The Ultimate Pre-Call Checklist: 14 Things Every Salesperson Must Know Before Dialing

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a sales call where the rep clearly didn‘t do their homework? They bungle your name, ask basic questions that could have been answered by a quick Google search, and pitch something irrelevant to your business. How much confidence does that instill in you to buy from them?

Now imagine the flip side – a sales call where the rep demonstrates that they understand your world and have put real thought into how they can help. They reference a recent company announcement, ask insightful questions, and share tailored ideas and use cases. That‘s the kind of salesperson you want to engage with and potentially buy from.

The difference comes down to preparation. Top performing reps spend up to 10 hours preparing for each hour of sales calls, while average performers wing it and skip the pre-call research.

In fact, a study by Hubspot found that only 29% of salespeople always research a prospect before reaching out. Considering that 75% of prospects say they won‘t engage with a salesperson who doesn‘t demonstrate knowledge of their business, that‘s a huge problem.

Don‘t make this rookie mistake. Invest the time upfront in properly preparing for your sales calls, and you‘ll immediately differentiate yourself from the typical rep robotically working through a list.

Follow this ultimate pre-call checklist of 14 things every salesperson must know before picking up the phone, so you can crush your calls and close more deals:

The Essentials

These foundational details are the bare minimum of what you need to know before calling a prospect. Skip these at your own peril:

1. The prospect‘s full name and correct pronunciation

Double check their first and last name, including spelling and pronunciation. For unfamiliar names, sites like Namecoach.com and Pronouncenames.com can help. Using the wrong name or butchering it beyond recognition is the fastest way to lose credibility.

2. The prospect‘s current title and role

LinkedIn is your friend here – find the prospect‘s profile to get a clear sense of what they do day-to-day. Don‘t make them waste time explaining their basic job responsibilities on the call. Come prepared with an understanding of their world.

3. Key facts about the prospect‘s company

At minimum, you should know the company‘s industry, size, business model, top competitors, and key executives. Tools like Crunchbase, Owler, and Buzzsumo can help fill in the details. This context is crucial for having a relevant, tailored conversation.

4. Your reason for calling

Never call just to "touch base." Have a clear objective, whether it‘s to share a new insight, ask a specific question, or discuss next steps. Pointless check-in calls are the top pet peeve of 37% of buyers. Respect their time by having a reason to connect.

Rapport-Builders

Sprinkle in a few personal details to show you‘ve done your homework and to forge a human connection:

5. Mutual connections

Scroll through the prospect‘s LinkedIn connections to see if you have any contacts in common – a former colleague, a current customer, a college classmate. Harvard research shows that referrals from a mutual acquaintance increase the odds of a sale by 50%.

6. Content engagement history

Use your CRM and marketing automation tools to see what whitepapers, webinars, or emails the prospect has engaged with. This gives you clues into their interests, challenges and where they are in the buyer‘s journey. 68% of buyers say the most influential salespeople understand their needs before they even have to ask.

7. Career trajectory

A quick LinkedIn skim will reveal any big moves or accomplishments in the prospect‘s background – a promotion, a job change, a big project. Find an opportunity to naturally work it into the conversation to show you‘ve paid attention to their career. For example: "Congrats on the new role! How has the transition been from Acme Corp to Pinnacle Inc?"

8. Hobbies and interests

Keep an eye out for any unique hobbies, talents, or passions the prospect mentions in their social profiles. If it comes up naturally, sharing that you also enjoy travel, golf, or craft beer can create affinity and connection. Just keep it brief and professional – this isn‘t a first date!

Insights and Ideas

Take your pre-call prep to the next level by coming to the table with valuable information and solutions tailored to the prospect‘s world:

9. Industry news and trends

Set up Google Alerts for the prospect‘s industry, follow influencers on social media, and subscribe to trade publications to stay on top of the latest happenings. Casually mentioning a recent merger, product launch or regulatory change demonstrates you have your finger on the pulse of their business.

10. Potential use cases and ROI

Step into the prospect‘s shoes and envision how your solution could drive results for their company. Come prepared with 2-3 specific ideas, examples, or case studies of how you‘ve helped similar businesses. 75% of buyers want to work with salespeople who can demonstrate how their offering will deliver meaningful results.

