Many people worry about making sales calls, even if the customer you’re ringing has already expressed an interest in your product. This is true for many small businesses where staff may be expected to make sales calls even if they are not natural sales agents on the phone. But don’t worry, it can actually be much easier than you think.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re targeting a client who has expressed an interest in the past or you’re following up on a lead from your website, you should have a strategy in place to maximise the potential of every sales call you make. Here are five great tips that you can use on every sales call to help you have more success.

1 – The right introduction

You shouldn’t just jump straight in. You should have a standard introduction that will help put your customer at ease. Tell them your full name and the company you work for remaining as professional as possible. It actually helps to smile when you pick up the phone – it sounds cheesy, but having a smile on your face changes the tone of your voice.

2 – Please and thank you

Politeness goes a long way in sales calls. Make sure when you ask a potential customer to take a minute of their day that you say please, and equally if they agree to it, thank them. Remember at all times that you need them to be on your side if you are going to make a sale or take things further with your company – if they feel positive about you as a person then they are far more likely to do that.

3 – Don’t pitch, listen

If you’re calling someone who is already interested in your product or service, don’t run through a classic sales pitch. Instead focus on providing valuable information to the customer. Listen to their queries so that you can provide them with the reassurance they need.

4 – Schedule a way to take it further

If the customer is interested in potentially buying your product or using your services, then strike while the iron is hot and set up a meeting or a finalising phone call to ensure that you can take it further. Alternatively, if you can take the details immediately and process the order yourself then do it.

5 – Follow up

Of course, many sales conversations don’t end in an immediate conversion. That’s fine – but make absolutely sure that you schedule a time to follow up the call so that you can finalise at a later date. Don’t let a great opportunity slip away.

6 – Close

Be prepared to ask for the order, don’t waste the call with a ‘nice’ conversation, always have in the back of your mind your reason for the call and what the best outcome is likely to be for you. It’s very easy to lose focus!