Kinsey Wolf
Sales calls still play an essential role in 2024. Everyone is receiving so much communication, on all different channels, that it may feel like sales calls are less important. However, both qualitative and quantitative data consistently shows that customers want to talk to a real person - especially when they perceive that purchase to be important or expensive. And if you're not providing sales coaching to improve the quality of those calls, and their outcomes, you may be missing out on key opportunities.
So how can you improve the outcomes of those conversations? This blog will help.
First, let’s take a little time to understand the landscape of call outcomes.
An Overview of Potential Call Outcomes
Sales calls can lead to a variety of outcomes, depending on the stage of the sales process, the needs of the prospect, and how the conversation unfolds. Here are some potential outcomes of a sales call:
1. Positive Outcomes
Here are a few sample positive outcomes of a sales call:
- Sale Closed: The prospect agrees to purchase your product or service. Ensure smooth onboarding or transition if a sale is closed.
- Scheduled Follow-Up: The prospect agrees to a follow-up call or meeting to discuss further details.
- Demo Scheduled: The prospect schedules a product demo or trial.
- Proposal Requested: The prospect requests a formal proposal or quote.
- Referral: The prospect provides a referral to another potential customer or decision-maker within their organization.
- Interest Expressed: The prospect shows genuine interest and requests more information or materials.
- Partnership Opportunity: The prospect discusses potential partnership opportunities or collaboration.
Keep in mind that not all of these will apply to every company, and some important options may be missing from this list.
2. Neutral Outcomes
The following outcomes are neutral. They can occur because the sales person wasn’t prepared enough, the prospect wasn’t warm enough, or that factors have changed since the call was originally booked.
- Need More Information: The prospect needs more time to consider the offer or to gather additional information.
- Need More Time: The prospect is interested but not ready to make a decision yet (e.g., due to budget cycles or internal priorities).
- Decision Maker Not Present: The call needs to be rescheduled with the appropriate decision-maker present.
- Further Internal Discussion: The prospect needs to discuss the proposal with their team or superiors before proceeding.
- Feedback Received: The prospect provides valuable feedback about your product or sales approach, which can be used to improve future calls.
Again, you may define neutral outcomes differently depending on your business. That said, if you see a high proportion of neutral outcomes, that can indicate that your qualification and preparation process has room for improvement.
3. Negative Outcomes
The following are a few potential negative outcomes of a sales call.
- Disinterest: The prospect is not interested in your product or service.
- Already Using Competitor: The prospect is already committed to a competitor’s solution and unwilling to switch.
- Budget Constraints: The prospect indicates that budget constraints prevent them from making a purchase.
- No Need Identified: The prospect does not see a need for your product or service.
- Unfit Prospect: The prospect is not a good fit for your product or service based on their needs or criteria.
- Rejection: The prospect explicitly rejects the offer without any opportunity for further discussion.
Again, there may be different negative outcomes based on your business model. There may be opportunities to turn a negative outcome to a positive one, but generally, these are the types of outcomes we work to avoid.
To improve the likelihood that a negative outcome can become positive, always respect the prospect’s decision but seek feedback to understand their objections. Use this information to improve your approach. Keep the door open for future opportunities.
In all outcomes, follow-up is essential. If any follow-up tasks are identified, such as sending additional materials, conducting further research, or connecting with other team members, it’s imperative for the salesperson to shepherd the prospect through the process.
Make sure to document all outcomes, feedback and tasks in your CRM. Use the information to refine your sales strategy and follow up promptly on any actionable items.
Next, we’ll share a few tactical tips for navigating sales calls more effectively, and maximizing your chances of achieving positive sales call outcomes. Want even more guidance? Here's a free sales coaching plan.
8 Tactical Sales Coaching Tips for Improving Sales Call Outcomes
So now that you’ve spent some time thinking about potential call outcomes, here are a few tips to help improve sales outcomes.
1. Understand the Elements of an Effective Sales Call
Every successful sales call includes a few key elements. Some may include a few more elements, but every good sales call will have the following:
- Clear agenda-setting: Early on in the call, it’s important to set the agenda clearly for the prospect. This ensures that they’re well-prepared for the call and feel taken care of.
- Value-forward pitch or demo: It’s important to introduce the product or service in a way that highlights the value for the individual that you’re speaking to.
- Navigate questions and objections: A good sales call will include objections or questions. This is a good sign that the prospect is engaging with the offer and actively considering it.
- Define next steps: Before wrapping up the call, it’s important to make sure that next steps are defined and your next connection is set. Ideally, you can go ahead and book the follow-up call.
2. Have a Plan
You don't necessarily have to prepare separately for each call, but you do need to have a plan. In other words, you need an objective and a clear set of actions you take during the call to ensure success.
