The ABC’s of an Effective Sales Call

     Most of us have made this mistake at one time or another.  A customer with significant opportunity unexpectedly comes to mind.  The customer is a national account with offices in Miami, Miramar, Austin, Atlanta, Fort lauderdale, Los Angeles, Houston and Orlando.  We impulsively pick up the phone without hesitation, and to our surprise, we get the customer on the phone.  That sounds like great news, right?  Wrong!  It’s terrible news, because we’re simply not prepared for the call.  We need to plan every phone call and make each one count.  
     If you want to convert more business, you have to differentiate yourself by developing a solid plan for each contact, whether in person, through e-mail or by telephone.  So how do we accomplish this?  How do we sharpen our approach without leaving room for a thunderous silence?  How do we deliberately increase sales performance without adding an extra thirty hours to our schedule?  How do we make a memorable difference with each and every customer once we decide to contact them directly?  I would like to suggest implementing the ABC’s of an Effective Sales Call to help you with this endeavor.

Aim
     The first thing you want to help your customer clearly understand is, “Why are you calling them?” In other words, what is your intention? What are you shooting at?  What are you trying to accomplish?  Some would call this first phase the purpose or the point of the call.  I can’t overstate this enough.  If you want a clear return, you have to make a clear delivery. Make your aim explicitly clear and make it very early in your call.  You want your message to stick, so you need to state your intention early and use it as a foundation to move towards the next phase of your call.

Benefit
     The second phase of your sales call needs to help your customer answer the question, “How is this going to help my business grow?”  During the delivery of your initial message, most customers quickly begin asking themselves, “What’s in it for me, my employees, my staff?  What will this event, activity or proposed action do for me right now?  How will this help us reach more customers? Will this make a significant difference for my business and is it really worth my time?”  At a minimum, your benefit statement should be clear, concise and memorable.  If your customer can describe how your solution will help their business grow, you’re definitely on the right path. This leads us to the final phase for an effective sales call.

Course
     Once your customer understands the aim and the benefit to their business, you’re ready to begin paving the road for them to follow.  Course has to do with clarifying the steps involved or the process required to realize the benefits promised.  Course answers the question, “How do we get there?”  It involves outlining a clear path and serving as a guide to help the customer safely arrive. When you smoothly transition from one phase to another, the chances of increasing your sales performance dramatically increases.  As a best practice, write out what you plan to say beforehand and rehearse the script a few times prior to your call. Have a plan for every sales call and work every plan.

Marcel Sanchez is the Founder and President of Motivational Speaking and Training Solutions, MSTS.  MSTS helps event planners and organizational leaders connect their events and training needs with the right professional speakers and trainers.  Marcel is the founder of Sales Catalyst Workshops, innovative sales training environments designed to transform sales performance.  He is the author of the book, Life in the Vineyard, Sales Catalyst and Vida en la Viña.  For more information regarding Marcel’s company, please visit his website, www.MotivationalSpeakingandTrainingsolutions.com. © 2009 Motivational Speaking and Training Solutions.