Why Listen to Recordings of Your Sales Calls?

Why listen to recordings of your sales calls?

Because a recording is the only record of what the prospect heard. A call log tells you someone was dialled and the outcome was "not interested". It does not tell you whether the opening was clear, whether the caller talked over the person, or whether the objection was about price, timing or the wrong contact.

The same applies whether you call yourself, have a salesperson call, or pay a service. In each case you are relying on someone's summary. A recording lets you check the summary against the call, and it takes about as long as the call itself.

What will you hear that a call log will not?

You will hear the opening of each call. You will hear whether the caller says who they are and why they are calling, how the person reacts, and at what point they lose interest.

You will also hear the reasons behind the outcome. If six people in a row say they already have an accountant, a supplier or a system, that is a message for your list and your offer, and it never shows up as a number in a spreadsheet. If calls that did not book still sound polite and clear, the problem is more likely the list or the timing than the caller.

Recordings of calls that ended in no meeting are as useful as the ones that booked. They are where the wording problems show.

How many calls should you listen to, and what for?

A workable routine is 10 calls a week: a few that booked, a few that declined, and a few that were cut short. Listen for four things: the opening, how the caller handles a first objection, whether the caller stays on the reason for the call, and how the call ends.

Feedback works better when it is specific and repeated. One company's internal study of 14 managers and 106 salespeople, described on a sales enablement newsletter, found call scores rose as people received repeated scorecard feedback, and that people who had only one feedback session did worse than those coached regularly. The author gives no method or significance tests and the study is not independent research, so treat it as one data point. It does match common sense: one review fixes one call, a weekly habit changes how calls are made.

Do you need to tell people a call is being recorded?

That depends on your situation, so ask a lawyer before you start recording. A recording of a call can contain personal data, and the PDPC publishes a Guide to Notification on its website about telling people why you collect it.

Do Not Call rules are a separate question, and a lawyer can advise on how they apply to your list and your calls. Whatever you decide, write down your wording and keep it consistent across callers.

What if someone else makes your calls?

Ask for the recordings before you sign up, and ask whether you can play all of them or only a selection. A summary report of calls made and meetings booked is useful, but it cannot replace hearing the calls that did not book.

Greetsby records every call, including the ones that did not book, and a client can play any call on their list. The client also approves the opening and the reason for the call before calls start, so the recordings show whether the calls match what was agreed. A named Greetsby caller is responsible for each campaign and is reachable during working hours if something on a recording needs changing. Enquiries go to hello@greetsby.com, and replies come within one working hour, 9.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Questions

Sources

• PDPC: Guide to Notification
• Sales Enablement Team: Call Coaching, when was the last time you had a feedback session?

General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.