Best Outbound Calling Tips And Strategies In 2022

Outbound calls can be a challenging feat to accomplish, without a doubt. From handling objections to performing pre-call research and knowing the product, you will need a plethora of skills to be successful at it. As a result, approximately 48% of B2B salespeople are reluctant to make outbound calls.

Making outbound calls also has its psychological challenges, such as fear of rejection, failure, and success-related fears (since expectations and responsibilities are raised). If any of these fears stop you or hinder your progress, remember that you are not alone. The following outbound calling tips and strategies can help you overcome your inhibitions.

Recommended: Outbound Calling Guide 

Outbound Calling Marketing Strategies

Salespeople use cold calling techniques to contact people who have not shown an interest in their products or services in the past. Typically cold calling is a solicitation by phone or telemarketing. Cold calling could also involve in-person visits, for instance, salespeople going door-to-door. The method usually involves the following steps:

• Pick up the phone to contact a prospect. The other ways of contacting an individual are via emails, text messages, or postal mails sent out to your target market’s list of leads.
• Introduce yourself.
• Pitch your product.
• Ask the prospect if they have any questions about the product or service you are selling.
• Try to close the deal on the call itself.

Now that we have seen what cold calling looks like in a nutshell, let us go through some outbound calling strategies that will surely help you close sales in 2022.

1. Research your prospects

Do pre-call research on the prospect and personalize your call – Did you know that 82% of B2B management layers feel that sales representatives are not thorough in their preparation. So it is imperative to utilize various social media platforms like Linkedin and the company website to know the prospect. Even if you have a fantastic offer, but the client has no use for it, then there is no way you can convert them into your loyal customers.

Sometimes, the customer is interested in what you have to offer, but you find that they are not eligible for the offer. For instance, you sell fiber internet plans, but there are no optical fiber cables in the customer’s neighborhood. To avoid such a situation, you must be thorough with some of the vital information about your customer to customize the offer as per their needs.

2. Have a set script in front when calling

Have a cold calling script in front of you – The task of making numerous cold calls in a day is stressful. Preparing a call script that outlines all the necessary steps becomes necessary in an outbound call. The script could also contain tips on how to deal with rude customers. Your script would help in:

1.   Clarity on steps to take during the call.
2.   Have detailed answers for frequently asked questions.
3.   How to tackle sales objections.
4.   Perfect your closing question to yield the desired response.

3. Use social proofs

If you have social proofs to showcase, research has shown that it increases conversion rates by 111% to 468%. Some of the things you can mention to the prospect as social proof are a famous investor or company that you have worked with, referring to a common acquaintance if possible, sharing strong metrics and case studies that showcase your wins.

4. Deal with objections and rejections

It is hard to get a yes on your first cold call as most customers today have lots of doubts and objections. But if you can deal with all this, it goes a long way in closing the deal. One of the ways to improve and learn from rejections is to ask the customer why they think your business can not help them. It could also be that you have caught someone on their bad day, so do not let their response shake your confidence or make you feel negative.

5. Incentives for referrals

You can identify your loyal customers or brand advocates through internet research and social media channels. You can build your clientele by offering such customers incentives and discounts for them and their referrals.

Outbound Calling Tips

Some ways to start your sales pitch effectively are:

• Try to gauge the individual’s interest before you dive into the details.
• Highlight unique benefits of the product and its efficiencies.
• Show the customer that you have done your market research and back your claims with social proof and powerful stats.
• Give them an estimate of how long you would take for the call.
• You must have points to tell them how your product and services are different from similar ones in the market.
• People like real stories, so have an engaging story ready to tell your prospect.
• You must be polite yet persistent in selling your business. Ask them questions to clarify doubts and queries.

How to Enjoy Cold Calling

While making cold calls, it is important to be prepared to have fun in the call rather than have it feel like a chore. Here are a few things to make cold calling enjoyable:

1. Invest in a high-quality headset: You want to be relaxed in an important call, and a handset or a faulty headset can ruin this experience. So get a quality headset with an amplifier unit to take care of any audio issues in the call.
2. Rehearse your script: If you do not rehearse your script, it would sound robotic to you and the customer. Rehearsing your script will help you internalize it, and it will come out natural and confident.
3. Use a software tool: A common issue with calls is getting stuck or failing to get through the call, which can be quite discouraging. There are many sales call tools available in the market which can help you get connected easily and ease your burden.
4. Get your body and mind ready: Focussing on losing the sale or your job can take the joy as well as confidence out of your voice. A few stretching and breathing exercises will relax your body. You should also disconnect from your goals and focus just on the call.

Outbound Calling Questions

Statistics say it takes as many as eight calls to get someone to talk to you in a cold call. To make your approach memorable and not predictable, here are some initial sales call questions for warming up:

• Call them by their name and ask them how they are doing. The question “how are you” is fine, but a better and superior way to ask is “how have you been.”
• Pick up information from their LinkedIn like certificates, awards, hobbies and ask them engaging questions about any topic.
• Ask the prospect about the top challenges that s/he or their company is facing.
• Check what features they would like to see in the product.

Conclusion

Outbound calling can be a nightmare for many salespeople. However, it does not have to be this way. If you make a few changes in your strategy and prepare a simple yet effective script, you can make your outbound calls effective, fun, and rewarding!