ve been specializing in outsourced sales for over 10 years now, so if you’re looking to take your business to the next level, look no further than us.
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