In many business transactions, a conversation may be in order to onboard a live lead or seal the deal. The problem is, most sales reps dread making phone calls. They get uptight, envision bad outcomes, and worry about rejection. There’s even a term for the condition: “Sales Call Reluctance.”

However, the telephone call is a high-value point of contact where personal connections are formed and useful knowledge exchanged. A thriving industry has been built around helping nervous people confidently make successful sales calls. We’ll leave that to the sales consultants.

But let us provide you with a little direct marketing consultation that can reduce anxiety and make that call go your way:

Send your prospect a personal letter prior to making the call.

Simply write a letter to your prospects to let them know you’ll be calling. Explain the purpose of your call, when they can plan to hear from you, and what they can expect to get out of it.

Two Types of Pre-Sales Call Letters that Work Best

1) The Cold Call Sales Softener

You have purchased or compiled a list of individuals deemed high potential prospects for your products and services. Begin the letter with a personal greeting, introduce yourself, and lead into how you can be of service. Include references to their place of business, the town in which they are located, and any other data points that may have been provided with the list.

The more personal you can make it, the more you will keep their interest. In closing, ask them by name to take some form of action, even if it is just to receive your upcoming call. Drop your business card in the letter and encourage them to contact you at anytime.

When you do place the call, mention that you are just following up on a letter you sent. Chances are your prospect will have name or brand recall and be receptive to what you have to say. You can take it from there.

2) The Inbound Lead Follow-Up Greeter

Your prospect has placed a call to your company, sent an email message, or completed an online form indicating interest. You have their number, address, and some basic information collected from their request. In addition to a personal email reply, why not drop a letter in the mail to thank them for their interest and introduce them to the company?

A note on corporate letterhead is a classy way to acknowledge their inquiry and make another personal touchpoint. Use the letter as an opportunity to talk about your team, capabilities, and business solutions that are relevant to their needs.

These letters can be automated and deployed in daily batches with live stamps (learn more about these types of Trigger Campaigns here). Outbound calling lists sorted by dates of expected letter deliveries can be supplied to sales reps weekly. This will make their jobs a lot easier and way more productive.