Hello there, I’m Doug Lessells. Welcome to the Sell Smarter podcast from SalesFuel! We’re taking your sales to the next level every month with our top tips and winning strategies so you can re-​energize and engage in just three short minutes.

How much pre-​call research should sales reps do? David Brock from Partners in Excellence believes, “the amount varies based on whom you’re calling, how you create the best first impression, and how you maximize your impact.”

• Identifying Whom to Call — Don’t call just anyone. At the bare minimum, carefully narrow leads to include only those who fit best with your offerings. By properly choosing prospects, you will at least know the ones you’ll be calling truly need what you’re offering.
• Dig Deeper - You can make a bigger impact by doing a bit of basic investigating. Scanning a LinkedIn profile or company press releases can provide a surprising amount of knowledge for calls that require a bit more prep.
• Who Requires More Research? - Typically, calls to high-​level executives or a “dream” prospect require more preparation, like the discovery intelligence provided by SalesFuel. That way, according to Brock, you can maximize your impact and feel confident that you can hold up your end of the conversation.

Should you be calling your prospect or would an email work better? HubSpot’s Jeff Hoffman recommends asking these questions to find out: 

• Whom are You Trying to Reach/​What is Their Job Title? — Is the prospect a millennial? It’s no secret that this generation thrives in the digital world, so try reaching them via email first. It’s generally the opposite with older generations. Also, take job titles into consideration. A Director of Communications is more likely than the Head of IT to want to chat on the phone. 
• When are You Trying to Reach Them? — After 3:00 p.m., Hoffman recommends making calls, especially on Thursdays and Fridays. Emails can be sent throughout the day, but should correspond with when meetings begin or let out. This is usually on the hour. The prospect will likely check their email while waiting for the meeting to start or when heading back to their office afterward. As a result, Hoffman says, send your emails 10 minutes before or after the top of each hour. 

That’s it for this edition of the Sell Smarter podcast. Remember, you can always get more great insights every day at SalesFuel​.com and the SalesFuel mobile app.