As customers, we’ve all had those cold calls we want to hang up the second we realize it’s a sales pitch. Of course, none of us like it. 

 

 

But as a company, some situations require outbound calls to increase our customer base or sales. Instead of annoying your customer, however, you’ll have to learn how to make prospects realize that you’re the solution to their problem.

 

 

So, let’s discuss how to optimize your B2C outbound sales contact center for maximum conversions. 

 

 

In this article, you’ll learn how to hit sales targets and build meaningful relationships while causing minimal friction.

 

 

Create a Strategy for Your B2C Sales Call Center

 

Before your team starts calling up people, ensure that they know what they should work towards. Is it to book more appointments or survey market needs? Is it to drive conversion or develop trust?

 

 

To answer these questions, you need to identify four key factors:

 

1. Who is your target market?
2. What type of product or service are you selling?
3. What is the script or message that’ll get prospects’ attention?
4. What does a successful outbound call for your company look like?

 

Answering these questions will help you identify your objectives and key results (OKRs), leading to a list of key performance indicators (KPIs) that’ll provide an overview of your campaign’s performance. Four of the KPIs you can have include:

 

1. Average handle time (length of all calls divided by the total number of calls)
2. Conversion rate (the number of sales divided by the total number of calls)
3. First call close (the number of closes on initial contact divided by the total number of calls)
4. Occupancy rate (the time spent on calls versus the unavailable time)

 

Whatever your OKRs and KPIs are, have a strategy in place before your team makes any calls. Doing so will ensure that everyone’s on the same page, knows what to do, and will work together efficiently.

 

 

Train and Nurture Your Salespeople for Necessary Skills

 

Yes, hiring people with the right skill set is one way to get good salespeople. But it’s even better if you can train and nurture talent in-house, so your team is composed of salespeople who work exactly the way you want to give the expected results.

 

 

Here are 5 ways to ensure that you’re building an engaged team:

 

1. Hire for fit: Besides skill, consider cultural and values fit. You want to ensure that the person will be a good team player and work well with others. They may be the best at handling cold calls, but if they don’t work for the company’s greater good, they’ll bring more problems than successes.
2. Develop their skills regularly: Once you’ve hired someone, offer them continuous learning opportunities to update their skills. Don’t just rely on rehearsals, too, but bring training into the real world by live coaching them, where managers can listen in and “whisper” suggestions without the customer knowing, so salespeople learn in real-time.
3. Encourage two-way feedback: Provide regular feedback to your salespeople and encourage them to give you feedback. This way, you can improve your processes and develop a strong collaboration toward end goals with your team.
4. Feed the fire of success: Recognition goes a long way in keeping people engaged. So show your appreciation for a job well done with public acknowledgment, awards, and incentives. Make winning fun for them, and a positive culture will develop naturally.
5. Set up a dedicated outbound sales contact center: Create an environment conducive to making calls and selling by having a separate outbound sales contact center. This way, your team can focus on their tasks without interruption.

 

Making cold calls isn’t exactly fun, especially with the inevitable rejections. But if you take the time and effort to nurture the skills of your salespeople, they’ll slowly but surely grow into experts that can close deals and build customer relationships with minimal friction.

 

 

Build Quality Call Lists (Not Focusing on Quantity)

 

The quality of your call list is more important than the quantity. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your calls, here are four things to consider when building your list:

 

1. Identify your target market: Ensure that you’re targeting the right people with your product or service, including their demographic, location, and industry. Keep this in mind when creating your list so you won’t waste time convincing people that don’t need your solution in the first place.
2. Use data to segment and personalize your lists: Use data to segment your lists into smaller, manageable groups. You can also use it to personalize your messages so they’re more relevant to each lead, helping your team put more context into their scripts for empathetic conversations.
3. Use multiple channels to get contact information: Don’t just rely on one source for contact information, especially when there are tons of data online. Instead, use various channels like social media, websites, and forums, to get the most accurate information possible.
4. Consider CRM solutions: The right CRM solution can integrate into your calling system, where you can track and rank leads to start calls with a single click. You’ll save tons of time sifting through the information, where the CRM solution can do the nitty-gritty part of the job on your behalf.

