For anyone outside of the sales world, it’s easy to have the misconception that the phrase “cold calls” is a synonym for “outbound calls.”
There are differences between the various types of outbound dials. Do you know what they are?
Under the broader definition of outbound calls, a sales rep can call existing prospective customers and referrals to drum up new business. However, on cold calls, the caller only reaches out to prospects they’ve never spoken to before.
Both are outbound calls because the sales rep initiates the call. In contrast, on inbound calls, the customer or prospect is the initiator.
Cold outreach is just one of many activities categorized under outbound calls. Let’s discuss different kinds of outbound dials and their purpose.
The Most Common Outbound, Warm Calls
An outbound sales representative can call existing customers for several reasons:
- To inform customers already using the brand’s products of upgrades or features.
- To update them on new offers or discount incentives.
- To ask the customer for feedback and answer questions after they’ve had some time to use the product/service.
- To conduct research.
- To ask for referrals.
The common objective of all the calls mentioned above is to build relationships and build on existing revenue. You still make them proactively and they may not be expected, but they’re different from cold calls where the recipient doesn’t know anything about the company or its products.
By contrast, when a salesperson calls a prospective customer, their primary purpose is to make an introduction and, ideally, set up an appointment to start the sales process.
Why Make More Of These Outbound Calls?
We talk about the benefits of cold calling a lot at Telesales Gurus. But here, we’ll dive into the usefulness of warm contact.
Easier Conversions
Existing customers happy with your service are more inclined to purchase add-ons or upgrades. Past customers are also more likely to turn into repeat buyers when you make an effort to nurture your relationships with them. There’s a lot of information out there on why it’s so much easier to grow your business through customer retention vs. acquisition, and the phone is an excellent way to personalize retention outreach.
Decreasing Customer Churn
After-sale calls from sales reps to their buyers create real-time engagement for addressing concerns. Through these calls, sales reps ensure any promises they’ve made are fulfilled, dramatically decreasing the probability of cancellations and bad reviews from disappointed clients.
Loyalty Through Simplicity
You will need a plan to make outbound calls consistently enough to cultivate loyalty among your customers. The good news is that coming up with a plan is not hard.
How To Be Successful With Non-Cold Outbound Calls
When you genuinely care about your business, staying in touch with your clients may seem intuitive. However, the reality is that you and your teams are likely placing your focus on many initiatives. Unfortunately, this can cause follow-up activity to fall between the cracks.
But you can prevent that from happening.
Use Scheduling Tools
One of the ways you can get organized is to create call activities with due dates in your CRM so that it flags you to follow up with existing customers on specified dates.
To pull this off, you’ll need to have your CRM somewhat organized, but you can always use your personal calendar to remind you to go into your activity queues to clear them out. Or, you can place follow-up reminders directly on your calendar if that’s your preference.
Use A Script
On your outbound calls, you can check in to ask how everything is going or ask for feedback. However, if you’re running promotions or have specific initiatives you want your customers to know about, a compelling call script will help you to make the most of your efforts.
And, don’t forget to include this important building step in your script: After receiving good feedback from your clients, ask for referrals!
Track Performance
Your strategy for outbound calls should match your business goals. Use KPIs to measure their success and make improvements as you go. Some of the key performance indicators to track are:
- Number of Calls Made
- Upsells/Upgrades
- Issue Resolution
- Referrals
Final Thoughts
A company makes outbound calls for many reasons, and as we’ve discussed, cold-calling is just one of many outbound techniques. Always get your customers’ and prospects’ feedback to understand how they prefer to communicate. Then, do your best to connect with them on their terms.