What Is Sales in BPO? Step-by-Step Guide for Starters

Sales in BPO isn’t just a job, it is the gateway for business growth and customer interaction. Think about handling hundreds of conversations with customers every day, each with the potential to make a connection, resolve a problem and ultimately, sell. Based on market research, the global BPO market was estimated to be worth more than $200 billion in 2021 and is likely to grow steadily at a CAGR between 5-7% over the years. This alone shows how important BPO sales are to the global economy.

Whether you are new to BPO or considering a sales job, learning the ins and outs of sales in the BPO industry is very important to your success. This blog will tell you everything you need to know about sales in the BPO world, including the different sales roles and what skills you need to succeed.

Let’s get into how you can capitalise on opportunities, increase sales, and succeed in the competitive world of BPO sales!

What is Sales in BPO?

Sales in BPO refers to outsourcing the entire sales process, from finding leads to closing deals, through a third-party service provider. It allows businesses to utilise specific expertise and resources to produce revenue without the need to build an in-house sales team.

In BPO sales, the outsourced provider typically manages customer interactions, addresses complaints, and offers customised solutions, all with the goal of selling a product or service. Whether it is handling inbound or outbound calls, engaging in cross-selling, or prioritising customer retention, BPO sales is critical to drive growth and customer satisfaction.

Types of Sales Roles You’ll Find in BPO

Sales roles within a BPO company can differ in relation to the type of sales process. These positions concentrate on various aspects of customer engagement, from reaching qualified leads to establishing long-term customer relationships. Below are the most common types of sales roles you will see in BPO:

Inbound Sales

Inbound sales roles involve addressing incoming calls and inquiries from prospects who are already interested in a product or service. As a part of the inbound sales team, your main job is to answer these inquiries, identify customer needs, and help them in making a purchase decision.

How to Succeed in Inbound Sales:

• Pay careful attention to the customer's needs.
• Communicate how your product works and what it does in a clear way.
• Create trust through empathy and understanding.
• Address pain points and suggest personalised solutions.
• Tailor recommendations depending on customer needs.

Outbound Sales

Outbound sales roles involve proactively connecting with your leads. In this role, you will call leads, make cold calls, and follow up on existing clients to present products and services. The goal is to create new business, get appointments, and generate qualified leads.

Tips for Improving in Outbound Sales:

• Focus on research to know your target audience.
• Approach calls with confidence and a positive attitude.
• Customise your pitch so that it fits the prospect's requirements.
• Be proactive and handle objections early in the conversations.
• Consistently follow up to maintain interest and develop strong relationships.

Cross-Selling and Upselling

Cross-selling and upselling are strategies used to enhance sales revenue by providing customers with additional products or higher-value alternatives. In cross-selling, you recommend products that complement the customer's current purchase, while in upselling, you convince a customer to purchase a better or more expensive version of the product they are already considering.

Tips for Improving in Cross-Selling and Upselling:

• Know the customer’s needs and choices.
• Suggest related products that complement their current purchase.
• Highlight the extra value or the benefit of a premium quality product.
• Customise your pitch to the buyer’s purchase intent
• Be honest and focus on how additional products enhance their experience.

Step-by-Step: What You Actually Do in a BPO Sales Role

In a BPO sales role, the focus is on helping businesses grow by increasing revenue through effective sales techniques. Now let's understand the process of making a successful sale in the BPO industry:

Step 1 – Understand What You’re Selling

Before you talk to a customer, you should have a deeper understanding of the product or service you are selling. This includes knowing the features, benefits, and handling objections that the customers may raise. The more informed you are, the more value you can bring to the customer and answer their questions.

Step 2 – Contact the Customer (or Answer Their Call)

Depending on your role, you will be making either inbound or outbound calls. In incoming calls, your purpose is to listen to the customers’ concern or their questions and try to sell your product. In outbound calls, you make the first contact with the lead and introduce them to the product or services and try to find out their needs.

