Sales contact, the key to your sales success

Many customer relations specialists agree that the first contact determines 80% of a sale's chances of success, and is played out in the first 20 seconds.

And as we often hear, you won't get a second chance to make a good first impression.

That's why it's essential to prepare for your first contact, by finding out all you can about the customer and consulting all the data stored in your CRM, for example.

Here you'll find all the steps involved in making contact, along with tips and mistakes to avoid.

After all, you can't go wrong with an introduction!

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What is sales contact?

Making contact: definition

The initial contact, the first commercial meeting between the salesperson and the potential customer, represents the start-up phase, the beginning of commercial exchanges.

It's a critical and decisive phase, as it's the first of the 7 sales stages.

Consequently, it determines the success of the following stages, which are :

• Needs research,
• argumentation
• handling objections,
• negotiation,
• conclusion,
• and ending with the closing.

Traditionally, this is done face-to-face or over the phone, but it can also be initiated :

• by sending a personalized emailing,
• on social networks,
• via a chatbot, which redirects to the right sales manager, etc.

5 contact objectives

Whether you're :

• telephone contact,
• face-to-face contact, at the customer's premises or at a trade show,
• or by email,

its objectives are to :

• break the ice, get to know each other ;
• put the customer in the best possible frame of mind to continue the discussion, and give you the opportunity to explain what's at stake in the sale;
• get a sales appointment later, if they don't have time right away;
• make a good first impression, generating sales and even referrals;
• create a climate conducive to sales and long-term customer relationships.

Successful contact depends on a number of factors, including :

• preparation ;
• the choice of means of communication ;
• the message you convey;
• the way you convey your message.

What are the different components of making contact? 3 principles to apply

Here are three principles that speak volumes about the importance of contact and its strategic nature in sales and customer relations.

The 4 X 20 rule for face-to-face contact

For face-to-face contact, this rule summarizes the importance of :

• First 20 gestures: adopt a calm, positive attitude to inspire confidence;
• First 20 centimeters: make a dynamic entrance, but keep your distance so as not to rush the customer;
• First 20 words: polite, positive, punchy, use a simple vocabulary and a clear tone;
• First 20 seconds: you've said it all, it's the first few seconds that have the greatest impact- the customer is already beginning to form an opinion of you.

The 4 A's

Whatever the location or circumstances of the sales meeting, the 4 A's are a reminder of the 4 fundamentals of making contact:

• Sales appearance: clean, neat and simple,
• Attitude: professional and respectful, among other things,
• Closing: impactful but not aggressive,
• The customer's agreement, a successful conclusion to the contact, if all the above elements are respected.

The Halo effect

Also known as the contamination effect and the notoriety effect, the Halo effect is a concept based on the principle of the influence of the first impression we have of a customer.The Halo Effect is a concept based on the principle of the influence of the first impression we have of an object or person, the quality of which favors the perception and effectiveness of subsequent exchanges.

In other words, the halo effect leads us to generalize from a single trait of character or information.

👉 For example, if on a first meeting you find someone friendly and sociable, you'll tend to think they're also intelligent and competent without having any proof of this. And the same applies if your first impression is rather negative.

This effect can have major consequences when it comes to selling goods or services, as it can have a considerable influence on buyers' decisions.

Writing an effective sales contact email

The contact email is a tool that enables you to prospect potential new customers, with the ultimate aim of winning you new sales. To be effective, it must meet certain key criteria:

• The subject line must be clear and eye-catching. According to various studies, between 70 and 80% of people don't open an e-mail without a subject line.
• The message must be personalized. Even if you don't really know your recipient, make sure you develop their interest in you by addressing them directly by name.
• Keep your message short and to the point: why are you contacting them? Or you risk losing your contact's attention.
• Pay particular attention to form- grammatical and spelling errors are a no-no!
• And don't forget to sign off with all your contact details, so that your recipient can get back to you easily.

