Member Article

Sales call secrets – 42% increased probability of having a sales conversion if you respond within 2 minutes

An instant call-back platform has studied more than 95,000 sales calls over a 12-month period and has revealed that there’s a 42% increased probability of a sales conversion if the salesperson calls the enquirer back within 2 minutes.

ResponseiQ studied 95,150 sales calls between consumers and sales teams over a 12-month period to find out if any trends or patterns emerged. The data showed that there’s a 42% increased probability of a sales conversion if the salesperson calls the enquirer back within 2 minutes, compared to a 24% probability if they wait up to five minutes.

On top of this, ReponseiQ has revealed that the average call length is longest when a salesperson is connected with a lead on the first call attempt, and that the more a salesperson tries to call, the less time the enquirer will spend on the phone. For example, after one call attempt the average time spent on the phone is four minutes 53 seconds, on the third call attempt it’s two minutes 41 seconds, which shows that if a salesperson is connected with a lead on the first try, they are more likely to have a longer phone call with them.

In addition, it was revealed that Ireland is the most patient country in the world when it comes to sales calls. Irish customers spent, on average, six minutes 18 seconds on the phone to sales teams, the UK spent five minutes 57 seconds, and India spent the least with calls only lasting one minute 53 seconds.

The study discovered that July to November is the best period for sales calls, with calls in September lasting, on average, 6 minutes 31 seconds, whilst March is the worst, with calls lasting only three minutes 22 seconds before customers hung up.

The research also showed that it takes sales teams up to two minutes longer to call back potential leads in the Summer months, suggesting that these months are busier for sales teams. The quietest month is February, with a response time of 32 seconds, and the busiest month of the year, April, has a call-back response time of two hours and 39 minutes – substantially longer.

ResponseiQ is an intelligent instant call-back platform that helps businesses engage with visitors and leads at the perfect time. It’s primary offering, a call-back widget, allows website visitors to request an instant call-back, or schedule a time that suits the customer, through its on-site widget software. The London-based tech start-up has secured £850,000 in investment.

Scott Lee, CEO and founder of ResponseiQ, said,

“Our entire business is built around making sure customers are speaking to salespeople as soon as possible, and I think the research shows just how much of an impact it can have on the success of a sales call. The fact that there is a 42% increased probability of having a sales conversion if salespeople call an enquiry back within 2 minutes is proof how important response time is within sales.

“Businesses in the UK are missing out on serious sales every year because of missed opportunities with customers. It’s common knowledge that customers don’t like cold sales calls, which is why our widget works so well at converting internet traffic to sales calls – the customers who come through the widget want to be contacted, which makes the sales person’s job a lot easier because they can concentrate on selling their product/service rather than getting the customer’s initial interest.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Owen .