What to Ask During a Sales Call

Studies show it takes an average of eight calls to get someone on the phone, so don’t torch all that hard work by asking something shallow like “How was your weekend?” Instead, make it memorable so that they’ll not only want to talk with you, but also remember you well after the call.

But that’s just not how sales works anymore. Buyers need to know that they can trust sales reps – that their needs are being understood, and that the rep they’re speaking to has the knowledge and expertise to recommend a solution to their problems.

Successful selling is all about asking the right questions. But building good connections with your prospects is just as essential as finding out more about their company, needs, and pain points.

Salespeople who understand the psychology of communication and language learn how to upgrade their vocabulary to include words and phrases that help buyers develop positive associations with their brand and product.

And because language is such a powerful tool, sales reps can significantly increase their close rates simply by swapping out a handful of things they normally say with high-impact vocabulary.

Wondering what to ask during a sales call?

While average salespeople ask most of their questions at the beginning of a call usually because they are moving through a checklist - great one space their questions evenly throughout the meeting.

Top performing salespeople are up to 10 times likelier to use collaborative words and phrases than low performing ones.

With that in mind default to “we", ”us,” ”our,” and “together,” over “you,” ”I,” ”me.” and “your.”

The most successful reps use terms that inspire confidence, such as “certainly,” “definitely,” and “absolutely,” 5x’s more often than low performers. The use of collaborative words had positive impact on sales call and using “WE” instead of “I” increased closing rates by 35%.

Using terrible opening sentence, “Did I catch you at a bad time?” makes you 40% less likely to book a meeting, while asking the basic “How are you?” believe it or not, increase your likelihood of booking that meeting by 3.4x.

It may seem unnatural at first to use some of these words on sales calls or in client meetings. Over time, you will see how well — or poorly — your customers react to different words, phrases or terminology.

Adapt your speech and written correspondence to include language that elicits positive emotions and encourages customers to take action. Soon, you will find more prospects gravitating towards your offers and that will have a remarkable impact on your close rates.