Maybe your plan includes deep preparation before the call so you’re able to have a detailed conversation about the account, goals, and opportunities. Your plan might include a call script that provides great guardrails for the conversation. Your plan is just that - yours. The important thing is that you have one.
3. Nail the Introduction
The first impression is so important. We’ve listened to thousands of sales calls, and you would be shocked by just how many start with a low-energy introduction.
The truth is, that first interaction sets the stage for the rest of the conversation - and your entire relationship. The best way to start is to say hello as though you’re smiling, because you really can hear the smile through the phone.
It’s important to clearly state your name and your company name. If possible, it’s also helpful to provide a short “elevator pitch” about the business. This can ensure that your conversation starts on the right foot.
An engaged and upbeat initial conversation sets the best stage for an ongoing relationship.
3. Listen Actively & Ask Better Questions
Usually when people hear the phrase “listen actively,” it just sounds like “pay attention.” But the truth is, listening actively means staying engaged in the conversation. It means asking smarter questions, and understanding what the real driving force behind the sales opportunity might be.
Former FBI hostage negotiator Christopher Voss outlines a few negotiation tips that can help in a sales environment. Here are a few to consider:
- Tactical Empathy: Understanding your prospect’s emotions and perspectives to form a collaborative bond, rather than opposing views.
- Inflection: Using downward and upward voice inflections to convey certainty or encourage openness during discussions.
- Mirroring: Repeating the last few words your prospect says to encourage them to continue talking and reveal more information.
- Labels: Using phrases like "it seems like" to make the other party feel understood and keep the conversation flowing.
- Power of No: Crafting questions that get the prospect to say no, making them feel secure and in control.
- Ask How, Not Why: Focus on 'how' to foster collaboration instead of 'why' which can make the prospect defensive.
4.Convey Confidence and Expertise
It’s important to help your prospect feel a sense of confidence in you and your company by demonstrating your expertise and knowledge throughout the conversation. (That’s why setting expectations at the beginning and end of the call are so important.
It’s not really about giving someone the “warm fuzzies” - it’s about giving them the feeling that you can do the job for them.
Some sales coaches call this “taking control of the call.” The best salespeople will make prospects feel calm and like they’re in the right place. The conversation feels clear, guided, and seamless. And that does come from the sales representative leading the way.
5. Handle Objections Effectively
There are a whole host of common objections that may arise during a sales call. It’s important to learn how to handle those objections effectively.
In general, it’s helpful to ask follow-up questions when you hear objections. For example, if a prospect says that they need to speak with someone else - be that a spouse or a colleague - you can ask questions like:
- Do you happen to know what that person is looking for?
- Does that person have experience with this product or service?
- What types of questions do you think they might have?
- When do you expect to have that conversation?
Pricing is a sensitive area where blockers typically arise. Don’t be afraid of pricing questions. Yes, it may surface volume, inventory, or budget questions, but you will need to answer those to actually get to the sale.
Here’s a blog that will help you deal with specific sales objections.
6. Ask for the Next Appointment (Or Step In Your Sales Process)
As the call concludes, it’s important to ask for and confirm the next step. In many cases, that might be asking for the prospect to set up a follow-up person (in-person or virtually). Depending on your sales process, it might be something more like booking a proposal walk-through. Whatever the case may be, it’s imperative to set clear expectations and timelines for follow-up.
Even if you don’t get that firm commitment, don’t give up. Ongoing follow-up is critical.
Keep the prospect engaged with regular check-ins and valuable content. In automotive specifically, it’s important to always push for the in-person appointment - even if there’s a conversation about price on the phone. After all, you may not always attain the step that you want, but ongoing follow-up is critical for surfacing alternate opportunities.
Calldrip’s AI sales assistant exists to help make that follow-up much easier. This AI tool enables automated, on-brand follow-ups without your sales team having to lift a finger. Learn more.
7. Finish Strong
It’s essential that you finish every conversation on a strong, confident, positive note. You can always affirm the shopper’s decision to explore with your business, and then provide next steps. This could be directions to your dealership’s physical location, articulate brand value or perk (like free oil changes), or even to establish a follow-up call.
8. Embrace Sales Coaching
All good sales people understand the importance of sales coaching. It’s important to get into the habit of coaching regularly to improve performance.
In many cases, self-coaching is a powerful tool for growth-focused, scrappy sales teams. And technology does make this easier.
Calldrip’s AI-powered call monitoring and sales coaching includes custom scorecards for each and every sales call to pinpoint opportunities for improvement. It also provides actionable “teaching moments” - short, concise callouts that help sales representatives improve in every element of a sales call.
Ready to learn more?
Improving call outcomes requires a combination of tactical skills, strategic planning, sales coaching and leveraging the right technology.
Implementing these tips and leveraging tools like Calldrip will position you for success in even the most challenging sales environments.
Ready to take your call outcomes to the next level? Explore the powerful features of Calldrip today and see how it can transform your sales process.