Here is a very simple call sheet, which you can reproduce on a single sheet of paper and use to track the effectiveness of your outbound prospecting efforts. Using this form let’s you see at a glance whether you’re hitting your daily goals. I know new business people who track their calls this way, whether or not they have a CRM system.
Attempts Voice Mails Conversations Meetings SetMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Total
Use this as follows:
- Set weekly goals for yourself: number of attempts (dials) and conversations.
- Record each call with a hash-mark. If you leave a voicemail or have a conversation, check that in addition to your attempt.
- Daily: don’t leave until you hit your daily goals.
- Weekly & Monthly: calculate the following ratios:
- Attempts / Goal
- Conversations / Goal
- Voicemails / Attempts
- Conversations / Attempt
- Total Attempts / Total Goal
- Total Conversations / Total Goal
- Meetings / Conversations
- Interpret your results:
- Attempts and Conversations / Goal: what % of goal are you achieving? How does this change over time?
- Voicemails/Attempts: what % of the time do you leave a voicemail? If your rate is greater than 25%, you are leaving too many.
- Conversations / Attempt: how often do you get your prospect on the phone? If you’re great the phone and leave terrific voicemails your “connect rate” will go up. If you’re in the single digits you need to work on your technique.
- Total Attempts /Goal: are you achieving what you set out to do during the week/month? If so, great! If not, what are you going to do differently next month to catch up?
- Total Conversations / Goal: This is all about technique – improve your telephone skills and your number of conversations will go up.
- Meetings / Conversations: what % of your conversations result in meetings set? The higher your rate, the fewer calls you’re going to need to make.
Your metrics (in this case totals and ratios) are essential to building your sales funnel. You’ll find that the more metrics you track, the better able you’ll be to forecast your new business pipeline.
