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Outbound Call Center Training: Telephone Sales Mastery

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Rated 5 out of 5

“These are tough times to sell, so the skills you taught couldn’t have been timelier. Thank you again for helping turn our team into a selling machine!”

Susan Laird  |  Quadrant Plastics

Most salespeople hate to make outbound phone calls, yet they may not fully grasp the significant difference they can make in the outcome of these interactions.  By embracing best practices, captivating the caller from the very beginning, and swiftly articulating the value of their product, outbound outreach can be transformed into successful exchanges for both the seller and the customer. Welcome to Telephone Sales Mastery Outbound!

Telephone Sales Mastery Outbound Introduction

In This Video

  • Patty and Mo talk about the strategies in this course that will greatly improve your reps’ chances for a sale (or an appointment) on every outbound call!

01

Are Your Outbound Telephone Sales Reps Struggling with their Calls?

We have worked with many Outbound sales teams and appointment-setters in the last 25 years. The most common issues we see are 1) a selling approach that doesn’t connect with callers, 2) burnout, and 3) a lack of creativity. Any outbound call center rep that sounds like they are merely going through the motions is not going to have the impact they want.

02

The solutions are all right there in your call recordings!

Give us the chance to listen to your team’s recorded calls. We will scrutinize each step of the dialogue and build you a call flow that nets much better outcomes. The new call flow will make sense to your reps and it will be client-friendly.

03

Let’s talk Early Call Objections in Outbound Calling

Early-Call Objections are why so many reps get out of the business. They never figured out how to move past these early call roadblocks, like “I’m not interested,” “We already have a service like that,” “We’re moving in two months,” and a host of others. These are smoke screens 85%-90% of the time. The caller is really not locked into that objection. They just want to get off the phone!

04

Pro Tip for Cold Calling! Don’t Try to “Overcome” Early-Call Objections

Our approach is to circumvent the early-call objection. “I completely understand that you’re moving, and it definitely makes everything more challenging.” “That said, let’s talk for just a moment about futures, because I would hate for you to miss out.” When you present this risk-free idea to them, leaving them with just one quick piece of the offer, they tend to stay on the line and listen. We can train your sales team on just this one skill as a pilot so you can see the results. And there’s much more that we can do through what we call Preemptive Statements, which have been proven over and over to reduce the number of objections a rep hears every day!

Telephone Sales Mastery Outbound

Outbound Calling Course Overview

All course modules are fully customized to each client’s calls.

If you do not see a skill here that your center needs, please ask us about it.

Module One: Outbound Calling Principles

Outbound calling is a unique skill that most salespeople struggle with. The good news is that there are a number of proven formulas and principles that will help your salespeople thrive.

Topics / Principles

  • Developing a Consistent Outbound Calling Strategy
  • Call Killers: What will Derail Your Outbound Call Right from the Start?
  • Improving Customer Responsiveness to Your Outbound Calls
  • Responding to Customer Hostility
  • Should I Leave a Voicemail Message?
  • The CCTS Outbound Calling Formula and Why It Works!
  • Five Easy Ways to Prevent Early Call (Reflexive) Objections

Module Two: The Outbound Call Opening

The first 30 seconds of the outbound phone call will either set your salespeople up for success or make it an uphill battle. The skills in this module are excellent for relaxing customers and opening many more doors.

Sections / Topics / Skills

  • Eliminating Customer Tension at the Start of Calls
  • Effective Non-Verbal Skills During the Call Opening
  • Best Practice Greetings and Introductions
  • Preemptive Statements for Preventing Early Call (Reflexive) Objections
  • Rapport Do’s and Don’ts
  • Delivering a Value-Rich Reason for Call (Message)
  • The Complete Outbound Calling Process
  • Activity: Participants Demonstrate the Outbound Calling Process

Module Three: Responding to Early Call Objections

Even with a great opening, salespeople will still encounter Early Call, or Reflexive Objections (e.g. “We’re not interested.” “We already have what we need.” “Stop calling here!”). In this module, participants will learn the right process and the right delivery.

Sections / Topics / Skills

  • The Nature (and Good News) of “Reflexive” Objections
  • Put the Caller at ease by “Welcoming” the Objection
  • Transitional Statements (e.g. “Here’s the thing.” “That being said.”)
  • Redirecting back to the Value of the Call
  • Strong Rebuttals
  • The Complete Early Call Objection Process
  • Activity: Participants Demonstrate the Call Opening and the Early Call Objection Process

Module Four: Mastering Discovery with Outbound Calling Considerations

Discovery is critical on every phone call, but outbound calls bring challenges that inbound calls do not. Since customers did not call us, they did not plan on a long, consultative question / answer session. Many customers will stay on the line, but the sales representative may need to work more quickly to establish needs.

