19 Brilliant Sales Call Tips From Lead Nurturing Experts

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After generating a lead and qualifying them into prospect status, the next step is to hold a sales call where you’ll discuss the value of your solution. When done effectively, a sales call could very well be the last verbal interaction you have with a prospect before contract negotiations begin. To help you make this a regular outcome, we asked a variety of sales experts, from sales reps to business founders, to give us their most powerful sales call tips.

• Tips for Starting a Sales Call: Learn tactics that’ll help you prepare for a call and build rapport in those important opening minutes. Read more below.
• Tips for Discussing Your Solution on a Sales Call: Check out some tips for giving your pitch and asking the right questions. Read more below.
• Tips for Closing a Sales Call: Learn some techniques for ending the sales call and securing next steps. Read more below. 

To learn the fundamental steps of conducting a sales call, check out our article on how to make a sales call, where you’ll also find a free sales call script template.

Tips for Starting a Sales Call

The beginning of a sales call is your chance to hook the prospect, set the tone, and establish yourself as professional, knowledgeable, and helpful. Read on to learn some tips for acing this part of the call, from coming prepared to handle objections to setting an agenda.

Joseph Sparrow

Founder

Have a List of Rebuttals to Common Objections

“Every salesperson needs a list of pre-made rebuttals, preferably in an easily accessible format that they can flip to, in order to quickly answer all possible questions a customer might present. This keeps the momentum flowing and prevents a sales rep from freezing up or needing to call a manager. Use this formula: ‘That's a good question, Mr. Jones, and the answer to that is…’ Then move on.”

— Joseph Sparrow, Joe Sparrow Consulting

Rodney Warner

CEO

Write a Script & Use It Like an Actor

“It's important to have a script in mind when making a sales call. It helps you stay prepared for any questions and makes you sound more confident. But you can't just read out your script. You'll sound robotic, and your lead will catch on. It's better to act out your script. Imagine if your lead was right in front of you. Use hand motions and facial expressions. Your body language will pour into your voice. This will make your voice and tone seem more natural.”

— Rodney Warner, Connective

Jonathan Merry

Founder & CEO

Stand Up to Generate Infectious Enthusiasm

“In your sales calls, let your enthusiasm and love for the product shine through. Make it something that can infect the potential customer. In my experience, you can do this by standing up and conducting sales calls in a large public area, perhaps even while walking around with a headset on, as opposed to hiding out in a conference room or cubicle.”

— Jonathan Merry, Bankless Times

Elias Diaz

Sales Director

Show the Prospect You’re Familiar With Their Business

“At the beginning of your conversation, take the time to mention any accomplishments the company has made or any new initiatives you know they’re taking. This will show them that you did your homework and take them seriously as potential clients.”

— Elias Diaz, Virtudesk

Steve Pogson

Founder & E-commerce Strategy Lead

Build Rapport With Small Talk

“A successful business call relies heavily on making positive first impressions. Create a pleasant and personal connection right from the beginning of every phone conversation. Talk about the weather, plans for the weekend, or even a recent sports win — anything that helps you discover common ground with the prospect.”

— Steve Pogson, FirstPier

Rene Delgado

Founder & CEO

Set an Agenda for the Call

“Always describe what you intend to do with this call at the outset of the conversation so that both you and the prospect know what to expect out of the pitch. This also helps you maintain control of the call. For example, you may tell the potential customer that you are phoning to tell them about product XYZ and to answer any questions they might have regarding the product.”

— Rene Delgado, The Indoor Golf Shop

Tips for Discussing Your Solution on a Sales Call

After setting the agenda, it’s your chance to wow the prospect with your solution, expand your understanding of their needs, and really solidify your business as their best possible option. Keep reading for some tips for the middle of a sales call, like agitating their pain point and sharing success stories about relatable customers.

Sharon Heather

Business Development Director

Ask Open-Ended Questions

“Asking open-ended questions can help you to better understand the prospect's needs and tailor your pitch accordingly. These questions should be designed to encourage the prospect to share more about their pain points, goals, and challenges. For example, you could ask, ‘Can you tell me more about the specific challenges your business is facing in terms of online sales?’ ”

— Sharon Heather, EasyMerchant

Adam Smith

Sales Coach, Speaker, & Author

Listen Slightly More Than You Talk

“Try to think of each sales call as a game of hot potato and holding the potato means you are the one doing the talking. Good salespeople love to talk but we all need to work on listening. It’s a more important skill. Strong listeners are able to discern what a prospect cares most about, and this helps them craft a more personalized pitch.”

— Adam Smith, Just The Tips Coaching

Steve Pugh

Management Consultant

Help the Customer See the Magnitude of Their Issue

“The one mistake most new salespeople make is offering solutions straight away, in which the buyer is viewing the solution against something they probably think is a small problem. We use a technique called High-Value Technical Selling, where we ask what we call need-payoff questions. These are meant to help the buyer see the size of the ‘pain’ and sense its true negative impact. For example, you might ask ‘how much will it cost your business if X breaks down and causes you to halt operations?’ ”

— Steve Pugh, Roadmap MBA

Caleb Turner

CEO & Senior Director

Share Success Stories About Similar Past Clients

“Use storytelling to take your prospect on an emotional journey. Share a real-life, controversial story or a thought-provoking case study that illustrates how your product or service helped another similar customer achieve their goals in an unexpected way.”

