Phone Sales Conversion Rates Infographic

Conversion rates from phone calls to appointments are seriously low in the United States. The benchmark for an average company is 2{db95e0fd77ae6d141d4535e2bf7b464d98e4151322120f553d7786be9a7303be}! That means that if a sales professional calls 100 people, they will only book 2 appointments. And this is ONLY the appointment! These leads now may or may not become a customer, depending on closing rates. With a conversion rate like this, most sales professionals have to spend countless hours to make hundreds of calls per week, which result in a few appointments. There has to be a better way!

Experts agree that there IS a better way of conducting calls and generating quality leads.

Would you be interested to learn how to increase this conversion rate by 39x? Then read on!

There are three main ways to improve conversion rates that will take your phone sales game to the next level:

Qualify Your Leads

How many calls do you make a day to people that do not want your product or service. Many times, they may not even be in your target market.

Why would you try to sell to individuals or businesses that are not in your target market? This is a waste of time.

If they aren’t in your target market, 9 times out of 10, they are not going to buy from you. In fact, you may not want them as a client either. These calls waste valuable time that could be spent contacting quality leads. In addition, the added rejection from more “Nos” can be downright discouraging.

How do I find better leads?

There are 3 great ways to qualify your leads as you make up your call list.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful tool for mining leads because LinkedIn provides everything you need to know to qualify your lead. Who do they work for? How old are they? What is their general income level? Their past work experience? What challenges might they be facing? What benefits might they be looking for that my product or service provides?

And more importantly, who do they know (their connections) that might also be interested in the benefits my product or service provides.

LinkedIn is an endless source of leads that are easy to qualify on the spot. And often, the prospect will list their contact information, making it simple to contact them by phone.

If you’re looking for more information about LinkedIn check out our FREE EBOOK “12 Things Your Didn’t Know About LinkedIn That Could Hurt You” or Dawn Pici’s Mining For Leads LinkedIn Training Course. Never run out of quality leads again!

Do Research

This is necessary to generate any sort of qualified lead. The more you know about the prospects you call, the higher probability you will be able to book an appointment with them.

The internet makes learning about your potential prospects much easier. Even if you do not know the specific individual you will be speaking with, you can learn more about the company by looking online at their website. How big are they? How many employees do they have? These types of things can give you an idea of how the business may be struggling and what solutions they may need. This will also give you an idea of who may be answering your call. In a bigger organization, you may have to sell to the gatekeeper before you reach the decision maker, while in a small company, you may be calling the business owners personal cell phone. This kind of information will help you get prepared for the call before you make it.

Ask Questions

Once you get them on the phone, you want to ask as many questions as necessary to qualify your lead before you make an appointment. After all, not every person you call will be a good lead for you. To reduce time wasted in fruitless appointments, qualify them on the phone before you book. Tell them about the benefits and solutions your product or service provides and the target market you serve. If they fit into that category and are interested, book the appointment. But if they aren’t, it’s okay! Save that appointment time for another, more qualified lead.

Sell Relationally

Different behavioral styles buy for different reasons. Different people are looking for specific benefits your product or service provides. You need to be able to adapt to highlight the benefits that customer values most. A product or service provides many different benefits. Because of this, your product or service may serve to accommodate differing benefit needs. The skill of sales is being able to figure out ones to highlight for each client.

People buy based on what they prioritize. Individuals may have any different specific priorities, but they all boil down to two basic groups, task-based priorities or people-based priorities.

For example…

Let’s say I sell cars. There are lots of different benefits that this product provides. A few of these might be safety, comfort, convenience, and easy application. These are all true benefit statements. However, not every behavioral style will purchase based on any one benefit. They will purchase based on one or two specific benefits that match what they prioritize.

So, for a task-oriented individual…
A task oriented individual prioritizes work and results. When selling to this type of individual, focus on the benefits of your product or service that will speak to this priority.

• You can count on this car to get your to work without fail. No more lost time at work!
• This car will accommodate all of the needs of your busy schedule so you can get things done.

For a people-oriented individual…
A people-oriented individual prioritizes people and feelings. When selling to this type of individual, focus on the benefits of your product or service that will speak to this priority.

• This car will keep you and your family safe on the road.
• The interior, air conditioning, and cup holders will keep you comfortable and stylish!

Use Value Propositions

This is the absolute most important part of the call.

The point of the call is not to sell. Not directly anyway.

The point of the call is to give a benefits, client-centric statement that qualifies the prospect and generates interest. The first thought when an individual approaches a new product or service is “What will this do for me?” and “Do I actually need this?”. A benefit statement will answer both of these questions immediately. If they need the solution you provide, this will create interest into how and what of your product or service. This interest will allow you to book a mutually beneficial in-person appointment.

In an average company, 7 people are involved in making a buying decision. Chances are, you are not going to make a direct sale on the phone. You need to focus instead on booking a direct appointment to start the selling process. The whats and hows (features and processes) reduce clarity of the original pitch. Once you have the appointment booked, you can create a clear, focused looking into whats and hows of your product or service, giving the client a clear yes or no (or later) decision to give you.