Sales Call Planning in Call Center: The Hidden Science That Converts

Have you ever experienced a sales call that didn’t go as planned🎯? Or have you struggled with handling objections during a sales call?

If your answer is “yes”, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. 

In sales calls, things don’t always go as planned, and objections can be tricky.

In this post, you’ll learn how to make the best sales call planning in your call center with easy-to-follow tips and practical advice so that you can handle objections like a pro and turn every call into a success ✅.

Let’s get started! 👇

What is Sales Call Planning in a Call Center?

Sales call planning in a call center is the process of preparing for conversations with potential clients before and during the actual call. 

It involves creating a roadmap that guides salespeople toward their desired outcome 🎯, which is usually to convert the prospect into a customer.

Sales Call Planning Example: ABC Company used to struggle with talking to customers and didn’t see much sales growth. But then, they started planning their sales calls better, and things turned around. Communication improved a lot, more customers got interested, and sales went up. ABC Company’s professional sales planning approach addressed their main concern making them very successful in sales.

What are the different types of Sales Calls made in a Call Center?

There are different types of sales calls🎧, each with its specific purpose and approach.

Here are some common types of sales calls made in a call center:

• Cold Calls: Cold calls are made to initiate contact with those who haven’t shown prior interest in the product or service.

• Warm Calls: Warm calls are made to reach out to leads or prospects who have shown some interest or engagement such as filling out a form or visiting a website🌐.

• Follow-Up Calls: Follow-up calls are made to re-engage with potential clients who showed initial interest, answer any lingering questions, and ultimately move them closer to a sale.

• Referral Calls: Referral Calls are made to the individuals referred by existing clients or associates. It helps to grow📈 the customer base of the call center.

• Survey or Feedback Calls: Survey or Feedback Calls calls are made to gather insights, opinions, and feedback from customers to improve services and measure satisfaction levels.

Why is it Important to Make a Sales Call Planning in the Call Center?

Unplanned sales calls can lead to chaos🤯, inefficiency, and missed opportunities. 

Sales representatives in call centers may struggle with unclear messaging, poor objection handling, and a lack of personalization, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and unmet sales targets⛔. 

Therefore, establishing a robust sales pre-call planning framework in a call center is of utmost importance.

Here are some of the importance of Sales Call Planning in a Call Center:

• Boosts confidence and professionalism: When you plan a sales call, it’s more than preparation, it’s a confidence booster that elevates professionalism. With a well-crafted structured plan, call agents gain a clear roadmap for their interactions. As a result, it helps to navigate conversations with assurance, handle objections effectively, and project a polished and professional image.

• Increases conversion rates: When you plan interactions well, sales reps in the call center can better meet prospect needs, handle objections‼, and tailor conversations. This builds trust, leading to higher conversion rates📈 and successful sales outcomes.

• Reduces Call Anxiety: Pre-planning the sales call can help reduce call anxiety😰. It provides a clear strategy to approach potential clients with confidence. Therefore, It helps in addressing challenges & objectives leading to positive and successful sales.

• Improves time management skills: When you have a well-structured sales call plan, it helps sales representatives organize and prioritize their tasks in advance. This, in turn, contributes to efficient and productive outcomes during the call and improves time management ⏳ skills.

• Strengthens customer relationships: When you pre-plan a sales call, you can address the specific needs of the potential clients and show you care and value for them. This will build trust among the clients and will help to pave a strong💪 and long-lasting customer relationship🤝.

How to plan a sales call in a call center that converts?

Planning a sales call in a call center that converts a phone call into a sale requires a strategic approach to engage and persuade prospects effectively.

Here are some step-by-step pre-call planning tips for a successful sales call:

1. Before Having a Sales Call in Call Center

1.1 Know Your Audience

Before a sales call, know your audience by researching 💡 their industry, challenges, and needs. Customize your sales pitch, use words they understand, and tackle any worries they might have.

1.2 Set Specific Goals

Before making a call, know what you want to achieve. Try to set proper call objectives and sales goals🎯 while dealing with the customer, whether it’s introducing your product, addressing their concerns, or moving towards a deal.

1.3 Create an Interesting Offer

Try to create an offer 💰 that solves the real problem of the clients to grab their attention. Whether it’s a special promotion, a unique feature, or a solution to their problem, an intriguing offer will make your sales call more compelling.

1.4 Prepare a Script or Outline

Before making a call, prepare a well-crafted script or outline that contains key points and questions. It will help you to stay focused, be flexible, and adapt to the conversation’s flow.

1.5 Predict and Address Concerns

Before calling potential clients, gather their concerns, prepare your answers, and build a robust sales strategy. This ensures a smooth and clear conversation 💬 without any confusion.

Demonstrating your preparedness not only shows that you care but also moves the conversation forward. Be ready for anything that might bother them before making the call.

2. During the Sales Call in the Call Center

2.1 Build Rapport

Sales calls can sometimes feel robotic, leading to hang-ups. To avoid this, aim for friendly conversations by building rapport.

Find common ground, actively listen👂 to your prospects, ask questions, understand their world, let your personality shine, and don’t hesitate to be a bit silly.

Show them you’re a human, not just a salesperson. Building this bridge leads to trust, and trust often leads to ‘yes’ on your sales calls.

2.2 Show Passion for the Product

During the sales calls, express your genuine enthusiasm for your product.  Share stories of your happy customers, highlight the problems it solves, and explain why you truly believe it’s amazing. Keep it authentic and let your excitement shine🌟 through to make a lasting impression.

