6 Crucial Notes To Take After A Sales Call
From our earliest memories in school, we’re taught the importance of the 6W’s. Who. What. When. Where. Why. How. These points translate well into note taking after sales calls.
A study conducted by Harvard Business School reveals that 70% of key insights are buried inside sales calls. In today’s rapid market, how can a sales rep efficiently sift through this proliferation of information?
By utilizing the 6Ws to define your note taking objectives after a sales call, you can close more deals, maintain customer relationships and, ultimately, generate more revenue.
WHO — Who are you talking to?
Sales has always been about building strong relationships. Remembering the details -topics ranging from personal anecdotes to the name of their dog- will help you become invested in your prospect and enable you to treat each of your prospects with the respect they deserve.
Effective sales reps expect to be on calls with multiple stakeholders at a time. This requires an understanding of his/her prospect’s needs and pain points. Writing details about each prospect helps better map out the sale down the road.
By taking notes of these details and adding this information into your CRM after your sales call, you tackle the Situation, Problem and Implication questions of the SPIN model, making all future correspondence personal and ensuring strong relationships down the road.
WHAT — What are the follow-up tasks from your phone call?
It’s easy to leave a call feeling overwhelmed. After your sales call, your priority should be to consider your next steps.
Ask yourself what you have to do: Were you tasked with a new project? Did your lead request access to a detailed pricing plan? lead ask you to reorder a slide deck?
By emphasizing the ‘what’ after your sales call, you assist your memory and demonstrate comprehension of your follow-up tasks.
PRO TIP: Send your prospect a follow-up email that establishes your 2–3 action items.
Your CRM can optimize your post-call workflow and by prioritizing your follow-up activities immediately after your meeting.
WHEN — When did you schedule your call?
Remembering the date and time of your sales call distinguishes you from other sales reps. Follow-ups to both your prospect and sales managers are more meaningful with this data.
WHERE — Where does your product provide value for your prospect?
Take a minute to write down a quick blurb on what resonated with your prospect. Then, identify where this product will provide value for him/her.
Summarizing your in-meeting notes while your conversation is still fresh can help you see where your product best helps your lead’s business. By engaging with the material directly after a sales call, you begin subconsciously customizing your solution for your prospect.
Ask yourself questions concerning your lead’s business processes and learn as much as you can about his/her business systems.
WHY — Why trust your company?
It’s important to evaluate your expectations.
You need to be critical and seek to understand what makes you (and your company) the best fit for your prospect. Taking note of why you are capable of your prospect’s trust will allow you to solidify your next moves to close the business deal.
HOW — How can you improve?
Lastly, after your phone call, evaluate your performance. You’d be amazed at how all the ways sales reps forget to address this step or can’t be bothered to.
CRMs are great at tackling the data entry of after call notes. A CRM can deliver a ROI of $8.71 for every dollar spent, a 56% increase from $5.60 in the previous year.
In short,
- Who are you talking to?
- What are the follow-up tasks from your phone call?
- When did you schedule the call?
- Where does your product provide value for your prospect?
- Why trust your company?
- How can you improve?
The bottom line is this. Every successful salesperson is on top of their notes and can prioritize their work accordingly.
I hope you found this post useful. Please feel free to drop me a line in the comments box below if you have any feedback or questions.
