By: Jason Dizon
Dozens of telephones ringing throughout the entire office. Countless voices seemingly speaking in unison with one another. All these are part of the norm in a typical sales department of a company. More often than not, salespeople will be talking with a lot of potential clients whom they are in conversation with for the very first time. As such, a mistake at this point in time can be quite costly. You will most likely not have a second chance from the get-go once you make a mistake.
Prospects or potential clients value whether or not you can help them and if what you are recommending to them are feasible and implementable in their own companies. Because of this, you as a salesperson must be prepared when calling these clients for the very first time.
14 Tips Before You Decide to Call a Client
1.) Know your prospect’s name
This might seem too obvious to make a mistake on but it can happen, especially when you have a high volume of prospects. It can be easy to mix up names when your calendar or notebook is cluttered with dozens of names to call on any particular day.
2.) Know their job title
Along with their name, you must know their job title or what they do for their company. Instead of asking directly what they do, try to find out their company’s org structure to see how your client fits into the bigger picture.
3.) Be familiar with their company
You should know more than just your client’s company name. What type of business do they engage in? Who are the decision-makers in the company? How many customers and employees do they have? The thing to note here is that you won’t be able to find out everything but you must avoid asking clients about information that is easily accessible.
4.) Visit their social media pages
A client’s social media page can add vital information and put context in any conversation. At the minimum, try to find their LinkedIn profile as well as their Facebook and Twitter pages so that you can get a better grasp of how your client is as a person.
5.) Know your client’s career trajectory
It can be helpful to understand a client’s job history so you can find out if they have made similar purchases to your product or service in the past, their experience in the industry they are in, and how long they’ve been in the industry. All these can influence how readily your client can make the decision to purchase and how much you should educate the client on your products and services.
6.) Be updated with your client’s recent company announcements
Knowing their company’s historical financial performance as well as their plans at present and in the future will help you in convincing the client to purchase your product or service.
7.) See if you have common connections with the prospect
Going over your client’s network and finding common connections can help you in convincing that client to purchase. Whether it’s a former colleague, current customers, or even mutual friends, these people can help refer your product or service to the client.
8.) Check a client’s previous interactions with your company
Make it a habit of checking your company’s system and records to see if a client has had a previous engagement with your company. Has the client looked at content about the company? Has he/she spoken with any salesperson from your company? Knowing all these can help put context to any conversation you might have with a client.
9.) Be aware of recent announcements by your client’s competitors
Your client would probably be thinking about their competition for the most part of their time. As such, familiarizing yourself with their competitors can help you build on an advantage that could put your client above the competition.
10.) Be familiar with conferences and forums your client has attended
Knowing which conferences and forums your client has been to can let you know how involved they are in the industry that they are in. Moreover, if you have been to the same conferences and forums, it will be easier for you to build a conversation based on these.
11.) Try and find out your client’s hobbies and interests
While these hobbies and interests shouldn’t take up the bulk of your conversation, having a shared hobby or interest can help put your client at ease and relax even if it’s your first time talking.
12.) Always remember what you talked about in a previous conversation
Once you have successfully engaged your client and are in constant contact, briefly refresh your memories of what you and the client have talked about in a previous conversation. That way, there will be continuity and it will be easier moving forward.
13.) Reiterate on how your call can help move the sales process forward
Since you and your client are busy with work, each call is time spent for the both of you. As such, each moment is important and must not be wasted on idle chatter. There should be a clear objective for each call as well as a prepared next step to take.
14.) Set an agenda for the call
Setting an agenda for your calls is an important skill to have. Your clients know less than you do when it comes to your product or service so you need to be able to move the call forward without being overbearing or controlling. An agenda can help put a logical flow to the call which includes your client’s input.
Prospects or potential clients value whether or not you can help them and if what you are recommending to them are feasible and implementable in their own companies. Because of this, you as a salesperson must be prepared when calling these clients for the very first time.
14 Tips Before You Decide to Call a Client
1.) Know your prospect’s name
This might seem too obvious to make a mistake on but it can happen, especially when you have a high volume of prospects. It can be easy to mix up names when your calendar or notebook is cluttered with dozens of names to call on any particular day.
2.) Know their job title
Along with their name, you must know their job title or what they do for their company. Instead of asking directly what they do, try to find out their company’s org structure to see how your client fits into the bigger picture.
3.) Be familiar with their company
You should know more than just your client’s company name. What type of business do they engage in? Who are the decision-makers in the company? How many customers and employees do they have? The thing to note here is that you won’t be able to find out everything but you must avoid asking clients about information that is easily accessible.
4.) Visit their social media pages
A client’s social media page can add vital information and put context in any conversation. At the minimum, try to find their LinkedIn profile as well as their Facebook and Twitter pages so that you can get a better grasp of how your client is as a person.
5.) Know your client’s career trajectory
It can be helpful to understand a client’s job history so you can find out if they have made similar purchases to your product or service in the past, their experience in the industry they are in, and how long they’ve been in the industry. All these can influence how readily your client can make the decision to purchase and how much you should educate the client on your products and services.
6.) Be updated with your client’s recent company announcements
Knowing their company’s historical financial performance as well as their plans at present and in the future will help you in convincing the client to purchase your product or service.
7.) See if you have common connections with the prospect
Going over your client’s network and finding common connections can help you in convincing that client to purchase. Whether it’s a former colleague, current customers, or even mutual friends, these people can help refer your product or service to the client.
8.) Check a client’s previous interactions with your company
Make it a habit of checking your company’s system and records to see if a client has had a previous engagement with your company. Has the client looked at content about the company? Has he/she spoken with any salesperson from your company? Knowing all these can help put context to any conversation you might have with a client.
9.) Be aware of recent announcements by your client’s competitors
Your client would probably be thinking about their competition for the most part of their time. As such, familiarizing yourself with their competitors can help you build on an advantage that could put your client above the competition.
10.) Be familiar with conferences and forums your client has attended
Knowing which conferences and forums your client has been to can let you know how involved they are in the industry that they are in. Moreover, if you have been to the same conferences and forums, it will be easier for you to build a conversation based on these.
11.) Try and find out your client’s hobbies and interests
While these hobbies and interests shouldn’t take up the bulk of your conversation, having a shared hobby or interest can help put your client at ease and relax even if it’s your first time talking.
12.) Always remember what you talked about in a previous conversation
Once you have successfully engaged your client and are in constant contact, briefly refresh your memories of what you and the client have talked about in a previous conversation. That way, there will be continuity and it will be easier moving forward.
13.) Reiterate on how your call can help move the sales process forward
Since you and your client are busy with work, each call is time spent for the both of you. As such, each moment is important and must not be wasted on idle chatter. There should be a clear objective for each call as well as a prepared next step to take.
14.) Set an agenda for the call
Setting an agenda for your calls is an important skill to have. Your clients know less than you do when it comes to your product or service so you need to be able to move the call forward without being overbearing or controlling. An agenda can help put a logical flow to the call which includes your client’s input.
Jason is currently an Account Executive at Leadfunnel.ph. While he is new to blogging, he is well-versed in news writing and other forms of creative writing.
Curious? Want to know more? You can reach Jason at 0917-569-3371.
The difficulty of sales is what makes it challenging yet exciting all at the same time!
Curious? Want to know more? You can reach Jason at 0917-569-3371.
The difficulty of sales is what makes it challenging yet exciting all at the same time!
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