The Importance of the Initial Sales Call
A first impression is everything in this day and age. Whether you are looking for a job, calling a client, or you are on a first date the first impression is the one thing you cannot take back or do over. It is very important for a sales professional to gain the interest of the potential client within the first minute of their conversation. Their goal is to find out what the client’s needs are and show them the benefits of your product or service. Potential buyers will be shopping multiple companies so it is very important to gain their interest fast and cover everything they need to know about your offerings. The first time you speak with a potential customer is crucial to developing a long-term relationship with them. A long-term relationship can lead to future business and referrals that could lead to additional sales. In this article we are going to walk you through an initial sales call and talk about what’s important to achieve in the call.
The first step in the sales call is to find out about the buyer’s interests and needs. What product do they want and why? This is very important and can lead to closing the sale at a later time. It is important to ask the buyer open-ended questions and see what’s motivating them to seek additional information about your product or service.
Once you talk about their wants and needs you want to sell them on your company and your offerings. Talk about your benefits, the history of your company, and tell them a little about yourself. Let them know you are professional and want to do what’s right for them. If you come off as a creepy salesperson they will not do business with you. You should treat the sales call from a consultative stand point as opposed to shoving your product or service down their throat.
Finally, the closing statements a salesperson makes to the potential buyer are critical to a successful sales call. You want to be straight forward and to the point. You want to ask for the sale or make sure you schedule a follow-up call if the sales process takes a little longer than one call. After you hang-up with the client, make sure to send him/her an email with your product offerings thanking him for his/her time and providing all of your contact information for them.