Whether you love them or hate them, sales calls are an important step in the development of your business. Having spent the first six years of her career in account management, our founder Emma has learned several lessons in how to effectively conduct sales and client calls.
If you’re new to sales calls, or simply looking to refresh your approach, you may find benefit from reading these 5 basic tips.
1. Avoid the term “sales”
Using the term “sales call” tends to set the expectation for both you and the client that the discussion will be more formal and, for lack of a better word, sales-y. Reframe this by referring to your sales calls as something more casual. This will help ease any nerves you may have around a sales or client call, and even give you an opportunity to position the discussion as something that is more of a value add than a pitch call to the client. Based on the nature of your call, you can evaluate using alternative phrases like a get-to-know-you (GTKY), discovery call, strategy session, or even a coffee chat – feel free to get creative!
2. Send your client information in advance
Take some pressure off both parties involved in a sales call by providing as much information as possible upfront. Not only does this enable you as the call lead to focus more on the essentials, but it also may proactively answer some of the questions your client prospect has going into the discussion. Additional information can include things like package options or investment information, case studies or testimonials, and information about you or your team members. Ask yourself, if you were on the other end of the call, what information would be useful to have in advance to make this discussion as productive as possible?
3. Have a call agenda
Don’t underestimate a good call agenda! Even if very simple, call agendas help keep discussions streamlined, help hosts orient themselves throughout, and set expectations for what topics will be covered. You can even make agendas collaborative with prospects by asking what topics or questions they want to ensure are addressed during this time. It may be helpful to send out your call agendas the business day prior to a scheduled call to serve as a reminder, with conference line details included within so those are easily accessible.
4. Record your calls
For many, a challenge with sales calls is balancing leading calls and note-taking. It can be challenging to both remain engaged in a conversation and also ensure you’re capturing every key detail a prospect shares. For that reason, consider recording your calls (note: please ensure you are using a system that discloses to call participants when calls are being recorded, and is otherwise in line with applicable privacy laws). This enables you to stay present during the call, knowing you have the ability to access the call information to refresh your memory on any details you weren’t able to capture after the fact. Platforms like Zoom allow you to set up automatic call recording for all conference calls hosted with your account, and even offer transcriptions of audio calls to written notes. Alternatively, if you work on a team, another system that works well is assigning a dedicated note-taker (who is not an active participant in the call) for the discussion so you can focus on driving the discussion at hand.
5. Practice, practice, practice
As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Take advantage of the opportunities you have to get on calls with clients, and even evaluate practicing your personal introductions or presentation of materials out loud to better prepare yourself. Whether you feel anxious about an upcoming call or simply don’t have a lot of experience with client calls, rest easy with the knowledge that you will only get more comfortable with them over time!
If you’re a fellow creative or small business owner who can relate to this subject, let’s connect – we’d love to exchange tips and tricks! You can follow and message us on social media, or if you’re interested in receiving a quote for your next design project, submit an inquiry form to get in touch.
