Mastering Pre-Call Planning: Your Blueprint for Successful Sales Calls

As a busy sales professional, you know better than anyone else how tempting it is to jump from one sales conversation to the next without spending time on preparations. However, pre-call planning is essential for any sales call to succeed. 

With a solid plan in place, your sales call will be a straight line from A to B rather than a convoluted maze with plenty of detours to uncover your prospect’s pain points. Pre-call planning helps you tailor your sales pitch to the prospect’s unique needs and gives you the opportunity to come up with answers to potential questions and rehearse how to handle potential objections.

This blog will provide a detailed overview of what the pre-call planning process entails, tried-and-true tips, a handy pre-call planning template, and more.

Here’s what we will cover:

• What is Pre-Call Planning?
• The Benefits of Pre-Call Planning
• Steps to Create an Effective Pre-Call Plan
• Tips for Pre-Call Planning
• Pre-Call Planning Template
• Examples of Pre-Call Planning
• How Yesware Empowers Your Pre-Call Planning Process
• Pick Up the Phone with Confidence

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What is Pre-Call Planning?

Pre-call planning is a strategic process that helps you prepare in advance for a sales call. Instead of diving into a call with a general sales pitch, pre-call planning enables you to leverage consultative selling, which is one of the most effective sales strategies in B2B sales. 

It is also super effective for building rapport as your preparedness demonstrates to your prospects that your primary goal is to help them address their challenges rather than just meet your quota.

By understanding the prospect’s pain points, setting SMART goals, gathering insights about the prospect’s company, and brainstorming how to handle sales objections, you will be able to conduct the call efficiently.

The Benefits of Pre-Call Planning

What are some of the other benefits of pre-call planning? 

Improved Call Success Rates

Practice shows that the most effective B2B sales calls have these features:

• Make your company stand out from the crowd by offering a unique selling proposition.
• Have a clear reason stated at the very beginning so that the prospect knows right off the bat that the conversation isn’t going to be a waste of time.
• Yield the magic of open-ended questions that allow prospects to feel heard and valued.

It’s quite hard to tick off all these boxes by improvising. By taking time to prepare in advance and practice in a mock call, you can significantly boost the success of your sales calls. 

Pro Tip: Discover more cold-calling tips to hit your quota every quarter. 

Enhanced Confidence and Credibility

If you’re pitching a product or service to a company in an unfamiliar industry, making mistakes in basic terms can scare your prospects away. Getting ready for the conversation in advance by getting a hang of the common terminology will help you come across as more knowledgeable, thus boosting your authority in the eyes of the prospect.

Increased Personalization

When you take the time to learn more about leads during your sales prospecting process, you can identify interesting facts about them, such as their hobbies or recent public appearances, to break the ice at the start of the sales conversation. 

As more and more B2B customers expect a personalized sales process, ensuring that you come across as well-versed in their brand and core values will help you increase the success of your sales calls. 

Better Relationship-Building

When a prospect sees that you’re genuinely invested in helping them solve their core challenges, they are more likely to reciprocate by giving your product or service the lengthy consideration it deserves.

Mutual trust and respect lay the foundation for a long-term customer relationship that has the following benefits:

• The client will be more likely to give your company a second chance in case of any mishaps with the product or service later down the road.
• The client will be more willing to come to you with any questions and concerns, minimizing the risk of churn.

Steps to Create an Effective Pre-Call Plan

1. Research the Prospect and Company

Start by researching both the prospect and their company. Look for insights about their role within the organization, recent company news, and any specific challenges the prospect or their company may face.

Knowing what responsibilities and goals come with the prospect’s position helps you tailor your message to what matters to them. For example, if you are selling a sales prospecting tool, a sales manager might focus on its ease of use and effectiveness, while a CFO may be interested in the tool’s expected ROI.

Familiarize yourself with the company’s mission, values, and recent news. If the company recently launched a new product or secured a major client, find ways to tie this into your conversation.

