The 3 Reasons Your Sales Phone Calls Suck (And How to Fix Them)

As a salesperson, you likely spend hours every day on the phone, talking to prospects and trying to close deals. You probably think you‘ve mastered the art of sales calls by now. But the truth is, many reps make the same frustrating mistakes over and over again on their calls—without even realizing it.

These blunders can leave your prospects feeling ignored, pressured, and eager to get off the phone. But by being aware of these pitfalls and consciously avoiding them, you can have better sales conversations that actually move deals forward.

Here are the top 3 reasons your sales calls probably suck right now, and what to do instead:

1. You keep interrupting the prospect

We‘ve all been on the receiving end of a phone call where the other person just won‘t let us get a word in. It‘s incredibly annoying and makes it seem like they don‘t really care what we have to say.

Unfortunately, this is an easy trap for salespeople to fall into as well, often in the name of "active listening." You might think by frequently interjecting with "mhmm" or "I see" or even finishing the prospect‘s sentences, you‘re showing that you‘re engaged in the conversation.

But what this really does is send the message that you‘re impatient and not actually interested in the substance of what they‘re saying. You just want to keep the conversation moving along.

Even worse is when a rep jumps in prematurely after asking the prospect a question. If you ask something like "What are your biggest challenges with your current solution?" and then only leave a second or two of silence before rephrasing the question or asking if they need clarification, you‘re not giving them any time to think!

The prospect may need a few moments to consider their response. By not allowing space for that, you‘re essentially telling them their opinion doesn‘t matter that much to you.

Here‘s what to do instead:

• After the prospect finishes a thought, always pause for a full "one-Mississippi" second before saying anything. It will feel awkward at first but proves you‘re truly listening.
• When you do respond, make it directly relevant to what they just uniquely shared, not a generic "oh great!" that could apply to anything.
• If you ask a question, give them plenty of time to answer. If met with silence, resist the urge to fill it yourself. Just wait.

2. You keep bringing up past conversations

Many sales reps are taught to reference previous conversations to show they‘ve been paying attention and create a sense of continuity. But when overused, "call backs" to things discussed before can actually damage rapport.

Think about it from the prospect‘s perspective. If you start a call with something like "Last time we talked, you said you were going to look into X, Y, Z. Were you able to do that?", it can feel like you‘re trying to catch them in a trap or hold them accountable.

It‘s like you‘ve been keeping a detailed record of everything they‘ve ever said and are just waiting to use it against them. Not exactly a trusting, collaborative vibe!

While you obviously need to follow up on action items, there are better ways to do it that don‘t seem so confrontational.

Here‘s what to do instead:

• Keep references to past conversations minimal. The prospect doesn‘t remember them as clearly as you do.
• When you do need to follow up on something, do so casually, in a way that gives them an easy out, like "Were you able to look into X, Y, Z by any chance, or should I circle back on that later?"
• Avoid holding promises over their head or making them feel "caught" or guilty for not doing something.
• Focus the bulk of the conversation on the present moment and moving forward.

3. You don‘t plan enough time for the close

There‘s nothing more frustrating than realizing you only have 2 minutes left on a scheduled call, but you haven‘t even gotten close to your goal for the conversation yet.

Now you‘re left scrambling to rush through your close, frantically squeezing in your ask while the prospect is eyeing the clock. It makes you look scattered and puts unnecessary pressure on the prospect to quickly decide or commit to something.

This is an easily avoidable situation if you simply plan ahead. Always go into a call with a clear goal in mind of what you want to accomplish by the end, whether getting information, a promise to do something, or agreement on concrete next steps.

Then, before the call, look at how much scheduled time you have and work backwards to determine the absolute latest point you can launch into your close. If it‘s a 30 minute call, for example, you might decide minute 25 is the latest you can bring up your key ask.

This keeps you focused and allows you to steer the conversation naturally to where it needs to go. It prevents those awkward "hard stops" that make the prospect feel you don‘t respect their time.

Here‘s what to do instead:

• Set a specific goal for every call in advance
• Work backwards to pinpoint the last possible minute to start the close
• Gently guide the conversation to hit that minute mark
• If you see time running out early, jump to the close then instead of waiting
• Never beg the prospect for more time or make them feel bad for having a hard stop
• If needed, suggest scheduling more time later to continue the conversation

The key with all of these is to be respectful of your prospect‘s time, opinions, and independence. Avoid putting them on the spot, steamrolling them, or passive-aggressively referencing past promises.

By eliminating these 3 bad habits from your sales calls, you‘ll build much more positive, productive relationships with potential customers. They‘ll appreciate that you really listen to them, focus on the present, and make the most of the time you do have together.

Of course, phone calls inherently have limitations. It‘s hard to build the same personal connection as face-to-face without visual cues. Conversations can feel abrupt and interruptive to a busy prospect‘s day. Technical issues with bad audio or dropped calls disrupt the flow.

But by being aware of common missteps, preparing properly for each call, and keeping the prospect‘s experience front and center, you can dramatically level up your phone sales game. Your calendar will be full of productive conversations that consistently move the needle.