Sections / Topics / Skills

  • Asking Questions with Impatient Customers in Outbound!
  • Making Every Question Count
  • “Crystallizing” the Customer’s Need
  • Need-Based Questions (heavy focus here in Outbound). They are Closed-Ended and will identify needs quickly.
    • “Do you find sometimes that you struggle with___?”
    • “Is it important to you to have ____?”
  • Cross-Sell Upsell Question
  • Asking for Referrals (even when this customer shows no interest)
  • Activity: Participants Demonstrate the Complete Discovery Process

Module Five: Making Value-Rich Product/Service Presentations

When presenting products and features, most salespeople a) fail to differentiate their product from competitive offers, and b) spend too much time focused on promotions, and not enough time on the ways that your solution will be potentially life-changing for this customer. This module will change all that.

Sections / Topics / Skills

  • Implied Value vs. Expressed Value
  • Remember: Most Customers Don’t Buy the Cheapest Product Offer!
  • Feature / Benefit / Value Defined and Differentiated
  • Activity: What Differentiates Your Product or Service from the Competition?
  • Put the Customer into Your Presentation Story
  • Always Tie Back to Your Discovery When Transitioning to the Presentation
  • The Feature Function Value Statement
  • Activity: Participants Demonstrate the Complete FFV Process

Module Six: Closing the Sale (Assuming the Sale with Confidence)

It is undoubtedly the briefest skill, yet many salespeople struggle when asking the customer to buy today. This module introduces a couple of great Closing tools, but it also makes the case for Closing every time, which really helps salespeople with Closing Anxiety.

Sections / Topics / Skills

  • Why Should We Ask for the Sale on Every Call?
  • The Chain of Events that Occurs When We Don’t Ask for the Sale
  • Not Closing is a Disservice to Your Customers
  • Avoid “Disclaimers” When Closing (e.g. “I know you said earlier that you were not ready to buy today, but…”)
  • Effectively Transitioning from the Product Presentation to the Close
  • The Assertive Closing Process
  • Five Other Great Closes
  • Activity: Participants Demonstrate the Assertive Close

Module Seven: Responding to Late-Call Objections

You have done so much work on this call, and now you’re going to let this caller go because of a single objection? Help your customer while helping yourself by presenting a strong case for them to buy today. Turn your objection response into a positive, customer-friendly experience.

Sections / Topics / Skills

  • Where Do Salespeople Go Wrong When They Hear An Objection?
  • Why An Objection is Not the End
  • Welcoming the Objection: “I’m glad you’re telling me this!” “I’m so glad you brought this up.”
  • Tie Back to Discovery: What Did You Learn that will Help You Now?
  • Presenting Value to Outweigh the Objection (rather than “Outarguing the Customer”)
  • Long-Term Return on Investment over the Competitor’s Short-Term Savings
  • Value of Product over a Competitor’s Promotion
  • Responding to Objections with a Discount without Diminishing Your Product’s Reputation
  • Talk to Spouse and Talk to Boss Responses
  • The Value For Objections Process
  • Activity: Create Great Responses for Key Objections

Pricing

We customize each program to our clients’ needs and goals, so no two prices are the same. For Telephone Sales Mastery Outbound, your price depends on how many sales reps and leaders take part, the delivery method you choose, and how we customize the seven modules to your outbound calls. Our clients will tell you that our fees are average while our solutions are world class. Here is some information about how we can build your course content and deliver your new training solution.

We customize everything!
See Our Customization Formula here

Delivery Methods: We use all of the following delivery methods, depending on client needs, location and budget.
  • Live, in-person training
  • Remote training sessions via Teams or Zoom
  • Fully customized video-based lessons
  • Complete e-learning solutions
  • Complimentary Front End Analysis
You want the right solution. We would like to provide the very best, perfectly tailored solution for your needs. Let us listen to your calls and schedule a few meetings with leaders, supervisors, trainers and agents. Let’s discuss your current coaching system. We want to know how your QA and Training teams align with your goals. Once we understand how we can best help, we will send a complete proposal with every step we will take in building your new training package and helping you ignite your center to produce record results.

Contact us today to set up an initial discovery meeting. We can estimate pricing for you, even before we start our analysis work.

Have a small team? If you have just a few reps and a single leader, we can estimate pricing and do a brief analysis of your agents, and send a final proposal very quickly.
Request your discovery meeting

“

Rated 5 out of 5

“Love this content! Your trainings have taught our team so much!”

Tawnia Grone

Autism Learning Partners

Rated 5 out of 5

“As always, Mo, your content and skills are always first class, and we have benefited from your training for years!”

Deepak Joshi

Personiv

Rated 5 out of 5

“Have always loved your work, Mo. Exciting you are still putting great content out here for us to take advantage of.”