The 6 key stages in making contact

A good initial contact breaks down as follows:

• Step 1: the introduction
  ✅ You briefly introduce yourself and make sure you're talking to the right person.
• Step 2: the introduction
  ✅ You switch, in a controlled way, from the warm introduction to the sales talk, indicating why you're there or why you're calling.
• Step 3: the flow
  ✅ You explain the structure of the exchange you're planning, such as a product presentation, followed by the offer of a sample to test and then the scheduling of an appointment to gather the customer's opinion.
• Step 4: the benefit
  ✅ The aim here is to summarize the customer's benefit in an effective sales catchphrase. Why should he give you his time? What benefits will they gain?
• Step 5: the timing
  ✅ Announce how long the exchange will last, to reassure the hurried customer and remove this recurring obstacle.
• Step 6: agreement
  ✅ Get the customer's green light, his consent, before continuing the conversation or scheduling another appointment.

How to make the right contact?

Equip yourself with the right tools for making contact

There are several tools you can use to optimize, personalize and track your prospects' contact and sales prospecting.

The types of tools available

4 examples of tools

• monday.com CRM is a comprehensive, ultra-intuitive CRM solution that helps you manage your sales process from A to Z. Thanks to its intelligent, customizable prospecting functions, you won't miss a single sales opportunity, your contacts are tailored to the needs of each prospect, and your customer follow-up is beyond reproach.
• Kestio is an all-in-one sales support platform. Working with our team of certified experts, you'll define your call pitch to suit your needs. The team also helps you create your contact file and make prospecting calls!
• Referral Squad is an easy-to-use platform for business developers and sales managers to share informationand make direct , high-quality contacts . Thanks to a "Salescoins" system, you can generate qualified opportunities and earn rewards for making contacts. What's more? Thanks to the platform's extensive community, you'll benefit from sales news, best practices and expert advice!
• Sellsy is a comprehensive, easy-to-use sales management software package for small and medium-sized businesses. It centralizes all data and interactions with your prospects and customers. This gives you all the tools you need to make qualified contacts tailored to your customers' needs. And thanks to its pipeline view, you can detect sales opportunities at a glance and contact them at the right moment!

Mistakes not to be made

Victor Cabrera, a renowned sales trainer, sums up the 3 main mistakes very well:

Here are all the ones we've identified, through various salespeople's testimonials:

• ❌ Not preparing your sales pitch properly beforehand, a problem that generates either too much recitation or too much improvisation.
• ❌ Not finding out enough about the customer you're visiting or calling, as they'll soon realize that your pitch contains generic blah-blah that lacks personalization and attention.
• ❌ Focus on technique rather than the right attitude, it's the human touch that comes first - you're not a robot!
• ❌ Skipping steps, forcing the issue out of fear of rejection: be a good listener and show respect.
• ❌ Being in the wrong frame of mind: if you're not confident or positive, it shows - how can the customer believe in your offer if you don't believe in it yourself?
• ❌ Give a monologue, talk about the rain and the fine weather or that damn Covid, in short, don't be punchy from the start: say why you're there and immediately arouse the desire to listen to you.
• ❌ Don't appear to be " in control ", pretending to drop by by chance or apologizing for disturbing. Don't give your contact any reason to say no to you - be legitimate!

Practical example of how to make contact (BtoB)

Hi, I'm Benoît from Appvizer, Europe's leading SaaS software comparison service.

I've heard about your CRM solution, which sounds very interesting for VSEs and would fit in perfectly on our platform.

I'm calling to offer you a listing in our online directory, which will enable you to attract new customers .

Do you have 10 minutes to let me explain how?

Here - and this is our bonus tip- Benoît emphasizes the quality of the company he works for, while at the same time highlighting that of the customer.

A win/win contact strategy, what do you think?

Do you have any other tips for successful contact?

See all software Customer relationship management

Making contact, a powerful lever for your success

By adopting effective lead generation strategies, you can build lasting relationships with qualified prospects and boost your sales.

It's important to remember that making contact isn't just about commercial interaction; it's about building genuine relationships based on trust and mutual respect.

Investing time in contact opens the door to a world of possibilities.

Take the reins of your business success and turn your interactions into flourishing opportunities!