How to Run the Perfect Call Blitz with Common Mistakes and Best Practices

Helpful summary

• Overview: We give you an in-depth overview of call blitzes, covering preparation, execution, and post-call activities (along with common mistakes and best practices).
• Why you can trust us: Our allbound platform helps businesses plan, execute, and measure their call blitzes. Features like live video chat, power and parallel dialing, and scheduling make it easier than ever to stay organized and connect with leads.
• Why this is important: Call blitzes are crucial for rapidly boosting sales activities, identifying and qualifying leads, and increasing sales volume.
• Action points: Avoid common mistakes like calling leads at the wrong time, insufficient preparation, overreliance on scripts, not actively listening, and failing to follow up.
• Further research: Check out the ServiceBell blog for insights and industry news. 

Need to Find out How to Run the Perfect Call Blitz?

To excel in sales, especially cold-calling, you need strategy, communication skills, and persistence. 

But how do you make your call blitz heard and effective? It’s about more than just volume. Success lies in the right timing, relevant content, and a personal approach.

In this ServiceBell guide, we discuss how to deliver a call blitz session you’ll be proud of with common mistakes, best practices, and how our platform helps you win customers instead of turning them away.

But first…

Why Listen to Us?

At ServiceBell, we’ve helped sales and marketing teams from around the world build allbound strategies that generate results.

Outreach has always been a core piece of our platform—whether through spontaneous on-site video chats or through our new power dialing and parallel dialing tools. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, and we’re here to share our knowledge with you.

What is a Call Biltz?

A call blitz is an organized campaign where many calls are made quickly—usually over a few hours or days. The goal is to quickly reach a high number of potential customers and generate interest in your product or service. 

Call blitzes are often used to:

• Launch new products
• Promote limited-time offers or sales
• Generate leads for a business

They can be an effective way to reach a large number of people in a short amount of time.

How to Execute the Perfect Call Biltz

Pre-Call Blitz Preparation

1. Define Clear Objectives

Start with goals (e.g., number of calls, appointments set, qualified leads) and objectives (e.g., increase brand awareness, generate new business, upsell to existing clients). This helps your team stay aligned, but it also helps you understand whether the blitz is on track to be a success.

2. Target Audience Selection

Next, think about who you want to reach with your call blitz. Define specific criteria for your target audience, such as industry, company size, or job title. Then either filter for these criteria in your prospect list or have your team start to compile a new list.

ServiceBell is especially helpful here.

Our platform helps you identify everyone on your site—who they are (if you have this information), where they’re from, and what pages they’re looking at. If a visitor matches your target, you can add them to your call list with a single click.

Plus, our visitor segments feature lets you categorize website visitors based on specific criteria, such as behavior or demographic info.

3. Scripting and Messaging

Develop a tailored script that resonates with the target audience.

It shouldn’t be so restrictive that it boxes your sales team in, but it should provide a general framework and key selling points to guide their conversations. Use data from your CRM to personalize the script and make it more effective.

ServiceBell automatically displays data from HubSpot and Salesforce next to every call. Your reps can see the prospect’s website activity, contact info, and past interactions with your company—all in one place.

4. Team Preparation & Training

Train the sales team on the script and objectives, and conduct role-play exercises to build confidence. 

A virtual sales floor is also essential during the training stage, so look for an auto-dialing tool like ServiceBell that supports this feature. Have trainers and managers take on a few initial calls with sales reps who are listening live. This will provide real-time feedback and allow for continuous improvement.

Then, once the blitz is underway, reverse the roles. Sales reps start taking calls, and managers and trainers listen in to provide feedback.

Execution of the Call Blitz

5. High-Energy Kickoff

Start the call blitz with a motivational speech or activity to energize the team and set a positive tone. Here are some ideas you can implement to help create a vibrant, high-energy environment that motivates the sales teams to perform at their best during a call blitz:

• High-Energy Kickoff Meeting: This meeting could include a brief, inspiring talk from a leader highlighting the goals and potential rewards of the blitz. Consider incorporating success stories or testimonials from previous blitzes that can also energize everyone. The meeting should pump up the team, create a sense of urgency, and foster a competitive yet supportive atmosphere.
• Real-Time Competitions and Incentives: Introduce real-time competitions and incentives throughout the call blitz. This could involve setting up a live leaderboard that tracks calls made, appointments set, or deals closed. Offering immediate rewards or recognition for reaching certain milestones during the blitz can keep the energy high and motivate the team to push harder.
• Team Spirit and Camaraderie Building Activities: Foster team spirit and camaraderie by encouraging team members to support each other during the blitz. This can be facilitated through our virtual sales floor, where team members can share messages of encouragement tips and celebrate wins together.

