Each week, I bring you battle tests, sales plays, and learning lessons from my experience as a Founder, VP of Sales, and my current role as the VP of Sales at Leadium where we help world-class B2B sales teams drive revenue through our done-for your top-of-funnel services.

Personalizing outbound sales calls involves more than just using someone's first name. It's about customizing communications for each person on your call list and connecting with them on a deeper level. That helps you convert more prospects into customers and drive revenue. Here are some of my tips for personalizing cold calls.

Research Your Prospects

Sales agents need as much information about the people on their call lists as possible. That can help them engage potential customers and move them through their funnels. The latest technology can help here. Data analytics tools, for example, reveal insights into prospects such as:

• Demographic information

• Previous purchasing trends

• Which website pages they have visited

You can sync data analytics tools with your current CRM system, making it easier for reps to find information for cold calling.

Alternatively, lead scoring platforms can help reps find the most valuable prospects based on how likely they are to purchase your products. That can remove poor-quality leads from call lists and improve conversion opportunities.

With all this data at their fingertips, agents can personalize phone calls, resulting in better sales outcomes. Say a rep knows what products a prospect has purchased in the past. They can use this information to upsell and cross-sell similar items, driving revenue for your organization.

Be Specific

Scripts are effective for guiding reps during cold calls. However, using the same prompts for every communication can make it hard to connect with prospects, resulting in bland conversations. When agents know more about individuals on their call lists, they can go "off script" and develop meaningful relationships over the phone. For example, asking what the weather is like in the recipient's location can create an instant connection. The key is to be as specific as possible when talking to individuals while still relaying all the relevant information.

Every prospect is different, proving the need for personalized cold calls. Sales teams should refer to product features or service offerings that benefit the person on the other end. That can create value for prospects and encourage them to act, such as signing up for a service or purchasing.

Identify and Solve Pain Points

Agents should listen to a prospect's problems during a call and try to solve these issues by providing relevant information. Say a potential customer is struggling to generate revenue in their business. A sales rep should take note of this challenge and explain how your company can offer a specific solution.

Agents can ask open-ended questions to identify pain points, encouraging prospects to share their thoughts and opinions about a particular topic. This sales strategy also shows the potential customer that the rep is interested in what they have to say.

Takeaway

Customizing phone calls for each person on your lead list can result in more successful conversion outcomes. You can achieve this goal by researching prospects, being as specific as possible during conversations, and identifying and solving the pain points of a potential customer. However, I don't think that's the end of it! Agents should follow up calls by sending personalized emails with product recommendations and other information relevant to each person they talk to.

See you again next week!
-Collin Mitchell