Use online resources like LinkedIn, press releases, and industry reports to get a sense of the challenges the company faces. Are they struggling with inefficiencies? Seeking to expand? Addressing known issues upfront helps you position your solution effectively.

Here’s a useful pre-call research checklist:

2. Define Call Objectives

Before making a call, set SMART goals. Your objective could vary depending on the stage of the sales cycle, but having a defined purpose ensures your call stays focused and productive.

Here are some examples of objectives you might find helpful:

• Set a Follow-Up Meeting: If this is an introductory call, aim to secure a follow-up.

• Get Buy-In from Stakeholders: If you can only access gatekeepers, you should aim to secure a conversation with decision-makers.
• Close the Sale: In cases where prospects are ready to make a decision, your goal may be to finalize the sale by using one of the effective sales closing phrases.

3. Prepare a List of Questions

One of the best ways to engage a prospect and understand their needs is by asking open-ended questions. Thoughtfully prepared questions not only help you learn more about the prospect but also give them the chance to discuss their goals and challenges, opening up opportunities for you to provide value.

Here are some examples of open-ended questions that work in B2B sales:

When a prospect feels heard, they’re more likely to trust you as a partner rather than just a salesperson.

4. Identify Key Talking Points

The main points of the sales conversation should include features or benefits of your product that align with the prospect’s needs. Keep your talking points concise and relevant, ensuring that you’re not overloading them with information.

Here’s an example of how you could highlight relevant benefits. If the prospect needs better team collaboration, give a case study that proves your tool’s ability to boost collaboration among team members.

5. Anticipate Objections and Plan Responses

Objections are an inevitable part of sales conversations, and being prepared to address them calmly and confidently can keep the call on track. Common objections concern budget, timeframe for implementation, or perceived complexity. Take time before the call to think about how you’ll respond to potential pushbacks.

For example, if budget is an issue, think of a case study that highlights the potential ROI your product offers.

6. Plan Next Steps

A strong conclusion to your call is just as important as the conversation itself. After covering key points and addressing any questions or objections, define clear next steps. This could be scheduling a follow-up meeting, sending a follow-up email with additional resources, or providing a sales proposal.

Having a defined post-call plan reinforces the connection with your prospects and keeps them engaged in the sales process.

Tips for Pre-Call Planning

Use Data to Guide Your Plan

A prospect’s LinkedIn profile provides key insights into their professional background, interests, and current role. Understanding their career path and reading their recent posts can help you position yourself as a valuable resource in their industry and speak to their specific goals and ambitions.

If you are getting ready for a warm sales call, review emails, call notes, and any previous discussions with the prospect. Are there recurring themes, pain points, or questions they’ve asked? Using data from past interactions can help you identify which talking points are likely to hit the mark and which areas to avoid.

Tailor Your Plan to Each Prospect

In sales, a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. Instead of using standard talking points, focus on the product features and benefits that align specifically with the prospect’s pain points. For example, if your research shows that they are focused on improving team efficiency, highlight how your solution enhances collaboration and streamlines workflows.

Stay Flexible

Sales calls are dynamic, and the conversation may take unexpected turns. Being overly attached to a rigid script can make you seem robotic and unresponsive. This also puts you at risk of missing opportunities to connect with the prospect in the moment.

Embrace the flow by listening carefully to the prospect’s responses and adjusting your approach based on what they share. If they mention a new priority or challenge, lean into that and explore how you can help, even if it wasn’t in your initial plan.

Employ your active listening skills by asking open-ended questions and making sure you and your prospect stay on the same page throughout the conversation. 

Take Notes to Update Future Plans

Remember to keep mastering a sales mindset. After each call, take a few minutes to jot down what went well and where there’s room for improvement. This practice helps you continuously improve your approach and understand which sales strategies resonate best with what types of prospects.

Pre-Call Planning Template

By popular demand, here is a pre-call planning template to streamline your efforts:

Feel free to use this pre-call planning template to prepare for your upcoming sales call. Use the blank fields to organize your research about prospective customers and make sure that you remember what your next steps after the call are going to be. 

