Looking for some best practices to increase your sales? Direct dialing could be a perfect one!
But how do you find the prospects’ phone numbers for calling?
In this article, I will tell you about direct dialling, the importance of adding more phone numbers to your contact list, all the right methods you can use to achieve this goal, and more!
Keep reading to uncover amazing tips and tricks that’ll help your outreach efforts.
What Is Direct Dialling?
Direct dialling is an outreach method that allows businesses to contact prospects without having to go through gatekeepers. In simple terms, you call potential customers quickly and personally, just like you would call a friend who’s on your contact list.
This method can be beneficial for businesses that want to establish a closer relationship with their customers, but it’s not without challenges like privacy issues. The good thing, however, is that there are always right ways of doing something even if it seems wrong, so stick around for that.
Why Does Direct Dialing Matter in Marketing?
Using direct dial numbers is a good idea for any marketing campaign since it makes your outreach more impactful. As long as you have verified the phone numbers in your contact list using validation tools like Trestle’s phone lookup api to ensure you are contacting the right targets, you will enjoy the following benefits:
Better response rates since you aren’t going through screening processes, and you’re calling high-value prospects.
More personalised communication, that allows you to build lasting connections founded on trust.
More enjoyable sales processes with a reduced contact-to-close time.
Increased resource efficiency since you will bypass automated systems and save precious call times.
What Are the Legal Considerations of Finding Phone Numbers?
We mentioned earlier that direct dialling is beneficial to businesses but that it comes with a set of challenges.
Here are the generally accepted best practices for finding prospect numbers:
- Obtain consent before contacting recipients directly
- Respect the ‘Do Not Call’ registry where applicable
- Maintain accurate records of how and where you acquired each number in your contact list
- Get contact data only from sources that comply with local and international laws
What Are the Ideal Ways to Find a Prospect’s Phone Number?
Once you are ready to start looking for potential customers’ phone numbers, here are the tips you should use:
1. Utilise Online Business Directories
Business directories are, more than often, a great source for valuable business contacts. You simply have to search online for business directories like Yellow Pages, then pull up information about the company your prospects work for. The results may show not only the business’s phone number but several potential direct dials.
2. Leverage Social Media Platforms
Social media is great for networking, but it can also be a useful investigative tool. It’s common for professionals to link their contact information on platforms like LinkedIn and others. You can find such information from a simple scroll through a target customer’s bio section.
If you don’t find the information there, you can try to explore posts that have business cards or personal contact details attached to them.
3. Don’t Forget Your Existing Network
One of the most overlooked contact information resources is your existing contact list. Even as you try online tools and other sources of contact information, you should first check if you have any mutual connections with the target prospect.
LinkedIn can be quite useful for this. After finding a mutual connection, you can ask them for a proper introduction, or the prospect’s phone number. The advantage of this method is that it leverages the trust you already have in your network, so getting a prospect’s number is highly likely.
4. Explore Company Websites
Another great source of personal contact information is a company’s website. As long as you know the companies your target customers work for, you can try your luck by checking the “About Us” and “Team” sections of the company’s site. Those pages will often include information that introduces the company’s employees to the general public. Check the profile of the employee you’re interested in, and you might be lucky to find their contact information listed.
5. Try Lead Generation Tools
If your business can handle a large volume of contacts, you can try lead generation software and see if that gives you the results you are looking for. These tools extract phone numbers and other contact information from social media and other sources.
Always verify the accuracy of the data when using this method since it’s not unusual for automated tools to present incorrect or outdated information. Phone verification APIs are a great asset to have in such a case.
6. Simple Google Search
This one may not work at all times, but it never hurts to try. You just have to input the prospect’s name along with their job title and the name of the company they work for. Your search may return results that can lead you to a page containing their contact information – quick and cost-effective!
Outreach Tips (Once You’ve Gotten the Phone Number)
After finding a prospect’s phone number successfully, your next steps will be crucial to getting the expected response. Use the following tips before making that first call:
- Research your prospects carefully and understand their background.
- Take your time to identify the pain points.
- Check out any previous interactions they may have had with your company since that will help you customise your message.
- Review their social media profiles and have a look at their interactions with your mutual connections as those may serve as a conversation starter.
Once you’re ready, make your first impression count with the following tips:
- Always start with a greeting and then introduce yourself and your company.
- Explain briefly but transparently how you found their contact information.
- Communicate the purpose of your call as briefly as you can.
- State how you aim to solve their problem in a way that will benefit them.
Summing Everything Up
Finding your prospects’ phone numbers can be a daunting but highly rewarding task if you do it correctly. Even as you look to enrich your contact list, always bear in mind that you should have a priority for professionalism and great respect for privacy.
When you find a phone number that you’ve been looking for, take enough time to prepare adequately before calling and make sure your opening statement is as compelling as it can be. As long as you’re addressing a real pain point, it should only be a matter of time before the prospect shows interest.
