Photo by Jim Reardan

Originally Posted On: https://inspirationfeed.com/how-phone-calls-can-help-improve-business-sales-and-profits/

 

With the rise of smartphones and instant messaging, phone calls have taken a back seat, not only in personal use but in business as well. However, talking to someone directly over the phone is still more convenient and straightforward than having to wait for their reply through email or chat.

Businesses can continue to take advantage of this customer engagement method. It’s even more fortunate that new technologies have been developed to make the process even better for both your sales representatives and clients.

Here’s how phone calls can help improve your business sales and profits:

1. Cold-Calling

Cold-calling has gained a negative reputation because of its disruptive nature. This method involves contacting hundreds of people from a list, such as a directory, and talking to them in hopes that they become interested in what you’re trying to sell.

Its unfavorable perception comes from aggressive agents who push for a sale right on the first call, bordering on coercion. They missed the point of initial cold-calling, which is to set an appointment on when you can deliver your sales pitch to the customer at a time that’s convenient for them.

Luckily, ringless voicemail software is a new tool that allows you to engage with prospective clients without disturbing their workflow on a busy weekday. You can deliver your message right to their phone while giving them control over when they can respond to your pitch.

To boost the effectiveness of your cold-calling campaign, follow these tips:

• Build a Targeted List

Lead generation tactics make it more manageable these days to find customers who are interested in your products and services. These people can be your website visitors or those who follow you on your social media accounts.

If they gave you their contact number by answering your web form, it means that they want to know more about your merchandise. You can follow them up through voicemail and giving them the chance to set up an appointment to find out the details of your promo.

• Be Customer-Centric

As with everything related to business, especially sales, you have to angle your pitch for the benefit of the client. At the end of the call, they should end up with a general idea of the advantages that your product or service provides them.

• Know Each Call’s Objective

Don’t rush things and force a sale right at your initial contact with the client. You’re only risking the rejection of your pitch or, if they buy, you won’t have a recurring customer. It gets even worse if they block your number altogether.

As mentioned above, the first call should be an introduction to your brand. It’s also where you set up an appointment for another phone meeting to discuss the details of your products and services if the customer is interested.

• Have an Outline for the Call

The ability to think on your feet is a crucial skill to have as a cold-caller. However, lessen the pressure by having a structure for each call you make. You don’t have to necessarily follow the script word-for-word, but having a guide can make for a more seamless sales call.

Start with an opening statement that encompasses a greeting and brief introduction of your brand or merchandise. If you can, have a reference point about the prospect as well, especially on how your product or service can benefit them.

• Specify Your Appointment Requests

Once you’ve reached the end of the call, request a phone appointment on when the client would’ve more time to listen to the details of your sales pitch. You should be specific about this type of request.

Instead of saying, “Can I call you next week?” you should say, “Can I call you at 2:30 PM on Wednesday, November 20?” This way, the customer can mark the meeting on their calendar, and they’ll have ample time to prepare for the call.

2. Gain New Leads

Phone calls can also bring in new prospects. You can ring up referrals from current clients and ask them if they’re interested in what you’re promoting.

Moreover, there’s software that can make the process more manageable, such as a predictive dialer, which is an outbound calling tool that automatically dials multiple numbers in your contact list simultaneously.

With this, you ensure the productivity of your agents because they’ll only be connected to live numbers. Plus, time isn’t wasted on reading and typing in the numbers on the phone as well as doing it all over again due to error in dialing.

3. Customer Retention

Aside from being a customer engagement tool, phone calls can also help you retain your clients and motivate them to support your company. It’s a well-known fact that you ought to delight your buyers, and one way to do that is to follow them up.

Of course, you should still always consider how your calls may disturb the tasks that your customers are doing at the moment the phone rings. The best way to go around this issue is to send them a text message or email first and inform them of your intent.

4. Better Negotiation

Your sales and profits will benefit significantly when you negotiate through phone calls. Unlike email and chat messages where the words can seem flat or, worse, risk being misinterpreted, talking to someone over the phone provides them with nonverbal cues.

Your tone and the way you deliver your message through the phone can affect how the other person receives the message. Try to smile while talking on the phone because clients can hear or feel your joyous mood while conversing with them even when they can’t see you.

Some tips on how you can improve negotiations on the phone:

• Identify Non-Monetary Negotiables – The primary mistake that sales representatives make is that they think they’re stuck with pricing negotiations alone. Before you pick up that phone, determine the non-monetary things that you can offer the client, such as fast delivery or warranty period extension. These examples are perceived by the client as high value while having a minimal cost to you.
• Know Your Customer’s Needs – It pays to do your research. Identify the needs of your customers and match it up with your company’s strengths. For instance, you won’t be intimidated by a particular client who always tries to squeeze the best possible deal out of you because you know that you’re the only one who can provide them with a specific high-quality material or service.
• Determine Possible Counter-Tactics – In connection to knowing your customer’s needs, you can prepare for their negotiation counter-tactics better if you’ve established a professional relationship with them. Going back to the client who’s a great haggler, you should find non-monetary perks that you can offer to them if you’ve already given them the best price.
• Set Your Maximum and Minimum Goals – Again, you need to identify your objectives for each phone call. If you’re already in the negotiation phase with your client, determine your most favorable yet reasonable outcome as well as the minimum deal that you can accept. With this, you know how much leeway you have regarding the negotiation.
• Avoid Providing Information Unprompted – Another common mistake that sales representatives do is that they offer price compromises without the client asking for it. It’s better to wait until the customer request for a concession. Otherwise, you lose an opportunity to earn more profit from the transaction.

5. Supplement Marketing Campaigns

Doing phone calls can boost the reach of your marketing campaigns. Local businesses can benefit greatly from this method because customers actually have the choice to visit your office after speaking with your representatives over the phone.

Let’s say you start an Instagram campaign. You can promote your content and encourage your followers to visit your website from the app. Make sure that you have the necessary web form to collect their data, including their contact numbers.

You can then give them a call and explain the advantages that they’ll get when they buy your merchandise. It’s highly likely that they’ll convert into paying customers because they already expressed interest in your products and services when they gave out their personal details on your website.

6. Real-Time Feedback

Reviews are valuable for every business. Regardless of how they’re worded, business owners should learn how to pick out the criticism that can help them improve their goods and services.

With phone calls, you have the advantage of collecting this type of data in real-time. This method significantly improves the accuracy of the review. You can even record the call for your archives. Just make sure that you inform the customers about it.

Conclusion

Contrary to popular belief, phone calls are still a crucial method of customer engagement. You can capture prospects and gather new leads through cold-calling. Talking to your clients can also provide a significant boost to your customer retention.

Moreover, negotiations are better done through the phone because your tone can make your words more dynamic. Lastly, you can supplement your marketing campaigns and collect real-time feedback accurately with phone calls.