Planning a sales call with BuddyCRM

Here are a few tips to help you with your next sales call and how BuddyCRM can help prepare you.

Plan the call – don’t just wing it

As they say, ‘proper planning prevents poor performance’. While some things work best when acting on a whim, actions like a sales call will work a whole lot better if you prepare for them. That’s because, in your professional life, planning is important; in sales, it’s often the difference between success and failure. So in your pre-call stage, do some research. The more you know about the buyer in advance, the greater your chance of being perceived as a valid option for your prospect. More importantly, it may give you the opportunity to move on further in the sales process and push for that all-important face-to-face meeting.

Research, research, research

In a competitive environment, the one with the most information and knows how to use it wins. Chances are, you’re not the only one out there seeking to do business with your potential client, so finding absolutely everything there is to know about the prospect can give you the edge. In planning a sales call, it’s good practice to scour all of your available resources for any information you can come up with, but there are a few questions that you definitely don’t want to leave unanswered:

• Who are my competitors in this tender / pitch?
• What are my competitors’ weaknesses?
• Am I calling the decision-maker or an influencer?
• What are their budget constraints?
• What is the single biggest problem I can help them solve?

Let’s get the answers to those questions from Buddy!

Most of what you’ll need should be being stored in BuddyCRM. Check the account record and your already qualified data should have the contact information for the opportunity, including a link to their LinkedIn profile. Visit their company website to read the latest news and check to see if they’re posting on social media including Twitter and Facebook.

But if your lead isn’t currently up to date, then here’s your opportunity to find out more and get it stored against this prospect’s record.

The internet is a good place to start, but you can also get more information from your prospect’s internal newsletters, public documents, and promotional material. Also, ask around and enquire of your other accounts and suppliers if they know more information about the prospect, who else might be pitching, and what terms may sway it for you.

Questions to ask yourself when planning a sales call.

Don’t forget to ask yourself a few questions before you make the call. Set clear, specific objectives for every call and be prepared to answer the questions your prospect will likely ask you. This is a critical step, and one so many salespeople forget.

• What are your objectives for the call?
• What specific questions do you need answered in order to advance the sales process?
• What are your preferred next steps at the end of the meeting?

Take your time to find out as much as you can and prepare in advance of the phone call – it may seem like a lot of additional work, but that time will be worthwhile. Have your responses ready for the inevitable, ‘we’re not interested’, or ‘you’re too expensive’ lines. The more you find out while planning a sales call, the more your prospect will regard you as a valuable asset—and the less chance you have to be surprised.