January, 9 2020 3:29 pm
Are you looking for ways to increase your outbound sales numbers but don’t want to skim through yet another list of common-sense approaches? Maybe it’s time to take a few tips from the industry experts. Here, we’ve compiled some advice on how to dramatically improve your outbound sales numbers - all without the eye-rolling obvious suggestions you’ve read before:
Finding leads is typically the first step in making connections in the world of outbound sales. The quality of those leads can vary dramatically, which can have a serious impact on your sales success rate. To improve those sales rates, you should begin with how you gather leads.
Traditional methods involve waiting for consumers to make the first move - or simply contacting them out of the blue. The former is not likely enough for your sales to be fully supported by it, while the latter is highly ineffective when used alone. To make your best effort - and see the most sales, as a result - combine these approaches and integrate networking into your technique.
If you want conversation with your leads to be more natural - and you really do, if you want to turn those leads into sales - it pays to know who you’re calling before you actually make the call.
It isn’t enough to know the name of the person or business you are contacting. Use software that gathers and supplies information about contacts to your agents, so they are prepared for exchanges with important facts. This will also make closing the deal easier since fewer questions will have to be asked for orders to be placed or contracts to be drawn up.
When you open your email, which unsolicited messages are you more likely to open? Advertisements or outreach from companies that you recognize are more likely to make it in front of your eyes, even for a few seconds. In many cases, that is all it takes to change a person’s mind and guide them into the sales funnel. But they won’t open that email or accept that phone call if they don’t recognize and respect the company that it is coming from.
To boost the likelihood that your calls will be answered and your emails will be opened, invest in your brand’s credibility. Being a reputable brand is an almost certain path to increased outbound sales. Before spending time and money on other strategies, work on making your company’s name one that carries more positive regard with the public. You’ll notice the difference in consumer response!
No, not the kind of network marketing your aunt uses to sell makeup or leggings.
Using networking to market your products is one of the best moves you can make in the modern business landscape - especially if your previous strategy involved cold calling. Most contact centers and the businesses that partner with them utilize cold calling as a way to reach many people in a short period, but studies show that this method has over a 97% failure rate. With odds like that, does it really pay to make more calls?
Instead, focus on making genuine connections. Reach out to leads that have expressed interest, but also to those within their immediate professional or social circle. Ask for referrals from current consumers or clients and offer rewards for providing them. Direct your efforts toward people who are more likely to say yes. You may spend more time interacting with each lead than you would through cold calling, but the likelihood of closing a sale dramatically increases. That’s a trade-off that is worth making!
One of the complaints many people have when it comes to call centers or telemarketing is that the agents don’t seem very “human”. They rely too heavily on scripts, speak with too much rigidity, and often come across as indifferent toward the people they are speaking to.
Thankfully, this is avoidable. You can train your agents to approach their conversations with more humanity. This may take the form of practice runs performed with other team members or hypothetical situations presented to your agents as a test of their ability to think on their feet when interacting with consumers. You should also stress the importance of relaxing into natural conversation with consumers when possible; people like to feel like they are talking to a real person, so remind your agents to focus less on perfection when it comes to scripting and focus more on being themselves.
While making calls directly to consumers may be the bread and butter of your outbound sales, do not neglect the avenue of social media. In today’s world, there are plenty of connections to be made via platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Go after those sales by being present on the platforms where your target audience is already spending time online.
Your technology can be a major factor in your sales success. Today’s outbound call centers are powered by dialers, programs that help agents make more calls in less time. Choosing a dialer with smart features like informed calling to increase your sales success rate and make more genuine connections with consumers.
When you believe it’s time to upgrade the technology that powers your call center, visit the industry leaders at ChaseData. We have the software solutions that your business needs to meet and exceed your outbound sales goals, month after month. Head into the new year - and every year - with sales confidence. Give us a call today to learn more!