Gabriel Sales specializes in generating leads for small businesses using a combination of:
- eMail Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Marketing Automation
- Inbound Marketing
And at some point in the sales process your buyer is going to need to speak with a sales rep to qualify the opportunity to try and set an appointment with your sales rep to take the deal further and deeper into the sales funnel.
What follows are some tips for follow up sales calls and sales outsourcing for small businesses.
Have Probing Questions Ready
Some follow up calls you make will move along faster than others. Even if you have the prospect’s attention we still recommend that you don’t sell too hard on the first follow up call. The best way to engage the customer for the long haul and to build the trust required to close the deal downstream is to use the first follow up call to learn more about your buyer’s needs. To do this you need a handful of questions ready to go. Keep them short:
- How are you solving the problem today?
- Have you tried other ways to solve the problem?
- Who else is involved in a decision like this?
Smart questions turn into smart conversations. With smart targeting you will occasionally wind up calling the right person at the right time. If handled correctly and with smart questions this timing could translate into an immediate opportunity.
Ask for the Appointment but Be Ready with an Additional Piece of Educational Content
If a buyer engages in a meaningful conversation after you start asking questions then you are ready to ask for an appointment. But it’s important that you do this politely in a non-pushy way. We recommend something like this:
“Well Mrs. Buyer…it sounds like we have something that may be a fit. Do you think it would make sense for you to speak with our Product Specialist to learn more about the way our solution can help you solve (insert the problem here).”
If you have had a meaningful conversation you should get a yes about 50% of the time. But be prepared for that no. If the “Yes” comes – set a firm time and date. If the answer is no, be ready with a new piece of educational content. Offer to share it and then let the buyer know you will follow up at a later date for additional conversations.
Prioritize Inbound Leads First
Gabriel Sales uses multiple tactics to generate leads including email marketing to rented opt in lists, Google AdWord campaigns, long term content marketing, and cold calling. We also use marketing automation technologies to score leads. But of all the leads you get, you need to prioritize inbound leads first. If a buyer is submitting a request for more information, in most cases, they will also be submitting them to other potential vendors too. Make sure you get to the buyer before your competition does.
Track Results
Just like any marketing program you need to build a systematic process. Keep a record of the calls you’ve made and track the results. You can only improve what you measure. If you don’t have a CRM in place, an outsourced sales and marketing company will be able to help you select the one that is right for you. Tracking results can help you continually refine your sales strategy.
Set Goals and Call Daily
Just like cold calling, follow up calling needs to be disciplined and done daily. Create a plan for follow up calls and stick to it. Plan to make 10 to 50 follow up calls daily. Start with inbound leads first and then the highest scored leads in your marketing automation system. When combined with educational content marketing on a regular basis, and part of your regular daily tasks, you will start to see results with a sustained effort.
Gabriel Sales specializes in building modern sales and marketing operations. We use multiple tactics including:
- Email marketing
- Content marketing
- And business development reps
to generate real sales opportunities for our clients.
To learn more about our services for follow up sales calls and sales outsourcing for small businesses sales approach and overall philosophy visit this link to sales outsourcing.
