How valuable are your salespeople to the business? Companies know that salespeople are a key asset. Training them takes time and money and a high turnover rate can become a real issue.
It makes sense to ensure that salespeople have the best possible tools to do their jobs effectively. The more productive they are, the more revenue they make for the company – and for themselves. Empowering them makes them feel valued and committed to the business. It’s a win-win.
Connect Rate
How many calls does it take a good salesperson to reach the right contact, progress and close a sale? This is known as Connect Rate, and research shows it takes on average eighteen calls. Clearly, if they could improve the Connect Rate, the sales team would be able to win more business and achieve their targets more quickly.
Improving the Connect Rate means understanding more about potential clients. Who are the decision makers and budget holders? Who are the movers and shakers? And, critically, how can salespeople talk with them directly?
DID number providers
All of this boils down to one key metric: how long does it take a salesperson to reach the right contact at a client? Let’s assume that your clients have direct dial phones (we know this is highly likely, we are a leading DID number provider!). Where this involves a switchboard or receptionist, research shows it takes twenty-two minutes. Using direct dial takes five minutes.
Buyers’ viewpoint
Buyers are also valuable people. They won’t be sitting at their desks waiting for a cold call. They will, however, appreciate that their own company also has salespeople trying to make contact with clients further up the chain. They will see the need to use a gatekeeper or receptionist to hold off nuisance calls, but research shows that over eighty percent of buyers will accept direct calls which are relevant.
Choosing a contact database provider
Empowering salespeople with DID numbers means engaging with a contact database provider. As with any type of supplier, some are better than others, choosing the right supplier requires qualification. They should:
- Cover the market segments which are relevant to your business, and notably the influencer clients.
- Update the database frequently to reflect company changes, staff leaving, joining and changing responsibility.
- Ensure that the data is accurate. It is really embarrassing to make a cold call having wrong information about the contact. You only get one chance at a first impression.
- Allow you to use the database for a trial period. Your salespeople will need to satisfy themselves that the database is accurate and up to date.
- Be a suitable partner. You need to be comfortable with the supplier at a business level as this is likely to be a long-term engagement.
Using DIDs in sales organisations brings clear financial benefits to the business; it empowers salespeople to meet their targets; and makes them feel valued and committed to the success of the firm.
For more information about our DID products and services including all the 45+ Countries available you can find more information on our DID page or use one of our many channels to contact us today.