Having everything jotted down on paper is more reliable than trying to keep everything in your memory because, as we all know it, items on our to-do lists have the tendency to seep through the cracks due to the plenty of distractions.

Examples of Pre-Call Planning

Here are three examples of effective pre-call plans tailored to different types of sales calls: a new prospect introduction, a follow-up after a demo, and a re-engagement with a dormant lead or a cold prospect.

New Prospect Introduction Call

The first call with a new prospect is all about building rapport and understanding their unique needs. Here’s an example of pre-call planning for an introductory call:

Prospect Information

Prospect Name: Sarah Thompson

Title: Marketing Director

Company Details: A growing B2B SaaS company that sells AI marketing software

Previous Interactions: Initial email inquiry about team collaboration tools

Call Objectives

1. Understand the prospect’s specific goals and challenges.
2. Build rapport and establish a relationship by expressing genuine interest in the company’s mission.
3. Identify potential areas where our product can add value.
4. Set a follow-up action, ideally scheduling a demo if the call goes well.

Key Points and Questions

Product Benefits to Highlight: User-friendly and cost-effective collaboration tool with plenty of integration capabilities.

Talking Points:

“I noticed that your company recently expanded its team—how has this impacted your team’s productivity?”

“What are the biggest challenges your team faces with collaboration?”

Anticipated Objections and Responses

Potential Objection: “We’re currently using another collaboration tool.”

Response: “I understand. Many of our clients used similar tools before switching to our solution because of [mention unique features]. I’d love to learn about what’s working for you and where there might be room for enhancement.”

Next Steps

Schedule a demo if interest is shown.

Follow up with a personalized email, summarizing the conversation and sharing relevant case studies.

Pro Tip: Grab our interactive tool below to discover how many cold calls you should aim for on a daily and monthly basis in order to hit your quota.

Interactive Cold Call WorksheetFully customizable worksheet that pinpoints roughly how many cold calls you need to make each day and in total for the month in order to hit your quota.

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Follow-Up Call After a Demo

Following up after a demo is a key moment to address any hesitations, reaffirm value, and move the conversation toward closing the deal. 

Here’s an example of what pre-call planning might look like:

Prospect Information:

Prospect Name: David Lee

Title: Operations Manager

Company Details: Mid-size eCommerce business

Previous Interactions: Completed a demo last week and expressed interest in the reporting tools.

Call Objectives

• Address any specific objections or questions the prospect raised during the demo.
• Gauge the decision-making timeline and level of interest.
• Move toward a closing action if interest is strong.

Key Points and Questions

Product Benefits to Highlight: Real-time reporting, integration with existing systems, and customized analytics.

Talking Points:

“During the demo, you mentioned a need for customized reporting. I’d love to dig deeper into how we can meet that need.”

“Have you had a chance to discuss the demo with any stakeholders? I’d be happy to provide additional details for them.”

“Are there any specific features you’d like more information on?”

“What are the next steps on your end for moving forward?”

Anticipated Objections and Responses

Potential Objection: “The pricing is a bit higher than we planned for.”

Response: “I understand that budget is important. Our pricing reflects the level of support and customization we offer, but we do have flexible options that could work within your budget. Let’s discuss what’s most valuable to your team.”

Next Steps

• If interest is shown, discuss contract details or send a proposal.
• Send a follow-up email with additional materials, such as a case study or a customer testimonial, to reinforce the product’s value.

Re-Engaging a Dormant Lead

Reconnecting with a dormant lead is an opportunity to reignite interest and see if any recent changes have renewed the prospect’s needs.

Here’s an example of a pre-call planning:

Prospect Information

Prospect Name: Lisa Rodriguez

Title: Head of Sales

Company Details: Regional financial services firm

Previous Interactions: Initial conversations six months ago; interest faded after a budgeting issue.

