6 features to incorporate into your initial calls

An initial call is the telephone conversation or video call that is made for the purpose of establishing a first impression, introducing yourself and making a brief presentation of the product or service offered. You know, this is the time to make a good impression, to delight your prospects. It is the first verbal interaction between a salesperson and a prospect and is intended to obtain a meeting or an opportunity to further discuss the product or service. The initial call is a key part of the sales process and is used to identify the prospect's needs and objectives and to establish a relationship.

6 characteristics of an effective initial call include:

Presentation of company and HubSpot touch points.

Introducing the company and HubSpot points of contact is an important aspect of an effective initial call. During this introduction, ensure that the customer knows the key people at the company and HubSpot that they will be communicating with throughout the relationship. This includes introducing the customer to their HubSpot consulting point of contact, who will act as their account manager. In addition, also introduce the company team that will be working with the customer in the process of onboarding HubSpot and launching campaigns. Knowing the key points of contact will help the customer know who to contact with questions or issues.

Listen to the customer and get an overview of their team and goals.

Listening to the customer is an important part of an effective initial call. During this stage, the customer should be given the opportunity to talk about their team, their roles and how they will be involved in the onboarding process at HubSpot. This allows the salesperson to get to know the customer better and understand how their team works and what their needs are. In addition, by getting to know their team, more effective and collaborative communication can be established.

Getting an overview of the customer's objectives is another important aspect of listening to the customer. By knowing the customer's objectives, an appropriate action plan and timeline can be established to achieve them. It is also important to ensure that the customer's objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound, i.e. SMART objectives.

Define a clear and SMART objective together with the client.

Defining a clear and SMART objective together with the client is an important step in an effective kick-off call. A clear objective is essential to establish a plan of action and an appropriate timeline to achieve it. It is important to ask the client why they hired you, what they expect from your team and what results they expect to achieve in 6 to 12 months. With this information, goals can be set in areas such as traffic, contacts and customers, and represent this growth with figures or percentages.

In addition to setting clear goals, it is important to ensure that these goals are SMART. This means that they should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and have a timeframe for achieving them. This will help ensure that the goals set are realistic and that results can be measured effectively.

Ensure sufficient services are included to achieve the objectives through a retention agreement.

Ensuring sufficient services included to achieve the objectives is essential to guarantee the success of the project and the long-term relationship with the client. A retention agreement is a legal document that sets out the services to be provided to the client and the terms of the relationship between the client and the company.

To ensure sufficient services are included to achieve the objectives, the requirements of the retainer agreements should be reviewed and should include the initial portal setup, an agreement duration of at least three months and sufficient service hours to meet the objective. On average, at least 10 hours per week should be completed.

In the case of HubSpot, partners must have a signed agreement with their customers before committing to a one-year subscription. If a retention agreement is not signed or these criteria are not met, the customer must purchase direct onboarding from HubSpot. With the direct onboarding service, customers have access to an implementation specialist and a customer success manager who ensure successful onboarding to HubSpot's software, as well as provide training on the tools.

Describe the onboarding timeline and key steps.

Outlining the onboarding timeline and key steps is an important step in an effective kick-off call, as it helps to set the customer's expectations and ensure that goals are met within a given timeframe.

The onboarding timeline should include the key steps in the process, such as setting up the initial portal, training the client's team, implementing the tools and setting up the campaigns. It should be specific, realistic and have a timeline for achieving each stage. It is important to ensure that the client understands the timeline and is comfortable with the deadlines set.

In addition to describing the onboarding timeline, it is important to describe the key steps in the process, such as who is responsible for each task, deadlines, resources required and success indicators. This will help the client to better understand the process and set realistic goals.

Ensure successful implementation with the help of an implementation specialist and a customer success manager.

An implementation specialist is an expert in the software or platform being implemented and can help the customer configure and customise the system to suit their needs. They can also provide training to the customer's team to ensure they know how to use the software effectively.

A customer success manager, also known as a Customer Success Manager (CSM), is responsible for ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the software and is getting the maximum benefit from it. The CSM is the customer's main point of contact and is in charge of monitoring the progress of the project, providing technical support and helping the customer achieve its goals.

Together, the implementation specialist and the customer success manager can ensure that the project is implemented correctly and that the customer is completely satisfied with the outcome. This will help ensure the success of the project and the long-term relationship with the customer.

By following these points during an effective kick-off call, you will establish a solid foundation for continuing the client on-boarding process. By meeting these characteristics, you will set the right expectations and ensure that the client has access to the resources needed to achieve their goals. This will help ensure the success of the project and the long-term relationship with the client.