As a founder of a b2b business, I knew I had to learn how to excel at sales calls. After taking hundreds of calls, I developed a framework so I could pass on the learnings to the rest of the team. Now, I'm sharing with you all.

The first call with a potential customer is one of the most important stages in a sales funnel. Inbound prospects are usually evaluating several other tools so a great first impression is crucial.This framework was a result of an iterative process of several hundred calls. I tried to distill best practices and provide insights into what I have seen work and not work.The main thing I learned that works is preparation & training.The FrameworkVisualize the framework here. All contained in one page visual.Step 1: PreparationIt’s crucial that you learn about the company and the prospect at the same time.For instance, when I'm learning about a company I try to understand:How big my target department teams areHow much money did the company raise (if they have raised)What recent news there are about the companyWhereas when we’re learning about the prospect I usually visit their LinkedIn profile and try to get insights from it. It’s valuable that you show your prospect that you have spent some time doing your research.Note: While checking the prospect’s LinkedIn, perhaps you will find connections or interests in common, or even similar background education. This can make you two easily connect during the call.Step 2: The CallThis is the time to actively listen to your prospect’s pain points, ask questions to get all the information you need about the prospect and the company.1- Start by building rapport. After setting a nice tone, make it all about them. The time you spend talking on a sales call has a significant impact on your chance to close the deal. In fact, top sales performers are known for consistently letting their prospects talk about 60% of the time!2- Make sure your research is well informed. Try to get answers to your questions and have your prospects verbalized their pain points before you start pitching.3- Give your pitch. Once both of you have acknowledged your prospect’s pain, you will now be better informed to give your prospect an adapted pitch about how your product solves their issue.Step 3: Next stepsKeep your lead moving further along the sales funnel by making sure you have well defined next steps.For example, if you want a follow-up meeting to do a demo, make it so that you book it at the end of the call. Or if you want to involve other decision-makers, make sure you know who they are at the end of the call.When you see you only have 5 more minutes in your calendar, you should schedule the next meeting step before you finish the call and your prospect has to leave unexpectedly.----------------Hope you found this insightful.If you're looking for frameworks on other types of sales calls, I have also developed 2 other frameworks I can share with you:Demo CallsCold CallsHave any questions? Happy to help! see hubwealthy.com/wealthy