During your career, there will likely be many situations when you need to hop on a call to get a deal over the line. But if you’re lacking in experience, this can be an incredibly daunting task.
If you’re unsure about how to approach this challenge, there are many resources to help get you started. HubSpot offers the following structure to help you close a deal over a call:
Closing a deal on the phone
Step 1: Set an agenda
Open the call by establishing expectations. While most people will be aware of the purpose of the call, there may be others in the call who need clarification. In this regard, it’s often best to state the exact purpose of the call. Being so direct might be considered bold, but you’re there to do business, and with everyone’s busy schedules, there’s no need to beat around the bush.
Step 2: Do introductions
Allow everyone to introduce themselves, and have them state any specific aims they want to cover during the call. You can also use ice-breakers to help get the ball rolling. If it’s a one-on-one phone call, use this opportunity to offer information on your company and it’s core value proposition.
Step 3: Keep the chit-chat to a few minutes
It’s important to give people a couple of minutes to get the social gears moving and to start building connections with each other. However, it’s vital that you keep socialisation to a minimum. Many people in the call are likely busy and won’t appreciate their time being wasted so frivolously.
Step 4: Kick-start the conversation with a question
Get the ball rolling with the prospect by asking them a question. Asking them about where they are in terms of the deal and then letting them discuss their situation. They’ll fill you in on whether they’re happy and ready to sign, if they have some questions first, or if there are roadblocks that are preventing them from moving forward. This will help you establish whether you need to overcome any hurdles during the call, or if you’ll need to keep the call short and spend some time working out a solution before scheduling another call.
Step 5: If the prospect is ready, establish an onboarding timeline
If your prospect is happy, you’ll need to talk them through how things are going to move forward. Here you can discuss the purchase of the product, implementation, onboarding, training, customer support, payment and any other relevant information.
Step 6: Tackle any objections
This call is where you are most likely going to get objections. You should be prepared to handle any problems, whether it’s pricing, timing, or a competitors offering.
Step 7: Be prepared to negotiate on cost
Before you join the call, you should know what your absolute limit is in terms of a discount, in case the prospect asks for one.
It's also important to identify who the key financial decision makers are, to avoid a situation where someone makes a call on something they have no authority over.
Step 8: Unpack the purchasing process
Some organisations may have a long purchasing process. Be sure to bring this up so you understand what the procurement procedure is, as well as any potential legal hurdles there may be. This will also help you establish a timeline for the process.
Step 9: Get the ball rolling on signing
At this point you've overcome any major hurdles and the client is ready to buy. Congratulations! Before you sign off, you need to clarify that everyone agrees on the points discussed and the decisions that were made. Once you've confirmed that, you can let them know that you plan to send a contract through.
Once this is done, you'll want a direct line to the decision maker. This should preferably be a cell phone number, so that you can reach out to them and get a status update if necessary.
Partner with a B2B telemarketer that can get you to the closing call
Understanding how to close a deal is vital, but so is knowing how to get there in the first place. GCL Direct is a B2B marketing and lead generation organisation with over 29 years of experience in telemarketing. We’ve helped numerous clients across the globe with growing their client base by delivering a telemarketing solution that is so well researched that we don’t rely on scripts, and is also communicated in the language of the prospect.
To discover more about GCL Direct’s telemarketing and lead generation services, be sure to check out our ebook, EQ in Telemarketing, or contact us today.
