Pre-Call Planning

The first step to making a telesales phone call is preparation. Here are some strategies to consider before making the call.

1. Prior to making a sales call, prepare a primary objective for every call. Ask yourself “what do I want the potential client to DO as a result of this call, and what do I want to do?"  Make your objective your primary focus on every call and do not get side tracked from this goal.

2. Prepare questions for your call using your call objective. Ask yourself, "How can I persuade my client to take action as a result of asking questions, as opposed to just talking?" It is important to ask questions and have your clients answer them. Telesales agents will find that people will believe more of their own ideas when answering leading questions than having the telesales agent just talk to them. 

3. The person who answers the phone is not necessarily the person you will need to speak to inorder to get results. Treat the screener who answers the phone as you would the customer, for this person determines whether or not you'll even have a chance to speak with the potential buyer.

4. Gather as much information as you can about who you are calling. Many busy decision makers get frustrated when they have to answer basic qualifying questions such as asking for their job title.

Click here to find out what to say on a sales call.