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Cold calling. Easily the biggest thing that scared me about sales was getting on the phone. I mean a fresh faced 21 year old who hated calling people let alone speaking to complete strangers was absolutely terrifying for me. Add on top all the complexities of working from home and you’re not doing yourself any favours.
So how do you make sales calls from a home office? How is making a sales call at home different to in the office? And what steps are the most important when working from home?
Read on to find out my science backed sales tips.
(Just a heads up a lot of people reading my blog are in the process of designing their own home office. If you want to save some of the painstaking time I did in designing my office, you can find my recommended products here)
Ensure you have a strong internet connection
Nowadays most sales calls are made through VOIP systems which use your internet to connect to people. Anyone who has worked in sales knows how temperamental this can be so making sure your home office is set up with the best interest or WIFI boosters possible is super essential. One way to get around this is by using a wifi booster, my own personal favorite has to be the TP-link which has significantly boosted the signal in my parents house. You can grab it here.
By having a strong wifi connection you and your company will easily seem more trustworthy and professional and less like you running your operation out of your bedroom.
Keep your room quiet
One of the major problems people have when working from home is the amount of excessive noise, cars going past, interrupting kids all of which can cause you to become distracted or even worse, distract your prospect on the other end of the phone.
One of the best ways to do this is by investing in a decent pair of noise reducing headphones. My personal favorite has to be the Sony WH1000XM3 which you can grab here.
Now if you can’t afford this simply use something as simple as egg boxes or soundproof panels on your wall to reduce the sound DIY Perks have a great video on this below:
Pay your phone bills
Another important point when working from home. If your internet does play up or break out you’re going to need to resort to using your mobile to make calls.
You might find as the weeks go by you’re doing this more and more and as such will need a better data plan to ensure the best quality when speaking to prospects.
The good news? If you’re working for someone this will likely fall under an allowable expense meaning you can claim part or the full amount of the bill back.
So now we’ve talked about general tips for improving your home office environment let’s look at how to better sales calls
Rewrite your ICP
Before we call we need to prep, the first way will be rewriting or going through your ICP. I am shocked by the amount of organisations who either don’t have or do not update their ICP regularly, so by going through and updating it will greatly improve your call quality.
So what is an ICP?
An ICP is your ideal client profile simply tells an organisation who it’s target market is. The best way to come up with these is to ask yourself the following questions
- Who is your customer
- Where are they based
- What is their role
- Who do they report to
- What problems are they having
- How can your solution help?
You can then further expand on this by interviewing some of your existing customers. By familiarizing yourself with who you are speaking with and their problems you will be way more likely to be able to build a relationship and sell to them.
Research the company, person, and their role
So now that you have an idea of the types of companies you reach out to you need to research your contact.
Most businesses in the SAAS sector are starting to invest in specific research teams who can collate this data for you but in case you don’t have one you need to find out any information that will give you an in. This could include things like
- Is the person new in the role
- Do they have any hobbies or interests?
- What are they passionate about
- Have they been sold to by someone else before
- What does the company want to achieve over the next few years
I know what you’re thinking. Where am I going to find this information? Well the best place in my opinion is through LinkedIn, company annual sales reports, news articles etc.
It is a little bit more complex than winging it but by getting a picture and researching you’re going to be in a much better position. Bare in mind you never want to go in blind with these situations.
Now if your contacts come to you via things like requesting a demo or contact us forms you can add the following questions in before they can submit their request:
- How many employees does your organisation plan
- Where did you hear about us
- What problems exactly are you trying to resolve
Call to see if they are based in the company
Another problem you might run into after doing all of the above, is finding out that your contact no longer works at the company. Not everyone updates their Linkedin profiles as much as you or I.
In my opinion the best way to do this is just to simply call up the reception or front desk and just ask if your contact still works there. Not enough people do this and most receptionists are happy to see if they still think there.
This can better optimise your time or even set up your sales process for later on, especially if you end up sending your contact something
Prepare what you are going to say
I cannot stress this enough. If you take one point away from this post today please take this one. Not being prepared for a sales call is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. It just won’t end well.
Now this is something that you will naturally learn over time but a good place to start off with would be:
- What questions you are going to ask and in what order
- Understand any potential objections your contacts might have and how to overcome them
- Case studies which relate directly your customer and their industry
- What problems that person. Organisation has and how your product can help address these
A great way to do this is by using something like a whiteboard/vision board so instead of jostling around to find the right one you can have everything in front of you. For my money the best bang for your buck has to be the Amazons Basics
Work backwards to find your KPI
There are three certainties in life, death, taxes and KPIs for sales people.
It’s a matter of fact that all sales people will be targeted on things ranging from the number of calls made per day to deals won.
