On average, the typical salesperson makes approximately 52 sales calls a day. But how many of those phone calls actually result in conversations? And how many of those conversations lead to progress in the sales process?
Data suggests that the average call-to-conversation conversion rate is 9%. And then only 23% of those conversations lead to appointments. As the sales process goes on, the percentage of clients that proceed gets higher, but only because the pool of prospects that are still invested gets smaller.
You can’t expect every conversation to turn into a sale. However, simple probability indicates that the more connections you make on your call list, the more you’re going to sell. And the probability isn’t all that’s on your side. Research shows that direct dial numbers that allow you to reach the right decision makers instantly makes you not only more likely to connect, but more productive and profitable overall.
If you’re not already using direct dial, check out the data. You may find that direct dial numbers are not just an advantage, but a necessity to get ahead and stay ahead:
More Likely to Connect
Direct dial immediately improves your connect rate, which is the average number of calls a rep has to make just to get a prospect on the phone. The average connect rate is eighteen calls to one connection, but decreasing that even just to seventeen results in over 1,000 more conversations per year. And more conversations will inevitably lead to more sales.
Additionally, direct dial increases the odds that you will connect to prospects quickly in the first place, rather than bounce from one switchboard to another and back again. VorsightBP determined that it takes 22 minutes to connect using switchboard numbers, but just five minutes to connect with direct dial numbers.
Add that to the time it takes just to dial, and direct dial numbers end up saving you hours worth of time. A research study from FunnelClarity showed that it takes 80 seconds to dial using a switchboard, and 20 dials per prospect to finally connect. That adds up to 26 minutes spent on dialing alone.
That’s already 48 minutes to make one connection before you’ve even begun the sales conversation, not to mention any time you may spend leaving voicemails. Direct dial numbers only take 45 seconds to dial, and average 12 dials per prospect to make a connection, so you can spend less time dialing and more time actually selling.
Ultimately, studies show that an SDR is 46% more likely to connect using direct dial. At the VP level, that increases to a whopping 147% more likely to connect. Consequently, it also increases your chances of making more sales in the long run.
More Likely to Be Productive
Direct dial not only makes connections faster, but it also increases productivity so that you can come down from the phone tree to focus on nurturing leads. You’ll spend less time searching for relevant contact information by reaching decision makers directly and in less time.
This higher connect rate combined with lower research time reduces the time to acquire a lead by 85%. You’re not spending hours combing through LinkedIn trying to find the direct line. You’re also using less time to relay messages to gatekeepers or going to great lengths to bypass them. Instead, you save time that you can use to nurture your leads and build great rapport with your customers.
More Likely to Profit
An easier time locating and contacting leads means that you’re also spending less money going after those leads. When you use direct dial numbers, you reduce your cost of lead acquisition by 150%, because you’re not constantly shelling out money for newer, more accurate data.
Meanwhile, you’re increasing your sales funnel 10 X over by making more connections and making them quickly, putting in more sales each month and meeting or exceeding quotas. The overall sales expenditure is reduced by 20%, so direct dial puts your company in a position to run a significant profit.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
When you use direct dial numbers, the odds are definitely in your favor. You’re increasing your chances of making more connections, and then increasing your overall number of connections by minimizing the hoops you would otherwise be jumping through to get to a decision maker.
You’re saving time and money so that you can concern yourself with not just racking up leads, but ensuring the quality of those leads and your interactions with them.
While you’re busy making more connections and moving along more sales, your company is saving money by reaching prospects directly instead of grasping at data, hoping you find the right number.
If you want to get a taste of it, download our free Chrome extension that you can use to get the direct dials of your prospects by simply visiting their LinkedIn profile or simply their corporate website.