6. Intense Calling Session

Implement a structured calling session where sales reps focus solely on making calls without distractions.

Our power dialer gives you the flexibility to adapt by offering two modes—power mode and parallel mode. Power mode dials through your call list sequentially, while parallel mode dials multiple numbers at the same time to increase efficiency.

Here’s a quick summary of when to use each mode:

• Power Dial: This mode is perfect for smaller call lists, higher-value or higher-touch sales calls, and when you want to approach each call with maximum professionalism and personalization. Reps have more time to prepare for calls since they know who they’ll be connecting with if the connection is successful.
• Parallel Dial: This mode is perfect for situations where quantity trumps quality—building pipeline, lead generation, or marketing campaigns. It allows you to reach more potential prospects in less time but may sacrifice some personalization and preparation for each call.

Flipping between these modes inside of ServiceBell’s dialer is as simple as clicking a button.

7. Real-Time Monitoring and Support

Throughout the call blitz, you should monitor your reps' progress and provide support as needed. 

Again, the virtual sales floor is important here. If a rep is struggling to hit their quota or is having difficulty connecting with prospects, jump in and listen to a few of their calls. Then, offer targeted coaching and feedback to help them improve.

Monitoring is also important—with ServiceBell, you can key sales rep metrics like:

• Total conversations
• Number of meetings set
• Conversion rates
• Call duration and number of calls made

You can also go further through our CRM integrations by tracking closed deals and revenue generated from calls made through ServiceBell.

Post-Call Blitz Activities

Post-call blitz activities are important for tasks like:

• Debrief and Analysis: Hold a post-blitz meeting to discuss the outcomes, share experiences, and highlight successes. Analyze the results against the objectives set before the blitz to measure effectiveness.
• Follow-Up Strategies: Develop a follow-up for the leads generated during the blitz, ensuring timely and personalized outreach. Assign leads to sales reps for further nurturing and progression through the sales funnel.
• Recognition and Rewards: Recognize the team's efforts, celebrating individual and collective achievements. Provide rewards or incentives for top performers to encourage continued motivation and effort.

5 Common Call Blitz Mistakes (+ Best Practices)

1. Calling Leads at the Wrong Time

Napoleon once said, "The greatest and most powerful revolutions often spring from trifling circumstances." The same holds for sales calls. A good call at a great time could be your launchpad to success.

Leverage data analytics to discern the best times to call. Avoid calling leads in a different timezone when their time is likely dinner or family time, or too early in the morning.

Our scheduling tool helps sales reps make calls to leads at the right time by enabling visitors to schedule meetings directly from the website when reps are unavailable. Additionally, the scheduling tool can be integrated with sales reps’ calendars, allowing for efficient time management and ensuring that calls are made during optimal times for both the sales rep and lead.

2. Insufficient Preparation

Sales reps often make the mistake of not preparing enough for their calls, resulting in a lack of product knowledge and an inability to address the prospect’s specific needs.

Conduct thorough research on the product or service and the prospect. Utilize pre-call planning templates and allocate time for call prep to ensure a focused conversation.

3. Over-Reliance on Scripts

Relying too heavily on scripts can make calls sound robotic and impersonal, which may turn off prospects.

Use scripts as a guide only. Train sales reps to personalize conversations and go off-script when necessary to build rapport and keep the conversation moving forward.

4. Not Actively Listening

Sales reps often talk too much and don’t listen enough to the prospect, which can lead to missing key information and failing to address the prospect’s needs.

Employ the LAER (Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, and Respond) model to actively engage with prospects. Encourage reps to listen more than they talk and to ask open-ended questions to better understand the prospect's challenges.

5. Failing to Follow Up

Neglecting to follow up on leads generated during the blitz can result in missed opportunities and decreased ROI.

Develop a structured follow-up plan for leads generated during the call blitz. Use CRMs to track interactions and ensure timely and personalized outreach to nurture these leads.

Master the Art of Call Blitzes with ServiceBell

Mastering the art of the call blitz is essential for a sales team looking to boost their performance and engagement. The key to a successful call blitz is thorough preparation, strategic execution, and effective follow-up.

By leveraging tools like ServiceBell, sales teams can enhance their call blitz strategies, ensure a more personalized and efficient outreach, and maintain momentum with features like live video chat, power dialer modes, real-time monitoring, and virtual sales floor.

Want to see ServiceBell in action? Request a demo and watch how it can revolutionize your sales team's call blitz game.

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