In my opinion the best way to hit sales targets is by working backwards. Let’s say you need to book in 5 meetings per week as one of your KPIs. Work backwards to figure out how many of your calls convert to meetings and then how many people you need to dial before getting on a call.
This will give you an accurate picture and give you an indication into how many diaries you have to do per day.
Use the same method for all of your targets and you will figure out what you need todo to ensure you hit those KPIs
Now if this sounds time consuming and you want to find a way to be more productive when you work from home, check out this blog post I wrote talking about how to stay productive when you work from home
Listen to calls prior to making them
One of the major advantages sales people have today then even ten years ago is the ability to listen back and receive coaching on calls instantly.
Usually the first calls of you day will be the worst especially after a long weekend (trust me I’m no different)
As such, listening to a few of the best calls from last week from your team can really get you in the right mindset for the week ahead.
Practice calls with your colleagues
A nice alternative to listening to calls is just doing some role play with your colleagues. Take it in turns for one of you to be the prospect whilst the other one tries to sell and then switch.
This is great in person, however if you’re working from home, no problem simply set up a skype or google hangout meeting.
You can even be more authentic by just calling your colleagues directly to get the full experience of cold calling from home.
Make the most dreaded calls first
Let’s face it. As salespeople we all have some contacts we prefer talking to more than others.. There are just some people who every time we get on the phone are either rude, disrespectful or shock/horror just not interested in your offering.
Human beings only have a certain amount of willpower during the day so doing the most important and difficult calls first will ease up and make the rest of the day a lot easier.
To find out more about this, a great book on the topic is Eat that frog by Brian Tracy, which you can find out more about here.
Consider a wow moment
I know what you’re thinking. What the hell is a wow moment Fehed?
Wow moments are things that will make you stand out on your approach compared to everyone else in the market.
For example, if you did a bit of research about your contact and found that they are super interested in gold. You can send them something like a book on golfing or something small like a golf ball.
One of the things I like to do is send a video card in the post with a short message from myself to my prospects, something which a lot of people in the market aren’t currently doing.
Now these can get very pricey but the return on investment is going to be a lot higher than it would be normally. On top of this your wow’s don’t have to be that expensive, something as simple as a handwritten note or a chocolate bar work is a treat too. The idea here is just to stand out and show you are getting in touch for a reason.
Definitely speak to your manager about this if you’re not doing it already.
Set yourself up for success
Similar to the wow moment, you want to make sure that you are setting yourself up for success, As such none of your prospects should be called without a solid enough reason. They should all have an email prior to you getting in touch as well.
By doing so you will be showing you’ve done your homework about the prospect and are only getting in touch because they will be interested in what they have to say.
Where a wow moment is something personal your emails should be all about what you sent it and what’s going on the business.
Some good ideas for getting in touch include:
- New roles
- Promotions
- Company Acquisitions
- Massive company growth
- A news article about the contact
Again, by talking about them before you, you really are setting yourself up in the upper echelon of sales people.
Figure out the best time to make calls
There are a lot of so-called sales“gurus” out there that will tell you the best time to call a prospect is on x day at exactly x time and not a minute too soon.
The truth of the matter is that you need to figure this out for yourself.
As tedious as it sounds you need to call your prospects at different times of the day to understand when you have success in getting in touch with them. You can then take this one step further by running through the different sectors you are targeting and sub-categorise them by the best time to get in touch.
Prepare a solid opening line
So by using some of the steps earlier such as setting yourself up for success or the wow moments you should be good to go for an opening line.So what exactly should you say?
Let’s use a few examples below:
|
When you should say this |
Opening Line |
why |
| Sent something in the post | Hey XXXX, Just wanted to call following on from the goodies I popped you over in the post, did you receive it? | This should be the majority of your opening lines, If you’ve done your job with wow moments and letting your contact know you’ll be in touch in a few days they will be expecting a call |
| Sent them a quality well researched video e-mail | Hey XXXX, just wanted to follow on from my video email a few days ago. Massive congrats on the new role, how are you finding it? | A nice option if they have just got an email. You might hear I have not received the email just yet. If you come across this just plough ahead and reference the content of the e-mail and why you’re getting in touch. |
| On the rare occasions you send nothing and have not emailed | Hey xxx, it’s XXX from your company name. Just saw the news about xxxx and I had to reach out, are you free to speak for 2 minutes? | It’s quite rare but on some occasions you need to go in blind. In experience you should ask them for their time only if you have not spoken to them before. If they are busy, schedule a time to speak and shoot them over a calendar invite. |
Be polite
As sad as it is to say, not everyone you speak to on the phone will be nice to you. As such it’s super important to keep positive. People can tell if you’re having a good day or a bad day and by infusing their day with a bit of kindness and happiness you’re much more likely to get your prospect to open up.
