Sales calls are an inevitable part of every successful seller’s routine – whether they like it or not. If a B2B seller isn’t making enough sales calls each day, they won’t make their sales targets. It’s as simple as that.
But increasing sales call volume doesn’t guarantee success. Sales reps must also focus on ensuring every sales call they make is as productive as possible.
While some sales calls leave buyers and sellers excited and eager to move on to the next step of the sales cycle, others leave both parties confused by what just transpired. Fortunately, there are strategies sellers can use to increase their chances of having more of the first type.
Recently, we analyzed nearly half a million sales calls recorded using Call AI, Mindtickle’s conversation intelligence solution. Based on this analysis, we’ve compiled our top six tips for having more productive sales calls.
Types of sales calls
A sales call describes any interaction between a sales rep and a prospective customer. However, many different types of sales calls happen throughout the B2B sales cycle. Some examples include:
Cold calls
Cold calling is the practice of reaching out to prospective customers with whom you have never engaged before. During cold calls, sellers introduce themselves and their business and gauge a prospect’s interest in learning more.
Warm calls
A warm call happens when a seller reaches out to a prospect with some initial interest in the seller’s products or services. For example, the buyer may have interacted with a company representative at a tradeshow or completed a website form indicating they want to learn more.
Discovery calls
A discovery call aims to learn as much as possible about a prospect’s goals, priorities, and challenges. Sales reps must ask the right questions to understand a prospect’s pain points and determine whether they have a solution to address them.
Demo calls
During a demo call, a seller provides a demonstration of their solution. That way, a buyer can see firsthand what the solution looks like and how it can address their challenges.
Follow-up calls
Follow-up calls happen throughout the sales process. They are a way for sellers to check in with buyers to see where they are in the purchase journey and how they can support them as they make a purchase decision
Closing calls
A closing call is when a seller secures a commitment from the buyer. In other words, the buyer commits to purchasing the seller’s solution.
6 data-based tips for better sales calls
Now, let’s dive into six practical tips for increasing the effectiveness of sales calls – no matter where a prospect may be on their purchase journey.
1. Optimize sales call length – and make the most of your time
Have you ever scheduled a 30-minute sales call, only to run out of time before you’ve covered everything you wanted to? Maybe the customer had a lot of questions, or perhaps they took things in a different direction than you anticipated. As the end of your time approached, you likely felt a sense of panic kick in, and you may have come across as rushed or disorganized.
So if you’ve scheduled 30 minutes, you have a few options. You can ask the prospect if it’s possible to run over (which it often isn’t, as prospects have busy schedules, too). Or, you can end the call without covering everything — and hope the prospect agrees to another call. Neither situation is ideal.
In order to avoid this situation, it’s important to optimize the length of your sales calls. But what’s the right amount of time to book on your prospect’s calendar?
Our analysis found that the average length of a sales call recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with Mindtickle was 30 minutes, However, the average length of a discovery call is 36 minutes.
The average length of a discovery call is
Take a look at your own sales calls to evaluate length. Use those insights to determine how long you should schedule calls for. When in doubt, schedule more time. For example, rather than scheduling a half hour call, schedule it for 40 minutes. If you don’t need the entire time, you can always give the prospect or customer some time back, which is preferable to going over your time.
In addition, be sure your reps show up ultra-prepared. That way, they can make the most of their time with buyers – no matter how much time that may be.
2. Share the mic – especially on discovery calls
A sales call, like any conversation, should be a give-and-take. Both parties should have an equal opportunity to share what’s on their minds and ask and answer questions.
But often, that’s not the case. Instead, sales reps do the lion’s share of the talking — while prospects sit quietly and (hopefully) take it all in. On average, customers talk 37% of the time on sales calls.
3. Keep monologues in check
Have you ever been in a situation where someone’s telling you a long, drawn-out story? Your eyes might glaze over, while your attention drifts to other things.
