How To Effectively Time Your Prospecting Calls by InsideView

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How To Effectively Time Your Prospecting Calls
by InsideView

call time!Call prospecting is an art. To be effective, we need to be calculative and strategical ? especially since we are not physically engaging with prospects. One of the main concerns for call prospecting is timing. How should we time our calls? When is the best time to contact our prospects? Which time of the day is prospect conversion easiest?

Curiosity over the best time for call prospecting comes from our assumption that a normal working person?s day is usually divided into three main parts:

Peak Working:
These are the morning hours when you are considered to be most boisterous and enthusiastic about your work. Your efficiency is at its peak during these hours.

Off Peak Working:
These are the afternoon and evening hours when you?ll feel tired yet still have work to do. You keep glancing at your watch wondering why time is moving so slowly and when the day is going to end.

Resting:
This is your favorite part of the day. You switch off the office phone, retreat from work and rest. This is the time you prefer not to be disturbed by any work-related issues.

Your prospecting calls can be effectively distributed through all three parts of the day. Each prospect is different and they therefore respond differently depending on the time and day they receive your calls. Prospects in industrial companies, for example, usually begin working before their counterparts in other companies. They should therefore be among the first people you contact.

The most productive call prospecting times are the morning hours. Most people are usually most receptive and energetic in the morning. This category of prospects will therefore listen and understand you better during the a.m.  In some companies, however, the morning hours are so busy that the prospects don?t have time to respond to your calls. Such prospects are more responsive during the Off-Peak Working hours.

You may be tempted to act differently from other prospectors who may be contacting them and focus your calls during the resting hours. In most instances, your call will be directed to what we all hate most: voicemail. Keep in mind that leaving a voicemail will only be effective with a limited number of prospects. How do you know which prospects those are?

To implement the most effective strategy in timing your prospecting calls, begin with a background check. Determine their work schedules - the times they are most busy and the times they can spare a few minutes to listen to your call.

But most importantly, don?t limit yourself to only certain times for your prospecting calls. Call prospectors who work round the clock without paying specific attention to the time are generally more productive than those who only call at specific times of the day. Your success isn?t based entirely on your timing; it is more influence by the number of calls you make. Although you may have rejections due to bad timing, constant calling will you win you many prospects in the end.