Sales managers, you are the behind-the-scenes drivers of success in every sales call your team makes. While your reps are the faces on the field, you’re the strategist calling the plays. And the difference between a deal that fizzles out and one that closes with a win often comes down to one crucial step—call preparation.
Now, let me be clear. Call prep isn’t just going over a checklist. It’s not just making sure everyone’s wearing a clean shirt and has their talking points. It’s about strategy. It’s about mindset. And it’s about giving your team the confidence to walk in that door and own the room. Let’s break down why call preparation is a sales manager’s ultimate tool for success and what that really looks like.
Why Call Preparation Matters
Imagine this: your rep is heading into a high-stakes call with a big potential client. They know the basics about the client, they have their script memorized, and they’re ready to make the pitch. But as the meeting unfolds, they’re blindsided by a competitor’s advantage, caught off-guard by a budget concern, or struggle to get a read on the decision-maker in the room. A win slips away because they weren’t prepared for the unexpected. That’s where you, as the sales manager, come in.
Call preparation is your chance to sharpen your reps’ instincts, prep them for every angle, and ultimately give them the tools to make the call a win. Think of it like sending a sports team onto the field with not just the playbook, but the strategy for every possible move the other team might make. They’re not just equipped—they’re empowered.
Step 1: Setting Goals for the Call
The first question you need to ask your rep is simple: What’s the goal for this call? Surprisingly, a lot of reps might have a vague answer, something like “to make the sale” or “to pitch the product.” But that’s not enough. Your job is to drill down and get specific.
For example, if they’re speaking to a new lead, the goal might be to build rapport and gauge interest rather than pushing a hard sale. If it’s a follow-up call, the goal could be to overcome a specific objection the client raised last time. The clearer the goal, the more focused and effective the rep can be in guiding the conversation.
And let’s not stop there. You can add even more value by asking for a secondary objective—something that’s still valuable if the primary goal isn’t met. This could be getting a commitment for a next step or collecting feedback on the product. With these dual objectives, your rep goes into the meeting with not just a target, but a backup that still pushes the deal forward.
Step 2: Knowing the Key Players
Another game-changer in call prep is understanding who’s in the room. You’d be surprised how often reps don’t have a clear read on the personalities they’re meeting with. A call with a budget-focused CFO looks very different from a call with an innovation-focused CTO. So, sit down with your rep and ask, Who are we talking to? What’s their role, their personality, their priorities?
To illustrate this, let me share a quick story. One of my reps was preparing for a meeting with a client who had been particularly hesitant. In the prep session, we realized that the main decision-maker was a numbers-driven person who loved data. So, we tailored our pitch to lead with stats, case studies, and ROI metrics. When the meeting came, the client lit up, engaged with the data, and asked to move forward. The point? Knowing the personality in the room lets you customize the call to the decision-maker’s style—and that makes all the difference.
Step 3: Identifying Potential Objections (and Preparing for Them)
A good sales manager is always thinking a few moves ahead. Objections aren’t just challenges; they’re opportunities to prove your value. But you have to be prepared. Ask your rep: What objections do you expect? How will you address them?
Maybe the client is worried about price, or they’ve heard a competitor’s solution offers something extra. Get your rep to outline these possible concerns and come up with responses for each one. Even better, role-play it with them. If they’re shaky during prep, they’ll be shaky in the meeting, so this is your chance to help them lock down responses they can confidently deliver.
For instance, let’s say you know the client is concerned about implementation time. Instead of waiting for the objection to surface, have your rep proactively address it. They might say, “One question we often get is how quickly we can get you up and running. I want to address that upfront and show you exactly how we make implementation as seamless as possible.” Now, they’re prepared and confident, ready to turn an objection into a trust-building moment.
Step 4: Role-Playing the Toughest Moments
Role-playing is one of the most powerful tools in call preparation, yet it’s also one of the most underused. Reps may be uncomfortable with it at first, but this exercise can make or break the call. When you role-play, you’re giving your rep a test run in a safe space. Here’s what I recommend:
- Play the Customer: Put yourself in the shoes of the client. Throw out tough questions, challenge their assumptions, and test their pitch. If your rep stumbles, stop, reset, and try again. Keep going until they nail it.
- Simulate Real Scenarios: If there’s a particularly challenging client or a unique situation, recreate it. The more realistic the role-play, the more prepared your rep will feel.
- Encourage Adaptability: The goal isn’t just to get reps comfortable with a single pitch. It’s to help them think on their feet. Throw in unexpected questions, challenge them to respond in new ways, and teach them to adapt to whatever comes their way.
Step 5: Planning the Follow-Up
Preparation doesn’t end when the call does. The follow-up is a critical part of the process, and as a sales manager, you need to ensure that your rep has a clear plan in place. After every call, debrief with your rep. Ask, What went well? What could have gone better? What are the next steps?
Even better, have them draft the follow-up email right after the call while everything is still fresh. Go over it together to make sure it’s impactful and reinforces the points made in the meeting. This might sound small, but a strong follow-up can be the difference between a deal that closes and one that fades away.
Preparation Is Power
Call preparation isn’t about micromanaging or overloading your reps with information. It’s about building their confidence, helping them anticipate the unexpected, and giving them the tools to navigate every curveball a client throws at them. As a sales manager, you have the power to take each call from “good” to “great” just by setting up the right prep.
So here’s my challenge to you: make call preparation a priority. Block time on your calendar to sit down with each rep, go through these steps, and drill down on the details. The more you invest in call prep, the more you’ll see your reps not just surviving sales calls, but dominating them. And that’s the mark of a great sales manager—one who doesn’t just lead but empowers their team to win, every single time.
