How often have you heard someone called a “born salesman”? Well, while it’s true some people do have a flair for the role of selling ice-makers to the Inuit, success in sales is achieved by much more than being born with a silver tongue and a winning smile.
That’s particularly true of the Outbound Sales agents operating in the Call and Contact sector – in their role they have only a limited amount of time to persuade a potential client to keep the conversation going.
The role has a few different strands, but the majority is concerned with Sales Development, usually cold calling to a list of leads that have been provided in advance.
These leads can be gathered from various areas, whether it’s through making a previous enquiry, filling out a form, or showing interest in the firm’s goods or services, or having Granny give you a list of her pals’ phone numbers.
This isn’t really about achieving the final sale but being the first point of contact and creating a good working relationship, which will allow sales reps to close the deal more quickly – a bonus for everyone!
The fact that the Outbound Sales Adviser is not driven by conducting the ultimate negotiation means you can spend a little more time on research, making sure you are talking to the right person, and in the case to selling to businesses, have a good grounding in what the business does and what its needs might be.
There’s also the need to get to know, inside and out, upside and down, the product or service being sold.
Actually, the silver tongue can help. Perhaps not silver, more golden – a warm, sparkly tone coupled with a brief and engaging pitch that won’t freak out someone who is running late for a first date, or bait the professional prankster into leaving you on hold while they go enjoy a long bubble bath.
That’s why timing is everything.
Making the call at the right time will increase the chances of passing on the sale to an account executive.
It’s not about being on the phone all day every day with outbound sales. It’s about making the right calls and the right time with the right approach.
It wouldn’t be the right role for those easily knocked by rejection or who might be upset at being hung up on.
There is skill involved, which gets better with experience, but it can be hard work, too, with persistence, and just a little more persistence, oh, maybe a wee bit more, required.
Check out the latest Call and Contact Centre jobs in Scotland.