5 Statistics to Motivate You to Make Sales Calls

There are a myriad of ways to engage a customer in an attempt to make a sale, but the sales call is the classic favorite and most effective. Despite the ubiquity of email and social media, the humble sales call still remains the most effective way to reach and sell to customers. The personal intimacy and efficiency of sales calls make it far more suitable for useful for salespersons than email, especially in 'older' industries with less tech-savvy audiences. So on that note, let's take a look at five sales statistics that can motivate you, or your sales staff, to pick up the phone:

1. Number of Desktop Phones Shipped to Businesses Grew by 45 Percent in 2012

It may come as a surprise to younger readers, but businesses are actually buying more phones than they were a few years ago. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom that has long considered desktop phones a obsolete technology when compared with email or text. This increase, as the Wall Street Journal reports, is partly due to an unwillingness among older managers to switch to email or texts, and partly because managers want their sales staff to maintain a rapport with clients - which is difficult to do with email alone. Your prospective clients are much likelier to own and operate a dedicated desktop business than they were a few years ago.

2. Only 2 Percent of Cold Calls Result in an Appointment

The above statistic might appear out of place - this is, after all, an article about sales statistics to motivate your sales team. However, it's important to remember that sales calls are extremely effective for warm leads. You need prior contact with the prospect, usually through email, before making a call. Warm leads convert far more easily with a sales call than a cold one.

3. 80 Percent of Sales Require 5 Follow-up Calls after Meeting; 44 Percent Salespeople Give Up After One Follow-up

In sales, following-up is often more important than the first contact. You may have a great product and a great sales team, but without proper follow-up, you won't see much success. This is true for both nurtured and un-nurtured leads. It is human nature to take time to commit to any decision, so making adequate follow-up a crucial part of any sales program.

4. Companies that Excel at Lead Nurturing Generate 50 Percent More Sales Ready Leads at 33 Percent Lower Cost

Speaking of follow-up, this statistic highlights how crucial lead nurturing can be to ensure the success of your sales organization. By touching base with the client regularly regardless of his/her intention to buy, you can yield dramatic improvements in the efficacy and efficiency of your sales process.

5. 57 Percent Email Recipients Consider a Message to be Spam if it isn't Relevant to Their Needs, Even When They Know the Vendor Well

This statistic clearly points out the inefficacy of email. Not only is email easy to ignore (global open-rates for all sales email is just 24%), it can also equate you with spam - not a reputation any business would want. A sales call, on the other hand, is not only harder to ignore, but has the personal touch that ensures your message won't be dismissed as spam. References:
- Wall Street Journal: Bosses Say 'Pick Up the Phone'
- Slideshare: 20 Shocking Sales Stats That Will Change How You Sell
- Hubspot: 30 Though-Provoking Lead Nurturing Stats You Can't Ignore
- Star Tribune: Email Cold Calling vs. Phone Cold Calling
- Slideshare: Yesware Research: Email for Sales Open Rate Findings
Photo Credit: lilivanili via Flickr.

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