Set the agenda
It’s so easy to get distracted on an initial sales call. It’s important then to try and set the agenda and lead your prospect to your desired outcome.
The easiest way to do this is once the pleasantries are out the way and you have base level information from your prospect is to be specific and tell them what you want from them.
This works even better on second or third class or even web demonstrations of your product so your prospect knows exactly what is expected of them, every step of the way.
Listen more than you talk
As salespeople we have a habit of loving to talk, most of the time to our own detriment.
We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. I’ve listened to plenty of my own sales calls where I’ve actively spoken over the prospect and trust me this definitely leaves a bad taste in their mouths.
So what’s a sure fire way to ensure your listening? Well firstly make sure you’re adding pauses after every sentence giving your prospects time to answer back. On top of this make sure you reference parts of the conversation back to them to ensure you know exactly the things they are interested in.
Ask open ended questions
Another great thing and great way to actively listen is to simply ask active questions. What are open questions? Simply put questions that do not have a one word answer.
I’ve listed 5 of my favourites below:
- Have you tried to address a problem in the past? What did this look like?
- One of the things we are hearing in your industry is xxxx? How has this impacted you?
- What would you say are your biggest priorities this year?
- What does good/success look like to you?
- What are you looking for from a provider?
Think about things from your prospects perspective
Let’s face it, we’ve all been near the end of a quarter with a long way to go before hitting your KPIs. In situations we go from relationship led salespeople to activating like we work in wall street during the 80s.
People buy from people and you need to make sure you don’t skip the ball when times get tough. Always listen to what your prospect is saying. If they are interested in your offering but unable to sign up until their current contract runs out then the best decision might be just to get back in touch when the timings are right.
By deploying empathy and really making the right decision for your projects your much more likely to be their choice of provider in the future.
Understand your prospects problems
Talking about products I think is the problem most sales people make more than anything else. As bad as it is to say people are not interested in your product. You could have the best product in the world but people are not interested in it.
What people are interested in however is how your product can address their problems. On sales calls you need to identify what problems a person is facing, what that looks like. How they impact the overall business and it’s objectives and only then can you talk about how your product can address their problems.
Know your numbers
This point relates directly to the KPIs we talked about earlier. YOu need to know before you make any sales calls exactly how many of your cells convert into opportunities, deals won in order to ensure you hit your KPIs.
It’s worth mentioning you also need to know your numbers from a case study perspective. People understand cold hard numbers and if you can relate that your product has saved x amount of money then you know you are onto a winner.
Stand up when you make calls
Have you ever lied down whilst on the phone? Your phone sounds all muffled, you seem less full of energy?
The opposite is true when you stand up to make sales calls. By standing up your projecting confidence, be able to sound more in control and be able to think a lot better on your feet which is great when dealing with any objections your customers might have
Don’t bad mouth competitors
Never, under any circumstances, bad mouth your competitors. I mean your prospects might have purchased your competitors previously thinking they made a good decision and the last thing they might want is for you to rain on their parade.
Instead try to respectfully show them a different option on how you are different.
So how can you respectfully talk about your differences? I like to use the line well xxxx are a great company and great at what they do, at XXX we like to focus on
Now this does not mean you shouldn’t know about your competitors. In fact the opposite is true, you need to make sure you know every detail about their offerings so you know how to position against them.
Keep in mind your tone
Tone is one of the things that can tank a sales call. Let’s say someone signed up to your website for a demo. You call them up to arrange a meeting/demo and yet throughout the call you sound distracted and like you would rather be somewhere else.
Would you want to do business with them? I think we both know the answer to that.
You need to make sure you are warm and welcoming whilst still being assertive enough to drive the conversation where you need to.
Emphasis certain points
One of the best ways to get the most out of your sales call is to reference certain points back to your prospects.
Not only is this showing that you are listening to them but by emphasizing their problems, and the points they make, you will set yourself up for success in the next few steps of the sale process.
Use stories to your advantage
There is a reason we love movies, books and tv shows.
Stories are how we learn and grow, better understand the world and gain knowledge through parables.
The same can be said for sales. So how can you do this on a call? The best way is through case studies.
Let’s say a prospect has a problem with attracting staff. You would respond back with one of your client case studies in which a client had the same problem, how you came in, address the problems and then show the results.
You can take this one step further by getting your client to actually get in touch with your prospect to alleviate and other questions they might have.
Utilise channels other then calls
So whilst making sales calls is super important if you can’t get through to your contact feel free to try other methods. If they have twitter, try following them and engaging with them. If you have tools like LinkedIn sales navigator feel free to send them a direct message.
