A Networking Call and a Sales Call Are Not the Same Thing

Photo Credit: Syda Productions

Networking Calls and Sales Calls

On any given day, I meet several different business owners. Some of them are through connections that they initiate through Instagram, LinkedIn, or Alignable or at some event.

Regardless, of where I meet business owners, there is a reaction that I can get from any of them. It does not matter their age, gender identification, type of business, ethnicity, or their age of business. 

I am talking about the reaction that I get when I invite them to participate in a networking call with me. The reaction involves them immediately saying, “No, I don’t want your services.”

Ouch, right?

I will be honest the first few times that this happened to me, I got offended. But then I tried something like the fourth or fifth time I was told that, and a funny thing happened.

So I tried something different after receiving a connection request from a business owner on the Alignable networking social media site. I accepted a connection request, offered the opportunity to have a networking call together, then received the response of “No, I don’t want your services.”

Here’s the different thing that I did next. I reminded that person that I asked if they were interested in having a networking call, not a sales call. Then I explained the purpose of a networking call. To be honest, I was not expecting to receive a response after that.

Interestingly enough, that business owner did respond and thanked me for providing the explanation of the difference then scheduled a virtual networking call with me. I was doing a happy dance. 

When that business owner and I had our call, we talked more about the difference between the two types of calls. That business owner shared with me that their initial reason for saying no to meeting with me was because they kept being bombarded by people who wanted to sell them things. That business owner was happy that our call was not a sales call! 

We went on to have a productive networking call. We identified similarities in our target audiences.

Since that experience went well, I used the same strategy again the next time I received a no in response to an invitation for a networking call. It again had a successful outcome. I used it again up to today.

So, this brings me to the topic for today, what is the difference between a networking call and a sales call?

Difference Between a Networking Call/Meeting and A Sales Call/Meeting

As I mentioned in the beginning, there are several calls and meetings that we participate in as a business owner. But each call and meeting are not the same because they have different purposes. This is something that we need to know.

Networking calls and a sales calls are among the two most popular calls that we do as business owners. Knowing the difference between the purpose of those two different calls will help you with growing your business.

What is a networking call?

A networking call is a call where professionals connect to receive useful information about potential opportunities. These calls are typically one-on-one and you both share in depth about what your businesses are about, why you started your business, who is your target audience, and what your are looking for in a referral partner.

The opportunities shared in such calls can include learning about relevant trainings or being connected to other professionals that can lead to partnerships.

What is a sales call?

A sales call is a conversation between a sales representative and potential client/customer. If you are the only employee in your business, there are times when you are the sales representative.

As the sale representative, your role in the call is to inform the potential client/customer about your products or services with the aim of overcoming objections and closing the sale before ending the call. There are times when we have sales calls and we don’t close the sale in that call, but in the follow-up sales call we successfully close the sale.

There are different kinds of sales calls, so you need to know which kind you are making before the potential client/customer answers the phone call.

For both networking calls and sales calls, you must prepare to ensure that you will reach your outcome for that call. Do some research on the person that you are meeting with. Visit their website and their social media pages. Make a list of your questions.

I know that I don’t like being invited to a networking call then being presented with a slide deck for a sales presentation! That does not go well with me and I have stopped people to remind them of the purpose of the call. A networking call should be a networking call and a sales call should be a sales call!

So, the next time someone invites you to participate in a networking call, now you know what to expect to have happen in that call.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article.

Regards,

Dr. Priscilla "Dr. P" Kucer

Solutions+Actions=Results! (SoAR!)