The success of outbound calling efforts depends on many factors. The good news is most of them are under your control. Outbound calls can look challenging and tough to master if you do not have a strategy in place that works. A third-party caller can even book one to three appointments for a business with the right approach. It can sound daunting, but there’s help at hand. In this article, we bring you a list of useful tips to create a successful outbound calls strategy.
| On any given day, a salesperson makes around 52 calls to their prospects. |
The Importance of Outbound Calling
If you do it the right way, you can experience better conversions and ultimately the growth of your business. Here’s everything you need to know on how to do that.
• Identify your objectives precisely
For any marketing campaign to become successful, it needs a well-defined strategy. You need to have an outbound call strategy that has clear objectives, the methodology, and the results you expect. You can change and refine it as your business grows. With each call, you need to have a particular goal like encouraging the prospect to book a meeting or any other action. These goals and KPIs can help you understand the effectiveness of your campaign.
Read Also Outbound Call Center Best Practices to Drive Results
• Make effective use of scripts
Since it can be anxious for anyone to call a stranger, a script helps it become easier. You can also remain consistent and avoid saying things you shouldn’t. However, you must use them as a reference only and not come across as robotic. It will not be tough for your prospect to realize that you are reading lines from a script. So, make sure to keep it natural and use the script as a reference to overcome possible objections.
| As many as 70% of sales reps still believe in connecting with their prospects and booking a meeting through outbound calls. |
• Get them hooked
If you research your prospect well, you can add in a few personal elements that can help you make a connection with your prospect. You will come across as natural and your prospect will appreciate the fact that you took time to study them. A successful outbound is all about grabbing the attention and engaging the prospect. Keep it formal and avoid going overboard as you never know when someone would take an offense. It is essential to add the personal elements naturally so that you do not extend the call duration by too much.
• Try varied means of outreach
Outbound call center services is usually about reaching out through phone calls. However, you can add elements like emails or text messages. Before calling your prospect, a text message or email can act as a warm-up. It will increase the likelihood of them answering your phone call. You can also create personalized messages that can be excellent attention-grabbers.
• Manage gatekeepers
Handling the gatekeepers is one of the vital aspects of a cold call. They will not often connect you the moment they realize you are a cold caller. So it becomes essential to deal with them tactfully to get through. One of the better ways to avoid this problem is by making your calls 30 minutes on either side of the working hours. You can generally expect decision-makers and senior leaders of any company to work beyond the regular hours.
Read Also 3 Outbound Call Center Worst Practices That You Should Avoid
| 51% of company owners prefer talking to salespersons via a phone call instead of emails or in-person visits. |
• Rehearse well but keep it natural
More than being a good speaker, it is also important to be a good listener. Nervousness can often get the better of you, leading to undesirable moments during the call. Make sure your body posture is good and you are conscious of how you are talking. Be sincere in your approach and come across as natural. Your prospect will appreciate it much.
• Avoid saying bad things about your competition
Needless to say, you must avoid badmouthing your competition. It is unprofessional and also makes the prospect question your credibility. It will work against you much against your wishes. You can instead highlight the benefits of your products and services, and how your prospects can benefit from using them. If they try to bring up the mention of your competitors, avoid commenting on that.
• Simplify things
Your outbound calls need to have a clear CTA for your prospect. It should mostly be about booking a meeting. When you present them with too many options, it can become tough for them to decide. Keep it simple and give them only what they need to know to decide in the shortest time. If you lose that opportunity, it can become difficult for you to get connected with them once again.
• Make your prospects feel special
One of the better ways to make your outbound calls strategy successful is by making your prospects feel special. Instead of focusing on selling, try to solve their problems genuinely. Building a long-lasting relationship is much more important than making an immediate sale. Meaningful relationships can bring you a lot of positives, including referrals. If you are too pushy, your prospects will never want to do business with you. Keep it simple and give them the flexibility to make the choice.
Are you not seeing the numbers you’d like from your cold calling efforts? Here’s how to improve outbound call centre results.
1. Learn from Every Call
One of the best ways to improve your outbound calling strategy is to analyse every call. That way, you can see what works and what doesn’t.
2. Follow Up
When people respond well to a call, make sure you follow up with a meeting or another call. Try to schedule the subsequent interaction before you get off the line.
3. Outline What You Expect from Your Outbound Call Centre Agent
When representatives know what’s expected of them, they can focus on improving. Create a clear set of expectations in your policy and use them to focus feedback.
4. Keep Promises Reasonable
No one likes being lied to, so make sure agents aren’t over-promising. There are many ways to talk up a product or service while setting reasonable expectations.
5. Value Customers’ Time
Many people dislike cold calls because they interrupt their days. Keep this in mind and design concise call scripts.
6. Be Open to Feedback
Feedback is one of the most invaluable resources you have, so make sure customers have ways to submit it. The more data you have, the more insights you can glean.
7. Communicate With Your Agents
Any great outbound call centre agent will tell you that communication matters. If you want to give representatives the best chance at making a sale, you need to provide data about customers.
8. Be Confident
Pitching products to strangers can be nerve-wracking, but customers respond to a confident pitch. Representatives should greet each customer with a confident tone to establish authority.
9. Explain Your Products or Services
Sometimes all it takes to make a sale is thoroughly explaining the benefits of your products and services. Agents should provide information about what they’re selling and take the time to answer customer questions.
Expert Callers offers a variety of services, including outbound calling. To learn more, contact us online or call 1-877-374-0211.
Who We Are and How We Design the Best Strategies?
If you do not have the expertise to get going with outbound calls, it should not be a deterrent for the growth of your business. ExpertCallers, a division of Flatworld Solutions, specializes in outbound call center services and will help you succeed by creating an outbound calls strategy and bringing desired results through the execution of it. We offer a range of outbound call center outsourcing services. You can expect custom strategies based on your business model and pay us only for what you use. Contact us today to know more about our services.
