5 Tips for successful sales call management

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A business' success primarily hinges on how effective its sales team is. The more people a company's sales department can convert to paying customers, the more revenue it gains.

Therefore, it's essential to equip them with the right tools and knowledge to help drive sales through the roof.

However, having a top-tier sales team alone won't be enough; managing calls can optimise sales performance. Sales reps with a 100 per cent conversion rate don't mean anything if they spend one or two hours per call.

Here are some of the things you can do.

1. Get a customer relationship management (CRM) platform

Making a sales team's calls efficient makes the call process more efficient with the right tools.

Back then, most companies and contact centres rely on multiple in-house and third-party applications and programs for their sales reps. Today, it's as easy as employing a CRM system.

One can safely say that a CRM system is an all-in-one platform that can let a team manage all interactions with current and potential customers.

The result is a more streamlined process for turning more calls into conversions. Companies that use CRM platforms experienced an average of 29 per cent increase in sales. (1)

Businesses can easily track, monitor, and record their team's sales calls with a CRM platform. It integrates features and apps into one system, eliminating the need to install separate software.

2. Get third-party apps for your platform

Despite CRM platforms being a collective of business tools, some businesses have needs that vanilla platforms can't address.

Because of that, some platforms allow developers to create and integrate custom-made apps to their platforms through application program interfaces (APIs).

If the platform doesn't have specific features, consider getting third-party APIs. Thankfully, businesses don't need to look far and wide; most CRM systems indicate the programs compatible with their platforms.

Salesforce is one example, combining call management and third-party API integration.

Aside from being a CRM platform, it also has extra features like analytics and marketing automation. Its AppExchange website lists the apps compatible with Salesforce.

Whether businesses need to capture a Salesforce call log or analyse customer data from calls, they can find the right app there.

3. Always keep everyone updated

With an intuitive CRM platform, businesses can have an easier time tracking their team's performance.

However, that's just half of the overall plan; the other half involves motivating team members.

You can do this by posting performance data in the office for everyone to see or creating a webpage on the company's intranet.

Employees who see that they're performing well and recognised for their efforts tend to be more inspired to work better.

According to one survey, 40 per cent of American employees said they would exert more effort if recognised often. (2)

4. Avoid over-optimising everything

Over-optimisation is one of the most common pitfalls of managing a sales team. While it's true that increasing a team's number of cold calls also raises the chances of closing a sale, it doesn't always work.

For example, letting them end calls immediately when unable to refute an argument is not ideal if they have limited prospects.

Before introducing any drastic change, collect data first and observe; find what works and what doesn't.

Don't just give advice to the team based on information gathered online; the team may not even listen, especially if the advice isn't backed with data.

Monitor the team's performance and know the factors contributing to its top agents' key performance indicators (KPIs).

After all, most employees may experience an increase of between 20 per cent and 25 per cent in their work performance if provided with clear objectives based on data. (3)

5. Collect as much data as possible

To effectively manage calls, utilise the CRM platform, and supervise the sales team, your team must collect as much data as possible from prospects and existing customers.

For one, collecting prospects' data allows defining and categorising them in the CRM. Simply knowing if a prospect is cold or warm is enough for you to let the best agent specialising in cold or warm calls pursue it.

In addition, the team can use the collected data to understand the market further. It'll also allow the team to generate a campaign with marketing strategies that fit their target audience, raising their conversion rate.

Moreover, collecting and analysing data can significantly help companies in customer retention by 5 per cent, resulting in a potential profit increase of up to 95 per cent. (4)

Conclusion

Successfully managing your sales team's calls can effectively result in your business success. Following the tips above can help you do just that. But remember, this list isn't inclusive; these are just steps to get you started.

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