The advent of the internet means there are literally dozens of ways you can approach a contact that will increase your chances of getting through to your prospects.
Don’t waste their time
Let’s say you solve your prospects problems on your sales call, do everything right and no matter what you say the prospect just isn’t interested in your offering.
Don’t sweat it.
You can always try your prospect at a different time or even a different person at the company.
You want to make sure that you don’t waste your time and are best using it not only for your prospects but for yourself as well.
Keep a positive mindset
I’ve had plenty of days where I haven’t been able to get through to contact or days where I have gotten through and just completely bombed.
It’s okay.
You don’t need to be your best 100% of the time, just take any learning and move forward. Understand that no salesperson closes the deal all the time and that you will never be a perfect person let alone salesperson and so take a step back to reflect, and take things from there.
Hold off on the voicemail
So I definitely have mixed thoughts when it comes to voicemail. In the first instance I definitely think voicemail should be avoided until near the end of your sales cadence.
The main reason for this is because if you leave a voicemail your prospect might just see you as just another salesperson and screen your calls the next time. The same thing goes for leaving a message with the receptionist. It’s not always possible but try to get a direct dial if possible.
Speak to colleagues in the same department
If you are struggling to get a hold of your prospect a trick that can pay off massively is by speaking to your prospects colleagues. During your research step you should’ve gotten a good idea about who works in the department you are reaching out to.
If you are struggling just spend a few minutes asking their colleagues questions, you ever know you could end up having an advocate who knows more about the company than the person you reached out initially with.
Understand It’s just a numbers game
I’ve mentioned this a few times in the post today but just understand that more than anything the single biggest factor with sales is that it’s a numbers game. The more you call, the more businesses you reach out to and you are more likely to be successful.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take and if you fear getting in the ring there is never a chance that you will win
(okay Fehed that’s enough metaphors)
Just keep calling, keep positive, continue to learn and grow and you will definitely become much better at making a sales call from your home office.
How to make a sales call from a home office?
Let’s paint a picture. You’ve been in your brand new sales role for a month, you’re finally done with the on boarding process and now you’re keen to show them what you got. You pluck up the courage to make your first dial and your line cuts out. You try again and you can hear your neighbours having an argument. You try one more time, get through and realise you haven’t set yourself up for success.
Okay so you might not have a situation as bad as that but sales calls are tough enough as it is. Adding all the intricacies and complexities of working from home or even working remotely in another country in the mix and you really might find yourself struggling with the process.
Luckily, I’ve been working from home the past few years and have been working in sales for almost a decade now so I’ve picked up a thing or two.
Now that we’ve gone into the 30+ science based tips I’ve listed above let’s talk about the 3 stages of a great sales call:
| Stage | What’s this useful for |
| Preparing for your call | Most sales calls are lost in the prep stage. Easily the best thing you can do to maximise your chances of success are to not go in bling and set yourself up ready. Think about going into a presentation completely unprepared – it’s not going to go well right. The exact same thing happens with sales calls. |
| Getting through to the prospect | 90% of the time you won’t get through to people. That’s a lot of wasted time, gfiguring out how to reduce that and get the numbers on your side will have a huge impact on hitting your KPIs |
| Speaking when you’re on the call | So you can do both steps 1 and two right, but if you get a prospect on the phone and completely drop the ball you are going to be kicking yourself ( don’t worry I’ve done this many a time) by practicing and preparing you really will become a social butterfly and look forward to speaking with people. |
How is making a sales call different in a home office?
Mainly there are a few key ways in which sales calls are different from home.
Firstly there is a completely different energy. Without sounding like too much of a hippie, there is something nice about working in an office hearing what your colleagues are saying and using that in your own calls.. Working from home or remotely you won’t get this
Secondly it’s likely your wifi and phone connection might actually dip out a fair bit more than if you were in the office due to voip calls and the like.
Finally you will probably have a lot more distractions to deal with at home. I mean kids running around in other rooms, people thinking that you’re more available at home, the TV. All of these things add up and can lead you to being less productive.
When should you make a sales call from a home office?
My recommendation about making sales calls from a home office would be to ease into it if possible, Let’s say you’re in a brand new role. I would suggest working in an office full time for the first few months till you get familiar with the intricacies of your product set and then, only when comfortable, start easing yourself into one day per week working from home.
Finally a lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.
Speaking of which, if your interested in setting up your home office you might want to check out the following posts i wrote:
- Where should I put my home office?
- 30 benefits of having a home office
- Hidden costs of a home office
The content on this on this site has been written by Fehed Nicass who has over a decades worth of experience in sales and has worked remotely for the past 2 years.