Phone call conversion. Sales conversion: how to calculate according to the formula and why is it needed? Sales conversion: how to build a funnel

After carrying out promotional activities, our Logistic company received a whole wave of requests; however, many of them concerned the intricate routes associated with the delivery of goods abroad. We spent at least eight hours processing each such difficult case. However, after a few weeks, it turned out that there were very few effective calls. There is only one order per 30 requests, so most of our efforts were in vain. Now we are trying to immediately weed out customers without definite plans, who only want to estimate the cost of transportation and make the best route. What else can be done so that potential customers do not leave after receiving information about the scheme and the cost of the work?

Andrey Kubinsky,

Kaliningrad

Answer

Alexey Ryazantsev,

founder, "Consulting 2B"

Convert calls to sales- this is what every company working on this principle strives for. In this case, the company has two pronounced problems: the large time spent on processing client requests and the extremely low conversion of calls into orders. Of the 30 requests received, only one turns into a deal, that is, the conversion rate is 3.3%, calls are ineffective. With 22 working days per month, this does not guarantee managers even one transaction during this period.

To increase conversion, I suggest the following solutions.

First. Set standard price brackets for your services. A classic example is the division of a city into zones into which delivery is carried out: a certain price operates within each zone. In the case of foreign economic activity, it is necessary to set standard, very average prices for different types delivery and registration of duties, so that the manager can tell the client: “The order will cost you from 100 to 300 thousand rubles. depending on the type of cargo, frequency of trips and additional options. The range of prices can be very wide, and the call will be effective.

Second. Develop scripts for the selling division. One of the most common mistakes sales managers make when it comes to increasing conversions is trying to give customers complete information. A potential customer leaves to think and ... never returns. To avoid this, you need to prepare speech scripts (scripts) for effective calls of managers who respond to incoming requests.

The manager following the script must first understand the client's problem and determine whether he is ready to buy from you. The purpose of the conversation will be to get the contacts of the interlocutor and invite them to the company's office to conclude an agreement. Those clients who come to you are more likely to conclude contracts.

Third. Describe the client profile. You have already figured out which companies need to be weeded out - those that do not have a clear strategy and make decisions spontaneously. You have determined which clients are “not yours”, but it would be much better to know who is really worth working with.

This is where the client portrait comes in handy: figure out what the type of activity of the company is, what goods it transports, how much freight traffic and other logistics services she needs, for what amounts she will order from you - and all this in the most favorable case for you. Always keep a portrait of such an ideal client at hand so that you know who to target.

  • Sales system in a crisis: how to increase revenue

In addition, I advise you to set a minimum price bar, below which cooperation with a client will be unprofitable for you. For example, if a company transports less than two trucks per month, then it is not advisable to work with it, because in this case the costs of servicing the transaction will significantly exceed the profit.

Fourth. Analyze the customer acquisition process and call conversion.. Use a survey to analyze the marketing channels through which your ideal customers come, think about how to reach them, and give direct advertising targeted specifically at them. Pay attention to the channels available to these companies - they may be promising.

Find out where customers come from who only want to get a quote for one route or another. To do this, ask them where they found out about you. This way you will identify the channels through which problem customers come. Analyze marketing tools that attract them, and feel free to reduce the cost of promoting these channels by several times or completely abandon them. The freed up funds are better to invest in the development of those marketing channels through which the “right” customers come.

  • The structure of the sales department: instructions for the head

Another important factor one that requires deep study is the quality of the marketing messages. In order for target customers to come to you, consider three circumstances in advertising - the market, the message and the channel. With the market you are targeting, everything is clear: you got into it. You also guessed right with the channel, since those who need your services come to you. But the advertising message, obviously, is not very effective - it needs to be carefully analyzed. Check the ad for a compelling headline, three key differentiators from competitors, a special customer offer, a time limit, and a call to action.

Fifth. Implement active sales . This will help you attract more reliable customers, as you yourself will determine who to contact. Managers must make a set number of cold calls per day. And even if they first end with contracts for inexpensive services, then relationships with clients can be developed.

Examine the client base you already have - for sure there will be companies in it that have not been cooperating with you for one reason or another for a long time. With active development of the database, you can return 15-20% of customers

Also, consider partnerships. Spend time and money on systematically attracting partners from different categories, - this will also allow you to receive a stable income.

Performance analysis is divided into accounting for the conversion of cold calls, as well as the cost of the call (and the client). If you have a good conversion rate from a conversation to a sale, and the potential buyer is not costing you much, then you have done a great job!

How to correctly calculate the conversion?

At a minimum, separate 2 conversions: a lead from a conversation and a sale from it. This way you will quickly understand where you have a problem.

How to determine how much a cold call costs?

Let's take a look at an example.