Kellen Brittingham

Deluxe Corp

FAQs for Outbound Calling

What are some of the biggest challenges in outbound call center services, and how can CCTS help?

Running a successful outbound call center that sells products or sets appointments can be quite challenging.
  • Dealing with Rejection and Handling Objections

Sales reps constantly face rejection and objections from potential customers. Many people are inherently skeptical of sales calls.

Solution: We will help you re-engineer your call flow so your reps sound amazing all the way through the early part of the call. They really will be able to reduce the amount of objections they hear. We have seen it with our clients.

  • Maintaining Compliance and Avoiding Legal Issues

Outbound telemarketing practices are subject to numerous laws such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the United States, which regulates unsolicited calls and messages.

Solution: We will get agents and leaders on the same page so there are no more Compliance issues.

  • Balancing Quantity and Quality

Striking the right balance between pushing for a higher call volume and delivering a personalized, quality sales experience is a constant challenge.

Solution: We will take a look at your Quality process and make sure that every successful selling skill is encouraged and embraced by QA. Plus, we can work with all of your leaders to redevelop a QA form that makes sense for the new skills you will be bringing in. We love working with the Quality teams because we know that reps will do what’s on the Quality form to get their points.

  • Employee Motivation and Burnout in the Contact Center

The demanding nature of outbound call center work, which often involves repetitive tasks and potential rejection, can lead to employee burnout and low morale.

Solution: Front-line leaders in call centers work very hard, but their coaching and management system is often out of alignment with the reps’ calls. We want happy call agents who know they make difficult calls, and are proud of the work they do. When leaders coach effectively, the center thrives and your employee turnover goes way down.

  • Adapting to Changing Customer Behavior

Customer preferences and behavior evolve over time.

Solution: Buyer behaviors have certainly changed over the years, and we have caught the changes. We incorporate only the most client-friendly and value-rich comments.

Ask us about your challenges and we will let you know if we can help.

Responding effectively to a customer who initially expresses disinterest during an outbound sales call is crucial to turn the conversation around.
  • Acknowledge and Clarify

“I appreciate your honesty. Could you share a bit more about what you’re looking for? This way, I can ensure I’m not taking up more of your time if it’s not a good fit.”

  • Highlight Benefits

“I understand you might not have been expecting this call. However, our [product/service] has helped many [similar businesses/customers] [achieve specific benefits/solve particular challenges]. Would you be open to hearing how it could potentially bring value to you?”

  • Offer Solutions

“ May I ask, are there any particular areas where you’re facing challenges? Our [product/service] has successfully addressed similar issues for others.”

  • Respectful Exit

“I respect your decision, and I don’t want to take up more of your time if this isn’t the right fit. However, if circumstances change or you find yourself looking for [product/service] down the line, please feel free to reach out.”

If they continue to show disinterest, it’s important to gracefully conclude the conversation without pressuring them.

Our secret is a strong knowledge of selling skills, combined with an effective strategy to learn where the skill gaps are, and making sure our training is reinforced by call center leaders and Quality. There are lots of trainers in the call center training space, but few that know sales, service, call center, QA and senior leaders as well as we do.

Boosting morale in an outbound call center is essential for maintaining a motivated and engaged workforce.
  • Recognition and Rewards

Acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of your call center agents. Recognizing their efforts publicly can boost their confidence and motivation.

  • Regular Feedback and Coaching

Provide consistent feedback to your agents on their performance. Conduct regular coaching sessions to help them refine their skills and overcome challenges. When employees feel their growth is supported, they are more likely to stay motivated.

  • Training and Skill Development

Invest in ongoing training and skill development programs for your agents. Offering opportunities to learn new techniques not only enhances their capabilities but also shows your commitment to their professional growth.

  • Team-Building Activitie

Organize team-building activities that promote camaraderie and teamwork. Strengthening the bond among team members can create a positive and supportive work environment.

  • Flexible Work Environment

Offer some degree of flexibility in work arrangements, such as remote work options or flexible hours, if feasible. Flexibility can help alleviate stress and improve work-life balance.

  • Create a Positive Work Environment

Foster a positive atmosphere in the call center by encouraging open communication, maintaining a clean and comfortable workspace, and minimizing unnecessary stressors.

We can have training up and running in a couple of weeks. If you would rather start small, we can pilot one skill with your sales team, getting around early-call objections. That way you see the results for yourself.

We have spent the last 25 years working with a lot of outbound sales teams and appointment-setters. What we see most often is a selling approach that falls flat with callers, burnout, and too little creativity.

Many of the outbound teams we have worked with are appointment-setters. The course is built to help reps land the appointment as well as the sale. Every module is shaped around your own calls, so ask us about any skill your team needs.

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