Indeed there is a simple feature that has the potential of increasing your answering rate for outbound calls by 400%. That feature is a Local Presence which normally is a part of advanced phone systems focused on Sales Teams.

What Exactly Is Local Presence?

Local presence refers to a system that enables inside sales reps to automatically dial prospects using local codes. How cool is that? But wait, there is more.

According to market research by Software advice it was found out that local presence dialers can lift call connection rates by over 400% as many prospects were more likely to answer unknown calls from local numbers as opposed to those with toll-free or long phone numbers.

 

How Do Local Presence Dialers Work?

Here’s the thing. Local presence dialers must be connected to some sort of sales dialer or company’s VoIP business phone system.

The way it works is that a business gets a batch of phone numbers with area codes from different states. These numbers are then fed into the presence dialer which is then able to determine which geo-location the numbers come from.

It then ensures that the number appearing on the prospects caller ID comes from the same area code as the prospect.

I Get How They Work. But Why Are They So Popular With Sales Reps?

Inside sales guys love them because unlike other traditional phone systems, these ones don’t require any manual work from the reps themselves. (Is there anyone who likes manual work?)

The rep simply turns the local presence feature on and dials the prospects normally and instead of the prospects seeing the rep’s correct number, they instead see a local number in their caller ID. What this does is that it increases the chances of more prospects picking up their phones.

 

Let me illustrate this concept here.

You would be located somewhere in Texas next to the Mexican border – how is the wall coming up?  Or even at the heart of Midwestern America and when you call a prospect, a local number is displayed on your prospect’s incoming call list. That’s pretty cool, you may say.

 

How Effective Is Local Presence? Let’s Talk Numbers.

According to market researcher Software advice, prospects are at least four times more likely to answer calls from local numbers.

 

Another survey taken from a group of 2,310 randomly selected internet users residing within the USA showed that only 7% of them would pick a call from a toll-free or unknown number.

 

But, here’s is the kicker. The figure shoots to 27.5% of the people surveyed if the unknown caller dials from a number with a local area code. Now, that’s something to think about.

 

Below Diagram Represents the State Of Local Presence Dialing

Image credits: Software advice

The possibility that a local presence dialler can provide your inside sales rep with a 4x multiple of converting prospective leads to actual buyers is an attractive proposition for many businesses to install this wonderful feature into their business CRM system.

 

Benefits of local Presence to sales teams

Local presence diallers provide numerous benefits to sales teams and businesses as a whole. I have outlined a couple of benefits that your sales team will get should you decide to install or integrate a local presence with your existing CRM system.

 

• An Increase of Contact Rates

Earlier in our article, we saw that current studies undertaken by Software Advice reported that people were 4x times more likely to answer a phone call originating from a local area code. This gives you an extra edge over your competitors and the more contacts you have, the more chances you get for conversions.

 

• Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting provides metrics which sales rep can use to gain insights into the local areas that they target. What exactly is Geo-targeting?

 

Geo-targeting is an internet marketing strategy that delivers content that is unique to the website visitor’s geo-location. I know it’s pretty awesome.

 

Inside sales teams can use the data information collected through this strategy to further structure and tailor their sales pitch to the prospectus.

 

• No Extra Work Required

Local presence dialling is basically effortless as it doesn’t require any extra manual work. You simply dial and go.

Myths and Misconceptions about Local Presence

Afer reading a couple of sales blogs, one thing you’ll notice is the number of myths and misconceptions there are about the local presence.

In this section, we take a look at some of the myths and misconceptions out there.

 

Myth 1: People Don’t Answer Unknown Numbers

If you’re referring to customers, perhaps there is a bit of truth there. However, that premise doesn’t hold true for business people and this is why. Business people usually pick phone calls with unknown numbers on their business lines. This is because they don’t want to lose the chance that it might be an important business phone call.

 

Myth 2: People Will Immediately Hang Up On You

Sales agents have reported an increase of up to 4x pickup rates when they start using local presence. Cold calling isn’t easy but if you’re offering your prospects something of value, you will definitely get more connections.

 

Myth 3: It Is Dishonest

I recently moved to Socal (310) from San Jose (408) where I had stayed for many years.

Am I dishonest when I call people using my mobile 408 number?

 

Area codes are now days becoming more fluid and many people are choosing to keep their cell phone numbers when they move.

 

Final Thoughts

Building a strong strategy is critical in developing a thriving business and local presence diallers provide that. They provide inside sales teams with a measurable, cost-effective, productive and hassle-free way of boosting their conversion rates, resulting in increased company revenues.

 

Having a local presence feature within your business process is no longer a luxury, but an essential component for inbound sales strategy.