You have 3 managers to whom you pay 20 thousand rubles each. Employees work remotely, you don’t spend anything on office rent, equipment and communications, but you pay for Speed ​​Call with built-in telephony - for example, 4 thousand per month per employee (depending on the region and the duration of communication with the client).
Total your expenses 3 * 20 + 3 * 4 = 72 thousand rubles per month.

You keep a record of cold calls and you know that all managers make 150 calls per day, 150 * 22 (working days) * 3 = 9,900 per month. You have an average conversion of 5%, that is, you get 495 leads.

In total, each call costs you: 72,000 / 9,900 = 7.27 rubles.
Each potential buyer - 72,000 / 495 = 145 rubles.

Pay attention to the conversion statistics from cold calls to leads. Higher conversion - less cost. And vice versa.

Let's calculate the cost of the transaction. Let's say the conversion from a lead is 15%, one client will cost you 966 rubles (145 / 15% = 966). If the average profit from the transaction is more than this amount, everything is in order.

Cold calling report.

  • The overall picture in terms of the number of conversations, transactions and conversions;
  • Worksheet for employees to monitor their performance.

Do not forget not only to look at the numbers every day, but also once a month to compare the final results with data from previous periods.


Free webinar "How to start cold calls"

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  • What are cold calls and who are they for?
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12May

Hello! In this article, we will talk about the effectiveness of cold calling.

Today you will learn:

  • How to measure the effectiveness of cold calls;
  • How to improve efficiency.

The concept of cold calling

"Cold calls" - a tool to attract new customers. They are characterized by the manager's initiative in conversation and low awareness potential consumer about the company and product.

- first contact potential buyer with the organization. In this regard, the following difficulties arise: the client's unwillingness to start a conversation, an aggressive reaction, low efficiency.

As a rule, "cold calls" are made according to the scenario of the dialogue. It aims to improve the effectiveness of cold sales by standardizing successful practices.

The basis of the "cold call" is. It should contain not only the contact details of a potential buyer, but also information about his interests, preferences, and needs. This will allow you to interest the interlocutor at the very beginning of the conversation, which is very important during the first contact.

Factors affecting the effectiveness of cold calls

The effectiveness of "cold calls" depends on many factors, we will characterize the main ones:

  1. Client base- any calls are built on it. It should be as full as possible and include the name of the contact person (client), phone number, the company he represents (if you work with corporate clients), past purchases of the client, interests and other information that will allow you to start a conversation and get it on track;
  2. Scriptnecessary thing using the cold calling technique. There are very few salespeople who are able to start a conversation with a complete stranger who still does not express a desire to talk. The script allows you to turn each manager into an effective salesperson. A poorly written script is a guarantee of failure. Why can a script be bad? First, your script won't work if it wasn't written for . This is the case when you took the first conversation script that came across from the Internet and gave it to managers to work with. This is the wrong approach. The content of the script is determined by the scope of business and the specifics of the company in which it will be applied. Therefore, we advise you to write a conversation script yourself or order it from a marketing agency. Secondly, the script must be focused on a specific segment. Don't use a common script for your entire . Carry out segmentation and write a script for each segment individually. Thirdly, the script should not strictly regulate the conversation with the client. Otherwise, you will get robots that simply read the text given to them. This approach will not lead you to sales, but will only cause a negative reaction from potential consumers.
  3. Managers must have certain skills and traits. First, the manager must be an open and sociable person. This will allow it to work effectively in a situation where a sales script cannot be applied. Secondly, the telemarketer must speak Russian fluently. Thirdly, the manager must be stress-resistant, since in the process of “cold calls” conflict situations often arise with clients. Fourth, the manager must be creative in order to find unorthodox solutions to customer problems. Fifth, the manager must be result-oriented. .
  4. Analysis of the effectiveness of cold calls. Control the effectiveness of telemarketing, compare planned indicators with actual ones. Take corrective action.
  5. Call duration. In the event that you work with corporate clients, the purpose of the call will be, so a conversation with such a client should not take more than 3-4 minutes. In the case of working with consumers, the call can take up to 5-8 minutes, since the goal of the manager is to sell.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of cold calls

There are several techniques that will allow you to analyze the effectiveness of cold calls:

  1. Listening to managers' conversations and giving them ratings. Take your time and take the trouble to listen to a couple telephone conversations every manager. This will allow you to take corrective action in time, as well as start building efficiency.

When evaluating, it is necessary to divide the entire conversation into stages and evaluate each stage individually. As a rule, the following stages are distinguished: greeting, acquaintance, clarification of circumstances, presentation of goods, response to objections, farewell. There may be other stages, it all depends on what structural elements your script contains. The assessment steps should duplicate these building blocks.