— Caleb Turner, KazaamSEO

Adam Binder

Founder

Focus on Benefits Rather Than Features

“At this early stage in the sales process, prospects are more likely to be persuaded by the results that your solution can bring to their business rather than a list of features. Highlight the specific ways in which your solution can save them time and money, or improve their operations. This is a great opportunity to use storytelling to demonstrate the value added with proven examples.”

— Adam Binder, Creative Click Media

Sophie Fennelly

Former SDR & Account Executive

Ask Questions That Make Prospects Sell Themselves

“If it's a second call, e.g., a demo, ask your prospects why they don't just come up with a solution in-house, or why haven't they gone with X competitor yet. This allows the prospect to disqualify the other options in their own words, so you don't have to. They're telling you they don't have the resources to do it in-house, or they have used X competitor and they didn't do XYZ for them. Then you can ask, ‘Is it really worth spending an extra 25% with us to get XYZ?’ Again, they’ll sell themselves.”

— Sophie Fennelly, Sales TQ

David Reid

Sales Director

Avoid Criticizing Your Competition

“Discussing competition negatively often ruins a sales call. The psychological phenomenon of ‘spontaneous feature transference’ explains why people attribute to you the negative characteristics you attribute to the competition. For example, if you criticize a rival business by calling them unreliable, that client would likely attribute those same characteristics to you, even if they understand intellectually that you’re referring to a different entity. As a result, whenever asked for a response to rumors involving your competition, your standard response should be something along the lines of ‘No comment.’ ”

— David Reid, VEM Tooling

Alex Armstrong-Paling

Managing Director

Explain Your Unique Selling Proposition

“If you work in an industry that has other companies to compete with, you need to explain how your offering is different from those of your rivals. Describe the additional value that your product offers in comparison to the other option and why it is more deserving of being purchased.”

— Alex Armstrong-Paling, ​​Toolfit

Jake Hill

CEO

Use Trial Closes to Gauge the Prospect’s Readiness to Buy

“If you want to nudge someone into the closing phase of a sale during a scheduled sales call, consider using ‘trial closes’ throughout the call to gauge the prospect's level of interest and to slowly move them towards a decision. For example, you can ask questions like ‘Based on what we've discussed so far, does it seem like this solution would meet your needs?’ ”

— Jake Hill, DebtHammer

Tips for Closing a Sales Call

A strong close to your sales call will progress the deal by securing next steps with your prospect, whether that’s a sales presentation or a contract negotiation. To make the most out of your final minutes on the call, keep reading and learn some techniques such as reviewing the prospect’s needs before making your call-to-action.

Traci Bild

Sales Trainer & Speaker

Restate Your Prospect’s Needs Right Before Initiating a Close

“Repeat identified wants and needs back to the prospective buyer before attempting a close — doing so puts the buyer into a shopper’s state of mind as they hear their needs out loud, reinforcing why they need to make the purchase. I call this the ‘Jerry McGuire moment.’ As you’re recapping wants and needs they’re thinking, ‘Yes, yes, yes! Someone is actually listening to me!’ ”

— Traci Bild, Bild & Co

Daniel Foley

Founder

Finish With a Strong Call-to-Action

“End the call by asking for the sale or setting a follow-up meeting or call. Don't be afraid to be direct and make it clear what you want the next step to be. Don't forget to also ask for referrals if you have a satisfied customer.”

— Daniel Foley, Daniel Foley SEO

Dave Fonvielle

Founder

View Rejections as Opportunities to Learn Your Craft

“It’s okay not to be good at sales calls in the beginning. You need to accept that failure is part of the process, and that you’ll get better with it the more you do the work. In the beginning, expect to get a lot of rejections, and pay attention to the reasons you get rejected. Look for patterns. When you understand why things are said you’ll be better at responding appropriately and gradually become persuasive.”

— Dave Fonvielle, Online Success Genie

Eve Acosta

Founder

Be Okay With Disqualifying the Lead & Ending the Call

“Always remember to be respectful of your prospect's time, as well as your own. If they don't need what you're selling, politely let them know that it’s not a good fit and move on to the next opportunity. If possible, point them towards a company that’s better suited to help them.”

— Eve Acosta, Eve’s Watch

Bottom Line: Sales Call Tips

A vital part of the lead nurturing phase, the sales call is typically your first chance to comprehensively pitch a prospect on your product or service. But, to succeed you’re going to need to do more than just have a confident voice and a great value proposition. On a sales call, you must also build a personal connection with your prospect, overcome objections, deal with competitors, and develop trust (the lifeblood of deals). It’s a skill to be honed and proud of.