Call Objectives

• Re-establish the connection and check if circumstances or priorities have changed.
• Highlight any new features or updates relevant to the prospect.
• Determine if there is a renewed interest in moving forward.

Key Points and Questions

Product Benefits to Highlight: New automation features and advanced reporting for financial analytics.

Talking Points:

“I wanted to reach out because we’ve recently launched several new features that could align well with what we discussed in the past.”

“Since it’s been a few months, I’d love to hear if there have been any updates to your priorities or goals.”

“Are there any specific challenges your team is facing now that we could help address?”

“If budget is still a concern, would exploring flexible options be helpful?”

Anticipated Objections and Responses

Potential Objection: “We’re not ready to make any changes at the moment.”

Response: “I completely understand. I’d still love to keep you updated and share any insights that could help you when the time is right. Would that be useful?”

Next Steps

• Schedule a follow-up if interest is renewed or send a relevant case study to keep the lead engaged.
• Log any updates in the CRM to ensure continuity in future interactions.

How Yesware Empowers Your Pre-Call Planning Process

If you are looking for a sales engagement platform that can boost your sales process, consider Yesware. 

Track Prospect Engagement and Interaction History

One of the biggest challenges in pre-call planning is understanding what captures a prospect’s interest. Yesware’s email tracking features allow you to see how prospects have engaged with your emails. 

Specifically, Yesware tracks email opens, clicks, and attachment views, giving you a real-time understanding of how prospects interact with your content.

Have they downloaded the attachments you sent? What slides of a presentation did they view? These insights allow you to prepare for calls based on actual engagement, rather than assumptions.

Access Email Templates and Personalization Tools

Yesware’s customizable email templates help you stay efficient while maintaining a personal touch. These templates are ideal for follow-up emails, summarizing call outcomes, or sending relevant content, such as case studies, to keep prospects engaged.

Use Meeting Scheduling and Follow-Up Reminders

Keeping the sales momentum going often hinges on the ease of scheduling the next steps. Yesware’s built-in Meeting Scheduler simplifies this process, allowing you to book follow-up meetings with one-click calendar links that make it easy for your prospect to schedule a time that works for them.

Yesware also lets you set reminders to follow up with prospects after the call. This feature helps you stay on top of your sales outreach and maintain a consistent engagement rhythm.

Leverage Insights to Anticipate Objections

As discussed above, an effective pre-call plan anticipates potential objections. With Yesware’s attachment tracking, you can get clues about areas of concern or interest based on how a prospect has interacted with your content. 

For example, if a prospect has revisited a proposal document multiple times, they might have budget concerns. If a prospect repeatedly clicks on case studies, this may indicate a need for further proof of value.

Anticipating potential objections allows you to craft thoughtful responses that directly address the prospect’s concerns, making you a more confident and credible resource on the call.

Take Notes and Track Call Outcomes

Documenting your call outcomes is essential for tracking progress, refining your approach, and ensuring you never forget about follow-ups.

Yesware’s integration with Salesforce allows you to log call outcomes and add notes directly from your inbox, ensuring that everything stays organized and easily accessible.

Detailed notes from past calls make future planning easier and more accurate, giving you a comprehensive view of the buyer’s journey.

Pick Up the Phone with Confidence

Pre-call planning isn’t just a step in the sales process—it’s the foundation of a successful sales strategy. By taking the time to research, set goals, and anticipate objections, you can elevate your conversations from ordinary to extraordinary. 

Whether you’re preparing for a first-time introduction, a follow-up after a demo, or re-engaging a dormant lead, a well-thought-out plan ensures you approach every interaction with confidence and clarity.

Yesware is here to empower your sales process with tools that streamline pre-call preparation, from tracking engagement to personalizing outreach and managing follow-ups. With Yesware, you can focus less on the logistics and more on building meaningful connections with your prospects.

Take the guesswork out of your sales calls—prepare like a pro, close deals faster, and turn prospects into loyal clients. Ready to see the difference? Pick up the phone with confidence, and let Yesware handle the rest. Sign up to try Yesware for free today!