Telephone prospecting: 10 fundamentals you need to know

Today, despite the rise of digital prospecting, the power of teleprospecting should not be underestimated.

Here's a little secret that all top salespeople already know: Telephonic prospecting is today more effective than ever.

Many of your competitors, focused on LinkedIn and other platforms, leave out this contact-making. As a result, your contacts aren't saturated with calls, creating a powerful lever for your B2B business.

However, the success of a telephone prospecting call doesn't just depend on the database you adopt or the sales script you use. Above all, it depends on how well you manage to suscitate your caller's interest right from the teaser, how well you advise against objections, and the relevance of your sales pitch.

So how do you ensure that every contact you make is effective? How can you make your prospecting methods irresistible to your prospects?

In this article, we share ten tried-and-tested techniques that will turn every cold call into a powerful tool for your sales objectives. Each of them will help you not only to overcome objections, but above all toestablish a relationship of trust with your caller.

So, get ready toreview your prospecting scriptand exploit every phone number in your database as a goldmine.

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Also discover here how to make your enterprise prospecting.

You'll also find a few bits of script commercial phoning in this article.

Use Instagram to attract more qualified leads.

Before you start a phone prospecting approach, you need to find qualified leads. Instagram, when used strategically, can become a tool to improve your cold calling if you use it in a professional way for your business or activity.

In addition to being able to attract an authentic community and boost the visibility of your business or activity to thousands of people every day, Instagram offers a way to convert your prospects into real customers. You can get up-to-date information, including phone numbers, to arrange phone appointments and start your prospecting over the phone.

So use your Instagram account to increase your visibility and make lead generation easier. If your prospect is already familiar with your brand thanks to your presence on the platform, your phone pitch can be catchier. Then all you need to do is find the numbers of people or companies interested in your account.

To speed up the development of your Instagram account, you can learn how to use Instagram professionally or automate your Instagram account.

Both prospecting methods can be done simultaneously. If you want to maximize your cold calling operations, take a step-by-step approach and integrate Instagram into your strategy.

Write a cold calling plan for the first 10 seconds.

It sounds simple, and it is. But very few salespeople attach importance to what they're going to say during an initial phone contact.

The use of a well-structured phone prospecting script is essential. Most prospect decisions are made within the first few seconds. Leave nothing to chance: decide exactly what you're going to say at the start of every telephone sales call.

This not only gives you a clear reason for your call, but also enables you to anticipate telephone objections and prepare your responses.

Writing a good call script will certainly take you several unsuccessful calls. But once in place, it will make your lead generation much easier.

Talk to your potential customers about common challenges.

You've finally succeeded in getting a phone call, presenting yourself effectively and capturing your callers attention.

What now? At this stage of the call, it's time to lead the conversation strategically (hence the importance of having a well-structured telephone interview guide).

The reason for your call should go beyond the simple sale to focus on the discovery phase of each prospect's specific challenges.

Referring to a common issue is an effective approach to retaining your caller's attention. Remember: prospects aren't so much interested in what you're selling, but rather how your offer can solve their deep-seated concerns.

Use your prospecting calls as an opportunity to immerse yourself in their challenges to help them solve them.

This way, every call will be an opportunity to bring the prospect closer to the solution they're looking for.

Ask questions to the person on the other end of the line.

Many salespeople, in their quest to get an appointment or land business, make a big mistake during cold calling: they simply forget to ask relevant questions.

This is the time to make the difference!

Certainly, starting with a strong hook in the first thirty seconds of the call can arouse the future customer's interest, but it's essential to break through the barrage of monologues and really get the conversation going. How? By asking informed questions.

For example, list a few challenges that often prompt customers to come to you. Then ask the prospect on the phone: "Some of these challenges, do they ring true to you?"

Continue to ask questions as often as you can as the conversation progresses.

Drafting questions in advance is also a method for effective prospecting. This approach not only offers you the advantage of better directing the conversation, but also ensures that you address all the essential points.

After all, knowing the underlying reason for your prospect's needs will help you tailor your telephone sales script in a relevant way.

Turn off the enthusiasm'when prospecting by phone.

During a phone prospecting campaign, many salespeople think that expressing overwhelming enthusiasm is the key to landing appointments. However, this tactic can backfire and compromise your cold calling from the very first seconds.

Instead of giving in to euphoria, avoid overacting at all costs. Instead, adopt a sincere, transparent approach at every stage of your telephone pitch. By using a soft, reassuring tone from your first contact, you'll establish arelationship of trust with your caller.

After all, cunderstanding what the real reason behind each call is and responding to objections with authenticity is often more capable of arousing the interest of qualified prospects than reciting a phone script learned by heart.

Be persistent. Don't hesitate to follow up.

Sometimes, selling by phone just requires a little patience and a lot of perseverance.

So if you're still wondering how to prospect by phone, here's the most important piece of advice: persevere.

You can't just call prospects once or twice, leave a few voicemails, then move on.

Just because prospects may ignore a voicemail or two from you doesn't mean they aren't interested in what you have to offer.

It can take seven to ten follow-ups before you get a response, even from a prospect who's likely to be interested. Sales prospecting takes time.

Recall regularly (by call or email). While remaining relevant, of course.

Leave provocative voicemails.

Your ideal prospects are used to receiving voicemails that sound stiff, serious and, frankly, boring.

Here's a phone prospecting technique you can use to stand out. By being a little ironic and having fun with your voicemails, you're more likely to stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of your prospect.

Here's an example of a script for your future phone calls: " I'm having trouble understanding you, and I figure it's because you're super busy or don't want anything to do with me. If that's the case, please don't hesitate to let me know".

Voicemails that are only a little provocative are much more likely to wake up your prospect and suscitate a response.

Sales prospecting techniques: plan for the next call.

When you're nearing the end of a prospecting call, don't hang up after making a vague reference to "a quick follow-up". It's the kiss of death for telephone sales.

Instead, schedule an exact date and time for your next phone call. Once you've done that, send your prospect an email invitation to remind them of your appointment.

Respect your phone commitments and appointment setting.

Never miss a scheduled phone sales call with a prospect.

It may seem obvious, but far too many salespeople neglect following up on their prospects, especially if the initial telephone prospecting went well.

Don't let an important opportunity slip away just because you were disorganized about your telephone strategy. Make commitments and stick to them.

Use your CRM to stay organized and maintain an up-to-date prospecting file. That's the only way you'll succeed in growing your sales.

If you aren't already equipped with a customer relations solution, check out this article on the best CRM software.

Don't cold call during working hours.

It may seem counterintuitive, but the best time for a prospecting call is actually before 9am, after 5pm and over the weekend.

Why?

Your high-level prospects are likely to pick up the phone at odd hours, whereas you'll usually be talking to a gatekeeper if you call during normal working hours.

To contact decision-makers directly, pick up the phone early in the morning, in the evening or on Saturday afternoons.

Conclusion: how to succeed in telephonic prospecting

Now that you know these few telephonic prospecting techniques, there's no stopping you.

Salespeople who master the art of suscitating interest from the very first seconds of the call are always one step ahead.

You'll no longer be able to say you don't know how to prospect by phone.

All the steps are now at your fingertips, whether it's how to construct a solid telephone sales pitch, how to handle your caller's share, or how to overcome responses to common objections.

Start implementing these phoning methods by beginning to attract potential new leads through the use of your Instagram account. Start your Boostfluence trial now.

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