 

Building an excellent call list is essential for making successful cold calls. So take the time to collect quality leads instead of haphazardly shooting at every target, hoping you’ll land the bull’s eye with one of them—that’s just a waste of resources.

 

 

Engage Prospects During a Call

 

The key to a successful cold call is engagement. If you can’t keep the prospect’s attention, you will have a hard time closing the deal. If you’re unsure of how to generate customer engagement, here are six tips for interacting and making the most out of every call:

 

1. Start with a bang: Get the prospect’s attention in the first seven seconds. Start strong by introducing yourself, calling the customer by name, and allowing for an open conversation. Don’t focus too much on the solution you’re selling; don’t rush into the sales pitch too early.
2. Keep it short and sweet: No one likes talking to someone who rambles on forever, so keep your calls concise. Once you’ve established a good connection, smoothly transition into your sales pitch to respect the prospect’s time.
3. Have a natural conversation: A script can be a helpful tool when making cold calls, but use it as a guide rather than a crutch. Your goal should be to sound like a normal person having a conversation, not a robotic salesperson reading from a script.
4. Make them feel valued: Show the customer that you understand their challenges in their role or industry. You can also confirm if your assumptions are valid so they bring you into their context. You want them to realize that you’ve done your homework, aren’t calling them up out of the blue, and have a unique solution to their issues.
5. Avoid promises you can’t keep: We understand that it’s tempting to blurt out promises to get the customer interested. But doing so only causes more harm than good, as it’s inevitable for them to realize your empty words. Instead, focus on building trust with your customer, and they’ll be more likely to do long-term business with you.
6. Set up a follow-up meeting: Schedule a call-back to continue the conversation. If the prospect is interested, a follow-up meeting allows you to go in-depth about your solution and answer their questions. In other words, strike while the iron is still hot–it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

 

The goal of a cold call is to start a conversation with a prospective customer. By following the tips above, you’ll have successful discussions that turn into opportunities for your business.

 

 

Overcome Objections During a Cold Call

 

Now, objections are common during cold calls, but that doesn’t mean they have to be feared. In fact, objections can be an opportunity to build rapport and further qualify a lead. Here are four tips on how to overcome objections during a cold call:

 

1. Acknowledge the objection to show the prospect that you’re listening and empathizing with their concerns. You want them to feel that you’re on their side, hoping to provide a solution that meets their needs (not yours!).
2. Validate the objection to build trust and rapport with the prospect. The last thing you want to do is brush off their concerns, as that’ll signal a huge red flag on their part. Validate their objections without overpromising or underselling your solution.
3. Offer a solution that addresses concerns. The customer may not be the correct lead for your product or service if you don’t have a good solution. Hopefully, your solution can address their concern, and you just need some more time to explain its value and function.
4. Ask for the sale only after you’ve handled the objection. Having someone persistently tell you to purchase something you’ve already raised concerns about isn’t enjoyable. But if you address their issues before repeating the pitch, they’ll be more likely to say yes.

 

Follow these tips to equip your team, overcome objections, and close more deals. Also, remember that objections open an opportunity to reevaluate your solution, considering customers’ feedback for possible product improvement, innovation, and development.

 

 

Massive Sales via B2C Outbound Sales Contact Centers

 

Outbound sales contact centers are a massive sales opportunity. By reaching out to customers who may not have otherwise considered your product or service, you’re opening up the possibility for them to become long-term clients and even evangelists for your brand. And, with the right team in place, an outbound call center can help you achieve these goals while delivering a high return on investment.

 

 

So, if you’re ready to take advantage of outbound sales strategy’s massive potential, reach out to our team to turn your dreams into reality. 

 

 

At ScaleUpSales, you’ll work with a group of experts to maximize sales opportunities and have everything you need to succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for you!