The same can happen on sales calls with the rep delivering a long, droning response to a prospect’s questions. Generally, the longer the monologue, the more disengaged a prospect gets.
We found that, on average, reps’ longest monologue responses are 2 minutes and 15 seconds, down from previous years.
Though monologues are decreasing in length, it’s critical for reps to be mindful. If a seller finds themself speaking for more than a minute and a half, it’s important to check in and see if the prospect has any questions. Doing so helps ensure a balance of rep and prospect participation and engagement.
4. Equip sellers to handle objections
Ideally, every sales call will end on a positive note. The prospect will feel excited about the seller’s solution — and eager to move on to the next step of the sales process.
But that’s not reality.
Negative sentiment, such as uncertainty, hesitancy, competitive mentions, and objections, are extremely common on sales calls. In fact, over half (54%, to be exact) of sales calls contain more negative sentiment than positive.
But negative sentiment doesn’t mean the call is a lost cause — especially if the seller has been adequately trained and coached to expect resistance and overcome it. When a prospect brings up competitors and challenges statements made during the call, it often means they have researched, indicating that they have prioritized the search for a solution like yours.
Of course, providing enablement ensures reps know your messaging inside and out and can properly differentiate you from your competitors is important. Be sure you’re also spending time on enablement topics that help reps build their confidence and overcome common objections.
5. Ask and invite questions
When reps ask questions, they clarify deal information and deepen their discovery. On average, reps ask 20 questions during sales discovery.
On the other hand, when a rep receives a question from a prospect, it can indicate the potential customer’s needs and priorities. On average, sellers receive 12 questions from prospects during sales discovery. Of course, this will vary based on prospect preparedness, confidence levels, decision-making stage, and time constraints.
During the best sales calls, questions are asked by both parties. Yet, we’re seeing a decline in questions posed by both buyers and sellers.
Be sure to provide your reps with the coaching and resources they need to improve their questioning techniques. Boosting these skills can help foster more engaging and insightful customer interactions. y In addition, be sure to review your top discovery calls. That way, you can create a list of the questions that best uncover additional deal information and get the prospect thinking.
6. Leverage conversation intelligence software
Let’s be real: sales calls don’t always go well. And when they go south, reps often struggle to articulate what exactly went wrong. That makes it difficult (or even impossible) for the sales manager to provide coaching that’ll improve future outcomes.
Furthermore, front-line managers are busy and don’t have the bandwidth to sit in on every single call for every single rep. That’s why the best sales orgs use conversation intelligence software to bridge the gap.
Conversation intelligence software records sales calls and leverages AI to help managers identify where reps are excelling — and where there are skill gaps. Managers can use these insights to deliver personalized enablement, content, and coaching to close those gaps, improve key skills, and boost sales outcomes.
With all of their calls recorded, reps can better prepare for meetings. Conversation intelligence products like Call AI send digest emails with summaries and key action items from the last call with a prospect. In addition to call prep, sellers can collaborate and coach each other on key selling moments, solicit feedback, and view their team members’ top call moments.
Start making more productive sales calls with Mindtickle
Great sales calls don’t happen by chance. Revenue organizations must ensure that every seller—from veterans to new hires—has what it takes to lead high-quality sales calls that propel prospects through the sales funnel.
Mindtickle is an integrated revenue enablement platform that equips sellers with the training and support needed to master the skills needed to lead outstanding sales calls. In addition, sellers can use AI role-plays in Mindtickle to practice their skills in realistic scenarios – before money is on the line.
There’s room for every seller to hone their sales call skills. With Call AI, Mindtickle’s conversation intelligence solution, sales managers can see where sellers are excelling on calls – and where there are opportunities for improvement. Sales managers can use these insights to deliver targeted training and coaching to improve sellers’ skills and performance on sales calls.
Want to learn more about what winning revenue organizations are doing to ensure each member of the team is always ready to sell? Read the Mindtickle State of Revenue Productivity report.
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Get a DemoThis post was originally published in June 2022, updated in April 2024, and again in March 2025.
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