2021's Most Effective Outbound Sales Technique for International Teams

As the world gets smaller, companies recognize the need to adopt global sales & marketing strategies. Expanding your sales team internationally comes with challenges, including how you get prospects in new markets and geographic regions to answer your calls. Today we're looking at the data behind the most effective outbound calling strategy for global sales teams.

global sales strategy outbound calling

The New Normal of Sales Interactions

The year is 2021 and the world is getting smaller. As we recently discussed in the the benefits of SIP trunking, 2020 saw sales and support teams around the world adopt virtual communications at record rates. 2020 is over but the direction of that trend hasn't changed, and consumer expectations for their business interactions are evolving just as fast. Based on customer service data from contact centers around the world, we know that consumer use of digital channels to contact a company is increasing and that customers with just one poor sales or service experience are willing to forgo a brand. 

There's a bright side to this story for sales leaders. As the global economy rebounds back from uncertain times, many sales teams have found innovative ways to succeed by expanding their outbound calling efforts internationally. Global sales strategies still deliver massive ROI, although more companies adopting unified communications means competition is only growing. Expanding your sales and revenue generating efforts to a global marketplace is the new standard for large companies, and a game changing advantage for small and emerging businesses that adopt of cloud communications in their international calling campaigns.

Outbound Sales Techniques Must Evolve to Stay Relevant

Customer expectations for sales and support interactions is evolving with the new normal of virtual communications in business. A recent review of our global network trends revealed some interesting statistics sales leaders should be aware of:

  • Decline in consumer trust due to fraud. 40% of the billions of robocalls made each month are fraudulent. Consumers are suspicious of incoming calls, rarely answering calls from unfamiliar area codes.  
  • Customer visibility is at all time high. 80% of customers say experiences provided by a company are as important to them as its product. 
  • Customers answer their phones less often. 3/4 calls are unanswered due to unfamiliar area codes. Calls are even less likely to be answered when displaying an international caller ID. 
  • Despite lower contact rates, phone calls are still king. While use of multiple digital channels is on the rise, the phone is still king for sales teams: Phone calls are 10x more likely to lead to sales than email. 
  • Modern communication solutions must enable remote workforces. 76% of support functions are now fully remote, with remote sales roles on the rise. Small businesses and large corporations alike implement cloud-based solutions so they can easily manage their phone numbers, agents, and call flows from anywhere in the world.
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Advantages of a Well-Designed Global Sales Strategy

While the challenges can seem daunting, the benefits of expanding your outbound sales team into new geographic markets are worth the squeeze for most technology companies, regardless of their size. 

1. Expand Sales Targets to International Markets

Don't be bound by geography. Modern businesses sell anywhere and anytime with solutions with AVOXI; All you need is a wifi connection and a computer. Expanding your sales efforts international benefits your existing sales channels as well, as consumers are more likely to trust companies that have the processes in place to serve a global customer base. 

2. Access Customers & Talent in New Geographies

Selling internationally isn't just good for driving revenue in new markets, it's an opportunity to access a global talent pool! Localizing your international sales efforts with an in-country team is a great strategy when expanding your efforts, especially when it comes to outbound sales. As revenue generated in new markets increases, you have more opportunity to invest your local teams and areas outside of your communications system.

3. Stabilize Revenue with Agile Communications

Tired of bracing for seasonal shifts in business activity, especially during slow seasons and holidays? At AVOXI, we don't believe in seasonality! Or more specifically, we don't accept seasonality as a reason for downturns in business, thanks to our international sales and marketing strategy. When things slow down during holidays in one market, there is always another full of prospects ready to do business.

4. Modernize at Your Own Pace with Improved Technology

As companies worldwide adopt cloud-based communications, solutions like AVOXI continue to improve our tech stack and product offering, making it easier than ever for organizations to modernize their communications. Our global communications platform allows companies to provision phone numbers from 170+ countries in minutes, manage remote agents from anywhere, self-configure call routing rules anytime, and so much more. 

Challenges of Global Sales & Marketing Strategies

Considering the powerful benefits of international sales strategies, why doesn't everyone start dialing international prospects tomorrow? As it turns out, international communications gets tricky in a hurry! The challenges of expanding your sales efforts into new geographic markets include: 

  • Cost to the customer to reach you. In many countries, the cost to call your company may be expensive for locals depending on your number type. For example, callers in the UAE are more likely to call a toll free or local number than they are a shared-cost 600 number. 
  • Differences in preferred number types between countries. While you want to set up a number in each region you expand to, you also need to ensure you're choosing a popular number type. For example, a toll free service number is a great idea for most countries, but these numbers can be problematic for connecting to callers in China.
  • High rates of fraud make it harder to get on the phone. Have we mentioned that consumers are less likely to answer unfamiliar area codes? This is where TrueLocal™ comes in! In every country we serve, we see significantly better answer rates when using a local area code during outbound calls. 
  • Complicated, country-specific regulatory requirements. Every region has a different regulatory body (sometimes multiple), and getting approval to receive or make calls to in-country prospects is a process that may take months in certain countries. Usually run by government, slow process to get connected, success often depends on who you reach that day. 

The Outbound Sales Team's Secret Technique: Local Caller ID

Our data show that customers in every country are more likely to answer calls from local numbers (i.e. localized caller ID). Creating a local presence for your business using 2-way local numbers provides your customers with a phone number they are more likely to answer and return calls to. 

How Global Sales Teams Reach More Prospects (Without Making More Calls)

At AVOXI, we work hard every day creating ways for companies to connect with their customers no matter where they do business. When it comes to driving more sales conversations for international sales teams, nothing beats the ease and effectiveness of TrueLocal™. TrueLocal is a 2-way voice product, allowing you to use one number to make and receive calls from a target country. More importantly, when you make calls to that country, your TrueLocal number will display as the caller ID instead of "unknown" or "international" caller ID tags (or worse, a random phone number from a country your call was routed between).

"The beauty of two-way local voice is that this technology is scalable for all business types. VoIP communication platforms have reliable tools that are easy to use, providing users a level playing field whether you're a business of 50 or 1,000 employees."
- Barbara Dondiego, AVOXI COO

Give Your Sales Team an Edge in New Markets

Interested in expanding your sales and marketing strategies into new markets? AVOXI is the cloud-communication solution of choice for global companies and international teams. Talk to us today to find out what we can do to set up your sales and service teams for international success. 

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Katharine Kellar

Katharine Kellar

 ( Director of Marketing Communications )

Katharine is the Director of Marketing Communications at AVOXI, bringing over 17 years of experience in nurturing B2B, e-commerce, SaaS, and global brands. Fueled by her relentless drive for growth and an unwavering optimism, she finds joy in every day's silver linings. Outside of her professional achievements, Katharine is a coffee aficionado, savoring the aroma and taste of a freshly brewed cup as she crafts compelling narratives that resonate across diverse markets.