11. Anticipated objections

Brainstorm the likely reasons a prospect would be hesitant to move forward, such as budget constraints, competing priorities, or satisfaction with the status quo. Have thoughtful responses at the ready, using data and customer stories to allay concerns. Proactively addressing objections increases close rates by 43%.

12. High-value questions

Don‘t just ask generic qualifying questions that the prospect has already answered a million times. Craft thought-provoking, open-ended questions that get the prospect thinking differently about their business. Examples:

• What‘s the biggest challenge standing in the way of your 2023 growth targets?
• If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your current process, what would it be?
• Fast forward 6 months from now – what would success look like for you and your team?

Consultative questions engage the prospect and elicit information that can help you craft a compelling solution.

Mindset and Mechanics

Get in the right headspace and set yourself up for a productive, distraction-free call:

13. A positive, helpful attitude

Shift your mindset from "how can I sell?" to "how can I help?" Cultivate genuine curiosity and a desire to solve the prospect‘s problems. Find a mantra that puts you in a peak state – something like "I‘m here to serve" or "I‘ve got this." Your energy is contagious and the prospect can sense your intentions.

14. Optimal environment and equipment

Find a quiet spot where you can focus deeply without interruptions. Check that your phone/internet connection is reliable, you have easy access to reference materials, and you have a glass of water and notepad handy. Remove any clutter and turn off distracting notifications on your computer.

By covering these 14 bases, you‘ll walk into your calls cool, calm, and collected. You‘ll exude the confidence of someone who is well-prepared and there to add value, not just push product.

Your conversation will be richer and more productive, uncovering the prospect‘s true needs so you can craft win-win solutions. You‘ll come across as an expert who "gets it"—someone the prospect can trust to help them achieve their goals.

Of course, you can‘t spend hours exhaustively researching every prospect. Aim for at least 10-15 focused minutes per call to nail the essentials and find 1-2 relevant personal details.

Create a repeatable process checklist, block time on your calendar for pre-call planning, and stay disciplined about protecting this prep time. The more you practice, the faster and more efficient you‘ll become at gathering intel.

Tools and Technology to Streamline Your Research

Luckily, we live in an age where information has never been more accessible. Many tools exist to aggregate data and automate pre-call research. Some to consider:

• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Provides advanced search capabilities, real-time sales updates and insights on your prospects and their companies. Integrates with many CRMs.

• Owler: Delivers news alerts, company insights and competitor information to help you stay current on key accounts.

• HubSpot Sales Hub: Offers prospect tracking, email scheduling, call recording, and more to enhance your interactions.

• Sales Intel by DiscoverOrg: Combines technographic, firmographic and intent data to surface high-quality prospects, often with direct dial information.

• Charlie App: Compiles a one-pager on prospects with key information from across the web, delivered to your inbox before every meeting.

The key is finding the tools that fit your workflow and actually using them consistently. Technology should supplement, not replace, the fundamental work of thoughtful pre-call preparation.

Your Pre-Call Checklist

To make this easy to implement, here‘s a handy checklist you can use before every sales call to make sure you‘ve covered the essentials:

• [ ] Prospect‘s full name and pronunciation
• [ ] Prospect‘s current title and role
• [ ] Key company facts: industry, size, model
• [ ] Reason for my call
• [ ] Mutual connection (if applicable)
• [ ] Prospect‘s content engagement
• [ ] Prospect‘s career highlights
• [ ] Relevant industry news and insights
• [ ] 1-2 potential use cases/ROI ideas
• [ ] 1-2 anticipated objections
• [ ] 2-3 high-value, tailored questions to ask
• [ ] Positive, curious, helpful mindset
• [ ] Distraction-free environment and equipment

Print this out, keep it near your desk, or make it the default note template in your CRM so you build the habit of covering these bases every time.

Remember, success is never owned, it‘s rented – and the rent is due every day. Committing to this level of pre-call preparation is what separates the good from the great.

Putting in the work on the front end will lead to more productive conversations, deeper relationships, and ultimately, more revenue. Skip it, and you‘ll be just another faceless salesperson pitching average offers to annoyed prospects. The choice is yours!

So before your next call, pull out this checklist and invest a few minutes in mastering the art of pre-call preparation. Your prospects will take notice, your manager will be wowed, and your commission checks will thank you.

Now go pick up that phone with the confidence that you‘re the most prepared salesperson your prospects will talk to all day! You‘ve got this.