A HBR study is proving that the success of a sales call is influenced by being in the right place at the right time. Improve your sales cycle by being strategic with when you are reaching out.
A time and a place
In my previous two blog posts, Increase your Sales Pipeline in 5 Minutes and The Persistence Payoff: Call Fast, Call Often, I highlighted the importance of speed in qualifying prospects and persistence in reaching them. Both of these strategies will increase your odds of entering the lead into your sales cycle.
You are now calling prospects quickly and you are following a calling cadence if they don't answer, fantastic! What if there is one more way to improve your odds even further? Believe me, there is!
The Best Practices for Lead Response Management Study from Harvard Business Review found there are better days of the week to reach prospects and better times of the days to call.
Any guesses at the days?
Later in the week
Turns out Wednesdays and Thursdays are THE best days to call and connect with a prospect. Now you may be thinking, "Does this mean I shouldn’t make calls during the other days of the week?”
That's not what I'm saying at all. Every day of the week will garner you connects.
However, statistically you have a better chance of connecting on Wednesdays and Thursdays than other days, with Thursday being the best day.
Reach them at their desk
Not only does the day of the week garner differentiated results, the time of day is also important. Results show connects between 4 pm to 5 pm can garner a whopping 164% increase over calling between 1 pm to 2 pm. The second-best time is between 8 am to 9 am.
You can imagine individuals block their calendar to get things done at their desk at the end of their day. Similarly, after grabbing the first coffee of the day, they are at their desk preparing for the day. You have a great opportunity to reach them at their desk.
Following the strategies outlined in this blog series will significantly increase your ability to grow your sales pipeline. Get to those prospects quickly, keep calling if you are not connecting and be aware of the best days and times to call.
Call Fast, Call Often and Be Strategic!
Related links:
- The Best Practices for Lead Response Management Study (original and updated versions from InsideSales.com, as published in the Harvard Business Review)
This article was published more than 1 year ago. Some information may no longer be current.