For a brand new salesperson, hearing the words “call review” can be incredibly daunting; listening to your own recorded voice can be quite cringeworthy let alone having teammates listen. But, it’s important to realize that call reviews are essential to being successful in sales.
Two major benefits we see when our inside reps participate in calls reviews are that they get the opportunity to build morale within their team, and become comfortable with giving and receiving feedback. As a result, reps become more comfortable with one another, and tend to give more honest feedback. Call reviews provide an outlet for team bonding and open conversation, and Bandalier’s unique model of outsourced inside sales enables us to support cross-client call reviews.
An uptick in confidence is another huge benefit of call reviews. When reps first get started in sales, making a call can be intimidating. We see across the board that the more call reviews a rep participates in, the more confidence they build. Getting accustomed to hearing their own voice, and receiving both positive and negative feedback can be a massive boost for their confidence, and enable them to outgrow those initial pre-call nerves.
This honest feedback provides transparency in its most raw form. Let’s say a sales rep makes a call that they thought was great, but didn’t land them what what they wanted, whether it be scheduling a meeting or just getting some information. They play it at a call review, and receive feedback from their team members that isn’t as positive as they thought it’d be. This may seem extremely disheartening, but it’s actually the exact opposite. Having someone else listen to their calls can give them insight that they never would’ve realized on their own, and vice versa. Emma, a part-time senior sales associate at Bandalier, said that “call reviews are important because they’re a good opportunity to see different perspectives on the same type of client. I learn a lot not only by receiving feedback on my calls but being able to listen to my peers!”
Lastly, call reviews supply reps with new and fresh ideas. After a while of making calls, one may get bored of the same intro, the same pitch etc., and it is obvious to whoever is on the other end of the phone if they seem unengaged. That’s where call reviews can really be useful. Listening to others’ calls can give reps ideas of new techniques or scripting changes to implement, and get them excited about trying it out. When whomever is on the other end of the phone line can hear that excitement and energy, it helps pique their interest.
Weekly call reviews have become a cornerstone of Bandalier’s kaizen culture. We’re such big believers in their value that in the last few months, we’ve begun asking clients to join, so that they can provide their perspective, too. Like any other true growth opportunity, call reviews may be a little uncomfortable at first, but provide massive dividends down the road to everyone who participates.
