WyzGuys Tech Talk

Sales calls are always challenging, but they don’t have to be difficult. If you know the right tips and tricks, you can make successful sales calls and achieve your goals. In this blog post, you’ll learn 8 valuable tips that will help you make productive and successful sales calls – and it doesn’t matter whether you work in a home office or in a call center.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is an important issue for businesses in every sector. Cyber attacks can severely impact your organization’s business processes and data. So it’s important that you and your team are up to date on cybersecurity and take appropriate steps to protect your business.

During a productive sales call, you can talk to your customer about the cybersecurity risks that exist and recommend what steps he or she can take to protect themselves and their business.

Here are some tips for productive cybersecurity sales conversations:

1. Make sure your customer is informed about the current state of cybersecurity. If your customer is up to date, he or she will be better able to take appropriate action to protect themselves and their business.
2. Talk to your client about the cybersecurity risks that exist. Explain to him or her the impact a cyberattack can have and the consequences it can have on his or her business. If your customer knows what to look for and the impact a cyber attack can have, he or she will be better able to take appropriate action to protect themselves and their business.
3. Recommended cybersecurity measures may vary, from organization to organization. Talk to your client about the measure that is most appropriate for their organization. If your customer knows what measure is best suited for their organization, they will be better able to take appropriate action to protect themselves and their business.

Focus on what’s important

When you’re making a sales call, it can be easy to get lost in side issues and lose focus from what’s important. The conversation should be about the customer, not about you. Now you’re probably wondering how to conduct a sales call without forgetting yourself. It’s simple: focus on the customer’s needs, not your offerings. 

Ask questions, listen and show interest in what the customer is saying. That way, you’ll learn more about their needs and be able to make them the right offer. Of course, it’s important that you also know about your products or services. But in the end, it’s the customer who decides, not you – so make sure they’re the focus.

Preparation is everything

When you prepare for a sales call, it’s important to think about what exactly you want to achieve. So you should be clear about what goal you want to achieve and what kind of outcome is realistic at the end of the conversation. 

From this, you should then derive concrete goals that you want to achieve in the interview. It is also helpful if you think about the person or company you are going to talk to beforehand and try to get a picture of them. This will give you a better idea of what kind of argument will be best received and what needs should be addressed.

Reduce sales calls to the minimum

Whether in B2B or B2C, the majority of salespeople try to have as many conversations with potential customers as possible. This is not only exhausting and time-consuming, but also inefficient. After all, the probability that a conversation will actually lead to a deal is low. It is therefore all the more important to make the conversations as effective as possible – and ideally to qualify them properly right from the start.

Qualification is made up of various criteria: First of all, you have to make sure that your potential customer is willing to spend money on the product or service in the first place (price projection). Furthermore, you should consider whether he actually has/sees a need (needs analysis) and whether he perceives you or your company as a competent contact (trust level). If at least one of these criteria is not correct or unclear, it is usually not worth investing further in the conversation – unfortunately!

Listen 80 percent and talk only 20 percent

We’ve all had a conversation with someone who made us feel like we couldn’t hear a word they were saying. Or maybe you’ve been in a situation like that yourself and inwardly asked yourself, “When is he going to stop talking and let me get a word in edgewise?” The answer probably never came because the person just wasn’t interested in you or your opinion.

If you want to have productive sales conversations, it’s extremely important that you listen to the other person – and listen carefully!

This means not only letting him talk, but also trying to understand what he is saying and why he is saying something. This is the only way to find out if you are really on the same wavelength and what his needs or fears are.

Make it clear what the customer wants from you

Clarity is the key to a productive sales conversation – both for you and for your customer. So before you even start, you should be clear about what exactly the customer wants from you. Do you have an idea what he’s all about? Good! 

Then the next step is to find out if he’s really willing to meet with you. Because one thing is for sure: If you know what he wants and he doesn’t even have time to talk to you or even buy something – then there’s no point to the whole thing. So use the time before the conversation well and get smart!

Jump over your shadow

Many sales conversations are about convincing the customer of a product or service. However, it is often the case that the salesperson is not really convinced themselves. In this case, it can be helpful to first overcome yourself and jump over your own shadow. Because if the salesperson himself does not believe in the product, he will not be able to convince a customer of it.

It is therefore important that the salesperson first believes in himself and is prepared to fight for the product or service. This is the only way he can convince the customer of his offer. So jump over your shadow and dare to fight for what you want to sell!

Ask questions

Salespeople should always try to ask the customer as many questions as possible. This is the only way to find out which is the right starting point for the sales talk. It also gives them the opportunity to find out exactly what the customer’s needs are and to respond to them in a targeted way. A good method here is the so-called “open questions”, which are intended to encourage the customer to answer in as much detail as possible. 

For example, you could ask a potential customer, “What problems are you currently experiencing with your IT infrastructure?” or “To what extent does our software support you in your daily work?”

Avoid technical terms

If you’re selling a technical product, it’s likely that your customers don’t know as much about the subject as you do. So in a sales conversation, it’s very important that you focus on the customer’s needs and explain what exactly your product will do for them. 

However, make sure you don’t use overly complex or incomprehensible technical terms – otherwise you risk confusing or even scaring the customer away. Instead, explain your product as simply and clearly as possible. If the customer is really convinced at the end of the conversation and knows what they are getting from you and why it makes sense for them, you have a good chance of closing the deal.

In short:

• Focus on what’s important
• Preparation is everything
• Reduce sales calls to the minimum
• Listen 80 percent and talk only 20 percent
• Make it clear what the customer wants from you
• Jump over your shadow
• Ask questions
• Avoid technical terms

Conclusion

Salespeople should focus on the person they are talking to in order to have productive conversations. It is important that they are authentic and honestly interested in the customer. Body language and voice are also crucial to convincing the customer.