3 Ways To Increase Your Sales Call Close Rate To 60%

Most people dread sales calls because they experience a poor return on investment. I’ve heard clients complain they did nearly 100 sales calls but only got one person to buy their services. Talk about torture.

Sharell Weeams, a marketing and sales strategist says, “The secret to closing more sales is making sure you only get on the phone with qualified leads who are excited and ready to buy. By following the three tips detailed below, you can increase your close rate to 60% by attracting higher quality leads.” 

Here are Sharell’s three tips for increasing your close rates.

1. Get Crystal Clear On Your Holy-Grail Client

“This may seem like a total no-brainer, but getting crystal clear on your holy-grail client will help you avoid wasting time with people you can’t help and who will never buy,” says Weeams. “First ask yourself, ‘What characteristics do I desire my holy-grail client possess in order to get the best results from my service?’ Maybe they should have:

• Competency in a specific skill. 
• A certain level of knowledge, training or expertise.
• Achieved a specific metric or milestone. 
• An In-depth understanding of the type of work you do. 

This clarity helps you tailor your messaging to attract your holy-grail client.”

2. Ask the Right Questions Before the Call

If you are using effective lead generation strategies, it’s likely that you have leads coming to you on a consistent basis. “To protect your time and energy, get curious and ask potential clients questions before hopping on a call. If you are booking calls from a webinar, have the prospect complete a questionnaire beforehand. If you are having conversations on social media, ask questions via direct message,” suggests Weeams.

To determine if a lead is qualified to schedule a sales call, ask questions to discover:

• The challenges they are experiencing and if they have a need for your services.
• Their timeline to solve the problem.
• The type of solution they are looking for to help them move forward.
• If they have the sole authority to make investment decisions.
• If they have a budget allocated to invest in solving the problem.

“Asking these questions on the front end will eliminate frustration from time wasted on calls with unqualified leads,” says Weeams. 

3. Be Transparent

Many entrepreneurs inadvertently mislead prospects by appearing as if they just want to give away a free strategy session, when they really want to sell a service on the call. To increase your close rate, make sure your call-to-action alludes to an offer.

“You may have been taught to extend an offer that reads like, ‘I’d like to offer you a free call where we’ll uncover your challenges, map out your vision and discuss how you can bridge the gap between the two. I do this out of the kindness of my heart because I know what it’s like to struggle with those challenges and I want to help you avoid common pitfalls.’ While this sounds like a nice gesture, prospects may think you are being manipulative because you never mentioned a service you had to offer. All they know is they raised their hand for help. This leads prospects to think they get to ‘pick your brain’ for free, and are often offended when you try to sell them your service.

“Best practice would be to let prospects know that it is a sales call from the start. A suitable call-to-action may read like, ‘I’d like to offer you a free call where I can learn more about you, your roadblocks and what you’re looking to achieve. If I can help you bridge the gap between where you are and what you want to achieve, we will discuss how we can work together.’ By setting up the offer this way, the prospect is clear on the intention of the call. This allows the prospect to start preparing to make a buying decision, making it easier for you to close the sale,” suggests Weeams.