Quickly Improve Prospect Engagement on Sales Calls

How many of you have been on the receiving end of a sales call, bored to tears while the rep on the other end just keeps rattling away? Probably ALL of us.

So what’s the secret to keeping your customers from slowly falling asleep – whether it’s on the phone or a video call?

Here are some quick and easy tips to boost prospect and customer engagement on your next sales call!

The Best Sales Script To Get A Buyer’s Attention

Get Them Talking

The easiest way to tell if you’ve got them engaged is if THEY’RE the ones talking.

One of the best tools you have in your arsenal as a seller is asking the right questions – NOT spewing your value prop and pitch.

Make sure you know the difference between a closed and an open-ended question. A closed question is going to get you nothing but one-word answers. You can start with them, but make sure you have open-ended questions to keep them talking!

• “Do you have a current service provider?” (closed) is going to get a yes or no.
• “What’s your biggest struggle with your current service provider?” (open) – that’s going to get you a LOT more.

And if you get a good hook in one of their answers, don’t be too quick to just move onto your list with the next one! The more you can make it feel like a conversation and show you’re actively listening, the more engaged and natural the flow is going to be. Show them you care by connecting with them.

Here’s an easy summary:

• Closed questions = get them warmed up.
• Open questions = get them expanding.
• Follow-up questions = take them to the next level of expansion.

Read Body Language

If you’re using video on your sales call (HIGHLY suggest this, folks), then you’ve got to focus on their body language. This one might seem like a no-brainer, but here are a couple things to watch for.

• Are they muted? They’re not planning on talking.
• Looking off to the side or down? They’re working on emails.
• Are they propped up? They’re BORED!

If you see any of the above – stop what you’re doing, end your screen share, and get back to a conversation to re-engage them.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get Silly

I’ve been there, with a video call full of people slouched over who couldn’t give a hoot what I was going on about.

You know what I did?

I turned off the presentation, I started cracking some jokes – a little bit of razzing to the guy who came late, asked someone else a question, pinned something funny on another person – and it WORKED! People sat up, they got off mute – they wanted to participate!

It’s okay to take a step back, and it’s okay to get a little silly to get them engaged again.

READ: Quick Tips for Running an Engaging Demo

Try using one of these tips on your next sales call and I guarantee you’ll be surprised how easy it can be to get customers to open up!