6 Secret Strategies for Great Sales Calls Every Time

You've been building your profile, you've been building your reputation, you've been building awareness about your wonderful brand, and you've been growing your email list. The next step is to invite those sales calls - you want to get on the phone or on Zoom with your next prospect and make some sales! 

It’s all well and good to attract more people into your world, build your brand visibility, and nurture an audience that loves what you do... but it’s all for nothing unless it leads to your sales process, discovery calls and confirmed sales. 

The more calls you have and the more conversations you open, the more sales you can close. But what can you do to make sure the sales calls you hold are a a success? This is a moment when you can lose prospects, and your sales skills, your ability to hold conversations that convert is essential to your business

1. Lead with a Structured Discovery Call

Begin by setting a clear agenda. This doesn’t mean relying on a rigid script, but to hold a successful sales call, you need a framework that guides the conversation.

I always open the call by establishing the purpose of the call and setting out what we’re going to be covering in the call. This clarity sets the stage for a productive discussion and shows your client that you value their time and business.

2. Ask Open-Ended Questions

After the introduction, engage your clients by asking open-ended questions that encourage them to talk about their challenges and needs. Questions like "What's your greatest challenge at the moment?" and "How does that affect your life or business operations?" allow you to dive deeper into their situation.

This not only helps in building rapport but also in gathering the information you need to tailor your offer to their business and make sure your prospect has a problem YOU want and can solve.

3. Understand Budget Expectations Early

Bringing up budget expectations early in the call helps you both. Your prospect is NOT an ideal client unless they have the funds to pay for your service. You need to bring any pricing expectations forward at the top of the call so that you can establish what price point they have in mind and the level of support they need from you.

Ask questions like “Have you got a budget in mind for this ?” or “What kind of price range are you thinking? If I can understand your budget, I can create a bespoke solution to fit your budget and project brief.”. 

Then you can gain that initial commitment and it prevents any surprises down the line and allows you to tailor your solutions within the client's budgetary constraints. For example, before I ran my sales training business, I ran a travel business.

I would ask for the budget as ‘I didn’t want to come back with a holiday either too expensive or equally underwhelming’. Many people came to me wanting ‘a family holiday’, but some had £4k to spend, others had £20k to spend, and what I would offer would be dramatically different depending on their budget and expectation. You need to do the same!

4. Uncover Objections

Asking your clients about their reservations and concerns early on provides you with an opportunity to address objections before they become deal-breakers.

It shows that you’re listening, that you care about their apprehensions, and are willing to work with them to get to a solution that’s going to be brilliant for their business.

Simply ask ‘do you have any concerns or reservations at this stage that I should be aware of?’ opens and invites this important part of your discovery call. 

5. Schedule a Follow-Up Call

You always want to end a sales call with a really clear outcome because you both need to know what's happening next. Don’t let your client drift because that doesn’t help them move forward in their business.

If you do that, you’re letting them go back into the world just as confused as they were when they came to you. I once heard ‘you let them go, and you let them down’ and that always stuck with me.

Scheduling a follow-up call is absolutely fundamental because it ensures that the momentum of the initial call is not lost. It also provides a clear next step and timeline, which helps keep the sales process moving forward.

This one step of scheduling a follow up call can dramatically increase your sales conversion. 

6. Care for Your Customer

Throughout the sales process, focus on caring for your potential client. This is all about asking quality, relevant questions, listening attentively, understanding their needs, and providing solutions that will transform their life or business.

By prioritising your prospects' needs, you build a strong relationship that leads to a successful sale.

Final Thoughts

My secret strategies for sales calls are all about preparing for the call, taking time to understand  your clients problem, and building in strategic follow-up and closing quickly.

By implementing these six secret strategies, you can make sure you’re exceeding client expectations on the call and uncovering their business needs, which is so much more likely to lead to successful closes and lasting business relationships.

Remember, the goal of every sales call is to HELP your clients and move them from confusion to a solution they’re really happy with. 

If you want to effortlessly grow your audience, attract clients, and generate more leads at a level then click here to download The Ultimate Guide To Creating A High Performing Lead Magnet.

It's time to start converting your audience from browsers into delighted buyers, and this guide will show you how to take the first step.