2.3 Have Comprehensive Product Knowledge

Know your product inside out. Be ready to answer any question about your product and highlight its features and benefits. Understanding your product thoroughly instills confidence in the prospect and allows you to showcase its value effectively during the sales process. 

2.4 Keep the Message Simple

During a sales pitch📢, try to convey your message clearly and avoid unnecessary technical jargon. Keep it short, sweet, and clear. A simple message can make the conversation more effective and impactful.  

2.5 Clearly Explain Product Value

The main objective of calling clients is to make them understand why to chose your product among your competitors.

So, try to make them feel the value of your product during the sales process. Don’t just talk about the features of your product, try to explain its benefits, tell stories💭 of satisfied customers, and use examples.

Pro Tip: Don’t just tell them about your product, try to show them how your product solves their problems in real life and boosts their profits.

2.6 Offer Something Special

In your sales call, offer something exclusive like free trials, special discounts, or personalized packages to make your product stand out among your competitors.

Offering something special that your competitors aren’t will make your product look attractive😎 and will help to move your sales conversation forward.

3. After the Call

3.1 Make a Follow-up Plan

Don’t let the call end… with the call! Plan your follow-up call to ensure the connection you built keeps thriving. Send a personal email summarizing key points and next steps. Schedule a follow-up meeting or call to keep the momentum going.

Make your follow-up timely⏱️, personalized, and valuable, and watch those “maybes” blossom into happy customers!

3.2 Keep Improving Continuously

After each sales call, reflect✍ on what worked well and areas for improvement. Actively seek feedback, analyze outcomes, and adjust your approach accordingly.

Ask yourself: “How could I have connected better? Clarified value more? Closed the deal smoother?” Share your knowledge with your team and keep on growing. 

3 Tools that Help to Make Sales Calling Easier 

There are plenty of tools to help you elevate your sales calling experience in the market. But, these are the best 3 tools that will help you do your job better and get the best results in the call center.

1. KrispCall

KrispCall is an affordable call center software trusted by many businesses all over 100+ countries worldwide. It provides smooth customer interactions & makes sales calls more efficient & effective with features like shared numbers, personalized greetings, and voicemail transcription.

KrispCall Helps you to :

• Enhance customer interactions and maintain a professional image using KrispCall’s shared numbers.  
• Tailor your greetings to create a personalized and engaging experience for every customer, setting a positive tone right from the start.
• Never miss a crucial detail with the automatic transcription of voicemails, ensuring that important information is captured accurately.
• Automate your sales calling process with KrispCall power dialer to make more calls & save more time.  
• Connect with the right person faster using KrispCall’s Intelligent call routing to enhance customer satisfaction and resolve issues promptly.
• Expand your global reach with KrispCall’s global calling feature and connect with customers worldwide. 
• Monitor and record calls to assess agent performance, identify areas for improvement & ensure a consistently high level of service.
• Enhance efficiency by handling multiple calls simultaneously ensuring that opportunities are maximized during peak calling times.

Pricing:

CRM Integration: HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zapier

2. Klenty

Klently is a Sales Engagement platform that provides a multi-mode calling experience.

Features 

• Parallel Dialing
• Power Dialing
• 1-click-to-call dialer
• Conversation intelligence
• Call recording
• Voicemail drop
• Local dial
• Call notes
• Call outcome
• Incoming voicemail
• Call reports

Pricing:

CRM integrations: Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, Hubspot, Salesforce.

3. Hubspot Sales Hub 

Hubspot Sales Hub is a sales outreach software that integrates with the flagship Hubspot CRM.

Features

• Desktop Call Placement
• VoIP Calling
• Automatic Call Logging
• Task Automation

Pricing:

CRM integrations: Hubspot CRM, Salesforce (only for Professional and Enterprise packs).

Wrapping Up

Sales calls in a call center can be unpredictable. So, having an effective call plan before dialing a customer helps to prepare for whatever the conversation may bring.

For effective sales calls, research your audience, set clear goals, and craft an engaging offer. Prepare a flexible script and prioritize building rapport. Express a passion for your product, maintain product knowledge, and communicate value.

KrispCall is a powerful virtual call center platform, that offers sales dialer and automation features that helps to enhance productivity in sales calling campaigns. 

Agents can save prospect’s details in a callbox, including personal information, notes, and tags, which makes future campaigns more insightful.

Additionally, with call analytics and agent performance dashboard features, KrispCall provides valuable insights into call center operations. With additional call management features and seamless integration with CRM and business tools, KrispCall is not only feature-rich but also affordable. 

Schedule a Free KrispCall Demo Now

With such tools at hand and a well-structured sales call plan, you can confidently😊 continue to navigate the challenges and uncertainties of each conversation, increasing your chances of success.

FAQ

1. What should I research before a sales call?

Before making a sales call, research the prospect’s company, industry, and specific needs. This includes a company overview, industry trends, prospect profiles, pain points, goals, current solutions, and online resources. By understanding the prospect’s situation, you can tailor your messaging and demonstrate genuine interest. 

2. How do I set clear objectives for a sales call?

To set clear objectives for a sales call, consider the stage of the sales process, identify your target goal, apply the SMART framework, tailor objectives to the prospect’s needs, anticipate objections, emphasize value proposition, seek alignment, document the call, evaluate, and adjust.

3. What is the best way to handle objections during a sales call?

The best way to handle objections during a sales call is by actively acknowledging, listening, rephrasing, validating, addressing, suggesting alternatives, seeking permission to continue, securing commitment, and concluding on a positive note.

Arun Chaudhary

Arun is SEO Analyst at KrispCall. He has written in extensively in the field of cloud telephony and call center solutions.