There are plenty of ways to communicate with leads and prospects during the sales process, and while communication channels such as email certainly play a role, it’s still important to incorporate live conversations and maintain human connection. This is more crucial than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to adapt many aspects of their personal and professional lives to a virtual sphere.
In fact, human connection is vital for an effective B2B or medtech sales process. It establishes an authentic relationship and creates trust between two parties. That warm and personal touch goes a long way in advancing a potential.
If you’re tasked with cold calling, prospecting for leads or other inside sales activities, it’s essential to use the power of one-to-one conversation as part of your repertoire. It can help establish and maintain a connection with your audiences at all stages of your sales cycle.
Here are 4 ways that connecting with a personalized approach can have a big impact on the sales process:
Demonstrate empathy
People buy from people they like, respect and value. Conversation is perfect to create that type of connection. It starts by demonstrating empathy. As a sales person or outbound caller, it means taking the right approach. Rather than a one-sided pitch, empathy comes from two-way dialog with your audience.
Outbound calling for lead generation is perfect for this warm contact, especially compared to email of digital methods that can be sterile and cold. It’s about building rapport, showing emotion and establishing a relationship—all of which create the foundation for getting a sale.
Establish connection
Purchased sales lead lists and marketing-generated leads give your sales team a starting point. But, basic information, such as company name and phone number, isn’t enough to qualify a lead, craft a compelling sales pitch or establish a powerful human connection. A well-trained caller knows how to break the ice with a prospect. Through an effective, initial conversation they can determine which contacts are worth further nurturing and which aren’t a good fit. Prospects have the chance to ask questions—and get immediate answers, without hunting through cyberspace or navigating phone trees. This groundwork starts the sales relationship off on a strong footing.
Uncover pain points
Listening is a critical skill for anyone involved in sales. It’s also something that’s only possible when humans are involved. To move any prospect or lead forward to a sale first requires understanding their day-to-day challenges and pain points. Some of this information may be available in the sales database or collected on inbound lead forms, but these typically contain only the most basic data. True insights come from in-depth conversation.
During a call that’s focused on their situation, prospects are more likely to open up. Uncovering their specific pain points helps you craft the right message and communicate the appropriate solutions to solve those challenges.
Identify decision-makers and influencers
B2B and medtech sales are often complex, involving multiple individuals in diverse roles. Before you can close a deal, you’ll need to know exactly who is involved and the nuances of their position in the sales process. That’s hard to gather through digital-only means. Human conversations can determine the decision-makers and help you direct your efforts appropriately.
Personalizing the sales process with human connection is critically important in sales, and it’s a great way to differentiate your organization from competitors who don’t value it as much as they should.
For 30 years, Volkart May has leveraged the power of one-to-one human conversation to accelerate the sales process. We take a people-centered approach that helps leading medtech and B2B companies offer smart and personalized communication. Our trained conversationalists cultivate strong human interactions that are vital to the sales process. Learn more about our approach.