  1. Evaluation of the performance of each manager. See how many calls your manager makes per day. It often happens that a telemarketer delays the time of the call, fiddling with the base for a long time. This happens due to the high stress load at work (negative reaction of clients). . The average performance of one manager should normally be 100-120 calls per day. Performance of less than 80 calls per day is a cause for concern.
  2. Evaluation of the performance of each manager. To find efficiency in sales, you need to divide the number of successful calls of one manager by his productivity and multiply the ratio by 100%. The average efficiency of "cold calls" is from 5-15%, depending on the scope of the organization. Keep performance statistics for each manager and use this data in the motivation system.
  3. Estimating the profitability of cold telemarketing. Profitability is calculated according to the formula: ((income-expenses) / expenses) * 100%.

Ways to improve the effectiveness of cold calls

  1. Enter a system of motivation for account managers. In “cold” sales, staff motivation works well, since much of this business depends on salespeople. For example, you can hold a monthly competition, according to the results of which the most effective manager receives a bonus.
  2. Edit and change. In the event that most of the conversations of different managers break off at a certain stage, you should work on this part of the script.
  3. Implement a CRM system that can be linked to telephony. This will allow you to track the time the manager spends on phone calls. You can also see in real time who and when made a deal. Even better, if you implement an auto-dial system. Such a system itself selects a client from the database and makes a call automatically. This will allow you to get rid of the problem of delaying the conversation.
  4. . Remember that your salespeople don't have to read the script. They must speak confidently, show interest in the client's problem, be able to improvise. All this needs to be taught.

Your business can work better and bring more money. You already know it. But! He can do it right now.

That is, with the initial data that we have now. All you need is to increase the sales conversion. What it is and how to get the most out of it, we will analyze in this article without seals and complex words.

It is the conversion of sales and its increase that affects the fact that more buyers turn from potential to real.

This indicator is included in the TOP-5 mandatory for calculation. And how to do it in a store, sales office, showroom or even an online store, read on.

oh those concepts

Since I'm not very fond of theory, I propose to round off with it. The only thing I want to talk about is that there are currently many types of conversions.

However, I will highlight three main types that are most common, and which any businessman needs to know as a prayer:

  1. Ad conversion. This is the ratio of the number of hits/clicks on an ad to the impressions of that ad.
  2. Offline conversion. This is the ratio of the number of buyers to the number of people who entered the shopping area.
  3. Website conversion. This is the ratio of people who completed the target action on the site to the number of all visitors.

Based on this, we can draw the main conclusion. If your company uses several sites (a store, an online store and an office), then there will be several sales conversions and the data for them will differ.

Also, how will the conversion differ in the context of: product, target audience, region, etc. But first, start counting the minimum and simple actions, and only then go deeper.

An important addition. In business, when we talk about conversion, we usually talk about it as part of the sales funnel. So be sure to check out our article. Believe me, all this together will change the way you look at your business.

We count and forget

In our materials, we constantly repeat that business is primarily numbers, not sensations.

There is a small part of luck, but everything else is based on very real facts. And the more indicators you own, the easier it is to manage, control and develop it.

For example, how much target customers come to your advertising company or how well your salespeople work.

But! I'll be honest with you, conversion rate is not main indicator in marketing. He is important, but not the main one.

The most important is profit. And if every second person buys from you, but at the same time average check is three kopecks, then there is no sense in calculating the conversion in this case.

Therefore, as I already said, it is imperative to calculate the conversion of sales, so you will see a lot useful information. But conversion can be deceiving.

Always check the purity of the analysis with such additional indicators as: the length of the transaction, net profit.

THE CLEAREST FORMULA

Therefore, there is no ideal conversion value in the market. Everyone will have their own. And in order to determine it, you take the first metrics from your business in a month, after which you make it a minimum plan and look for ways to develop.

Innovate and then look at the result. If everything went up, then you have a new minimum bar. And so in the cycle.

Enhancement Methods

AT recent times we get a lot of thanks, that our articles have a lot of sensible information thanks to practical information that people can take and apply here and now.

By tradition, this article will not be an exception. And I will give some universal tips for all types of contacts. They will not fully reveal the topic, but they will be a nice addition.

  1. Count the number of people. Both those who came and those who bought. Do it daily. This can be done manually or with the help of special systems and services.

    For complete beginners, you can use the online table in Google.Docs, which your fighters will keep, and you will see and check daily.

  2. Simplify sales. Make navigation good, selling price tags and. For some, this will sound banal and perhaps even a mockery, but most businesses still do not have this.
  3. Simplify your purchase. Add the ability to buy with a card, credit or installments. This will be especially true if it is an installment plan from the store.

    For example, one of our clients introduced a similar installment plan for 4 months. The results exceeded all expectations. Non-refunds barely exceed 10%, but the conversion rate to the sale (especially expensive products) increased by 20%.

  4. Arrange a contest. If you have 2-3 shifts or 2-3 sales managers, then arrange a competition between them for the highest conversion.

    The meaning of the competition is that the one who has the highest conversion for a certain period of time will receive a prize.

