Publish date:

• 15th December, 2023

Greeting folks. Before we delve into the crux of this blog. Let’s begin by defining what is a sales call.  It is a conversation between a salesperson and a lead about buying a good or service. These calls — whether on the phone or face to face — have different parts, such as opening remarks by the sales department, the product pitch or a demonstration, questions and replies, negotiation, and “ call to action or next steps “. In a favorable universe, the lead agrees to purchase the good / service. 

How does a salesperson prepare for a sales call in the business–to–business or b2b space?

1. The ideal first step is to understand the lead’s needs and concerns. This prevents any “ oh oh “ moments during the conversation, as there is resonance with product solutions. This is the chance to ask the person who else needs to be involved or who are the decision-makers. For enterprises, teams such as legal teams and senior management need to be involved. It's ideal to send a copy of the contract or a prepared quote so that it's available to all. It’s always good to set expectations in advance say firms providing Salesforce services such as Sales Cloud. Good practice.

2. Curate a customised pitch/presentation. Over 80 % of businesses demand that sales personnel behave more responsibly, taking on early goods research before beginning a call. Dealing with knowledgeable businesses, homework is called for. Salespeople such as we in Salesforce services must know the requirements of a business and the value that their good / service brings to the table. Curate a presentation that talks about those needs. Businesses need to factor in the lead’s communication & engagement choices in mind while reading the pitch. The presentation can have a mix of video, written content, and interactive material.

3. Prepare a demo. As we do in Salesforce, a video or interactive demo always helps to make the case. A short demo of approx. 10 minutes with the presenter focusing on certain solution aspects that will resonate with the lead.

4. Be aware of objections/responses and prepare accordingly. This is self-explanatory, so I won’t dwell on this pointer.

Quick tips for beneficial sales calls as per Salesforce services providers:

1. Always record calls for reviews and learnings

2. Set call agenda and expectations

3. Mention the issues and concerns of the client

4. Focus on the value of the product

5. Highlight the differentiators that set you apart from the others

6. Be positive, cheerful, humble and polite

7. Be an active listener, a rare quality

8. Stories and user case studies help as much as facts & figures

Salesforce Sales Cloud is an ideal tech partner for a sales team looking for higher conversions and more closed deals. For more information on how it can work for you, we in Codleo – Salesforce services can get onto a short discovery & demo session virtually. Salesforce Sales Cloud and sales personnel – a match made in cloud.