Outbound calling is common in every business marketing strategy.
Even though there are more modern channels to choose from, outbound calls are undeniably effective. That’s why they are still carried out by companies to reach their audience.
The success or failures of an outbound calling campaign depends on the process that you have developed to engage people with your brand and the eagerness of your agents to draw leads into your company.
What is outbound calling?
Outbound calling refers to the process where an agent reaches out to existing and prospective customers through a phone call. These representatives then try to raise the interest of their contact in a company’s products or services.
Since outbound calls have personal contact with people, it is among the most effective ways of interacting with a client. Outbound call agents have highly targeted outreach that enables them to receive immediate feedback.
These benefits make outbound calling a great channel to generate revenue. Outbound call agents are proactive. They are the ones calling leads instead of waiting for them to start the interaction. Because of this, outbound callers find out right away if their approach is working or not.
What are the processes involved in an outbound calling?
Each company has a different way of executing its outbound calling strategy. But there are five common steps that every team has to go through. The list below briefly explains them to give you an idea.
Finding market segments
Before starting your outbound calling process, you have to first answer these questions: Who is your target audience? What kind of buyers do you want to talk to? To whom do your products or services cater?
Without the answers to these questions, your team won’t be able to interact with the right people who would be interested in your brand. Finding your market segments helps your team tailor their approach in suitable ways for your prospects.
Generating leads
Lead generation is the process of initiating a consumer’s interest in your products or services. In this step, your team would build your call list with the names and contact information of people who you can meaningfully engage with your company.
You generate leads by coming up with a list of people you want to reach and finding their contact information. At the end of the process, you’ll have a list of people for your sales team to call.
Outreach and qualification
This is when your team starts engaging with the leads you have collected. This can be done mostly by calling and emailing prospects to measure their interest in your brand offering.
Outreach and qualification are for identifying whether a lead can be transformed into interested customers. If they cannot be drawn into having an interest in your company, they are removed from the call list. They can be moved to the next step if they are qualified prospects.
Sales calls and meetings
This step in the outbound calling process involves pitching your products to prospective buyers. It may include scheduling a demo of your products or services or a call to discuss the features and benefits of what you are offering.
The process can take time depending on your target audience. Some customers can take a while to come up with a purchasing decision. The more convincing your agent is over the phone, the sooner a deal may be closed.
Locking deals
Your agents need to be clear to the customers before ending a call. Ask them if they are ready to purchase your products instead of waiting for them to express their intent. If they find your sales pitch convincing and engaging, their reply would likely be positive.
If everything goes smoothly, this step would include confirming the client’s orders, explaining the payment process, and signing a contract. Stay polite if the customer is not interested. After all, there are other opportunities to convince them to purchase from your company.