    The only thing is to make sure that there is no collusion between these comrades, otherwise your whole idea will go to waste. More details in our article "".

  5. Add more contacts. You must have not only the telephone number of the region in which the office / warehouse is located, but also a free 8-800, Email.

    You need to make this path as easy as possible at every step. For example, on the site to remove great amount fields in the application form or make a call to your company without unnecessary actions with an answering machine.

  6. Implement sales scripts. The conversion of sales in the work of staff is easily increased by training in effective communication with customers.

    But you most likely don't. But in vain. When an employee works according to the structure of an ideal seller, the conversion grows.

Briefly about the main

When the conversation is about new article to the blog, we choose for a long time what to write. In the case of sales conversion, we did not think for a long time.

It is necessary to calculate the conversion. Without any conversations, objections and other things. Whatever the staff says, no matter how disgusted you are with this innovation, implement, monitor and constantly work to increase sales conversion.

But remember about the text read above, namely the “conversion can be deceptive” section.

This indicator is chic and if you have not considered anything before, you will be surprised by the results. And if you are already counting, then rather go deep and see this indicator in the context of people, products, advertising channels, time, place, etc.

The business of enterprises in many areas depends on the effectiveness of calling potential customers in order to increase the level of sales of goods or services. This technique is called "cold calling" and is based on quality work call center managers. Let's take a look at what the effectiveness of cold calls is and how to increase it for more sales revenue.

Principles of Success

- this is a worthwhile sales tool, but you need to remember that failure to follow a few rules in absolutely every conversation and general principles work can lead to the opposite result. The following key points determine the effectiveness of sales from cold calls:

  1. Adequate formation of the database. You should not waste time calling all possible clients on the list - preference is given to those who are really able to be interested in your offer. To do this, find out everything you can about the future interlocutor or company representative you want to make an appointment with.
  2. Staff motivation. The higher the interest in the result of the manager carrying out, the greater the chance of a successful conversation. Piecework and systematically increasing wages, bonuses, intangible rewards and benefits - everything is in your hands possible ways affect the quality of the call center.
  3. High quality of the calls themselves. should speak emotionally, purposefully, benevolently. Be sure to ask the interlocutor about the appropriateness of the call at the beginning of the conversation. For example, like this: “Good afternoon. Are you comfortable talking now? Select candidates by conducting personal interviews and evaluating the behavior of applicants. To increase the effectiveness of calls, it is necessary to conduct trainings, “chants”, spare no expense to improve the skills of employees.
  4. Continuous analysis of results. Cold calling statistics are an important component of success. It is necessary to trace the dynamics of the results and personal achievements of managers, and then build further work based on the data received.
  5. The call is not for the sake of selling, but for the sake of. To buy a product or service, the customer must know everything about them. The duration of the conversation should not exceed 3 minutes, so as not to tire the client and avoid the purpose of the conversation, and during this period of time it is impossible to convey all the important information about the offer.

You should not waste time calling all possible clients on the list - preference is given to those who are really able to be interested in your offer.

As they say in the circles of experienced salespeople who heavily use the technique of cold calling, customer abandonment is also a result. His choice must be respected. In this case, you have the opportunity to redirect the opinion and preference of the counterparty of competitors in your favor.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of cold calls

In order for a cold calling department to be profitable and effective, the need for it should be assessed before the opening and regularly analyze sales statistics after the start of work. Here is a step-by-step example of evaluating the effectiveness of cold calls:

  1. The productivity of one call center manager (also called a telesale) per month is calculated. The ideal number of calls per day is 120. You need to take into account the time to wait for a response, technical problems, requests to call back later, or broken conversations. All these factors reduce the rate to 50-60 calls per day. Of these, as statistics show, only 5% end with the client agreeing to a meeting, and the sale is even less likely. Average performance manager is 3.2 sales per month.
  2. The level of income that the call center brings is determined. The number of sales of each manager is multiplied by the price of a product or service (if there are several, then for each separately), the values ​​are summed up.
  3. Are calculated monthly expenses: remuneration of operators, manager, support staff, telephone communications, rent of premises, utility bills, education and training, other expenses.
  4. The volume of sales correlates with the level of costs. For example, you can calculate profitability using the formula: (income - expenses) / expenses x 100%.
  5. Further, the analysis of the effectiveness of cold calls in the context of telesales, months, products is carried out. Decisive factors are identified and weak links are identified. For example, the lack of high-quality telecommunications may have a greater impact (then it is worth changing the provider) or the incompetence of one of the managers (it should be replaced or sent for advanced training).

By constantly improving the effectiveness of cold calls and taking seriously the benefits of this type of connection with potential customers, you can get a very high result. Modern society is so attached to telephone conversations that he perceives proposals from managers as a chance to improve something in his activity or life. It is important not to make mistakes and constantly strive for perfect dialogues and their results.