Step 3 – Talk the Right Way

Effective communication is the heart of sales. Your tone should be clear, confident, and empathetic. Make sure that you are listening effectively to the customer’s needs and adjust your pitch accordingly. Modifying your approach by focusing on solving their specific problems or goals will make your conversation more valuable and increase the chances of securing a sale.

Step 4 – Handle Objections

Objections are part of every sales process. Whether it’s about price, the need for the product, or concerns about the product itself, managing objections effectively is crucial. But sometimes a customer will give you a hard “no.”' In this case, it’s important to know when to stop pushing them and not to be too aggressive. Instead of trying to persuade, listen, accept their refusal with grace and move on.

Step 5 – Close the Deal

After you’ve overcome objections and demonstrated the value of your offering, it's time to seal the deal. This might mean providing a time-limited offer or gently pushing the customer to make a choice. Ask for small, narrow questions that can make the customer confirm.

Step 6 – Update the CRM or System

Once a sale is made, it’s important to update the CRM or sales system with customer information and relevant details. This enables efficient follow-ups, effective communication, and proper monitoring of the customer’s journey.

Simplifying the Update Process with Qoli

Updating your CRM or sales system after a sale can be time-consuming and is likely to experience faults. This makes it difficult to ensure that customer details are correct for future follow-up. With Qoli , you can automate this process and avoid human mistakes. Qoli’s call recording feature automatically logs call details and customer interactions, keeping your CRM records updated in real time.

By automating this process, Qoli removes the need for manual data entry, saving time and reducing the likelihood of error.

Some of the Key advantages of using Qoli in sales system are:

• Qoli automatically records all calls and enables you to check and download call history.
• It prevents data entry mistakes, keeping your CRM precise and reliable.
• Qoli saves your sales team time, allowing them to concentrate on closing deals.
• Easily integrates with your current CRM and keeps your data in sync.

Key Benefits of Outsourcing Sales to BPO

Outsourcing sales to a BPO provides several advantages that can significantly improve business performance. By utilising a third-party service provider, companies can concentrate on their core operations while experts manage the sales process. Below are some of the benefits of outsourcing sales to BPOs:

• Cost Savings: Outsourcing saves costs by avoiding the need for an in-house team, including salaries, training, and infrastructure, allowing resources to be reallocated.
• Access to Expertise: BPOs bring specialised sales expertise, eliminating the need for internal sales training and utilise experts in several sales processes.
• Scalability: BPOs provide flexibility, letting businesses scale their sales function up or down without the problem of any staff adjustments.
• Better Customer Experience: Sales BPOs use advanced tools and CRM systems to improve customer engagement, ensuring quick responses and personalised service.

Tools and Terms You’ll Hear Daily

When working for a sales position in BPO, there are several tools and terms that you will often encounter, which are important for managing your sales process. Here’s an explanation of some key tools and concepts:

Dialer

A dialer is a software that automates dialling of numbers from a list. This tool accelerates your calling process, helps in managing massive volumes of calls, and improves productivity, enabling you to connect with more prospects in less time.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

CRM systems are essential for tracking customer interactions, storing crucial data, and managing relationships throughout the sales journey. They offer real-time knowledge of customer behaviours, which can be useful in adjusting your sales tactics.

Disposition

Disposition is the classification of the result of a call or interaction. Whether it is a successful sale, a follow-up required, or a lost lead, dispositions help you to track the status of every lead in the sales process.

Warm Call vs Cold Call

Warm calls are made to prospects that have previously shown interest in your products or services, while cold calls are made to leads that you have never had any contact with. Both need different approaches and strategies to boost the probability of success.

Sales Funnel

The sales funnel describes the stages customers go through, from being informed to making a decision. When you know where your leads are in the funnel, you can concentrate on guiding them accordingly.

Skills That Make You a Great Sales Agent in BPO

To be successful as a sales agent in BPO, you’ll need special skills that will enable you to interact with customers, navigate through systems and adapt to changes. Here are the main skills that you need to have:

Clear Communication

Clear and concise communication is important in sales. Whether you are talking on the phone or writing emails, having the ability to clearly explain products and services results in trust and, ultimately, conversions.

Listening

Good listening is just as important as speaking. Knowing the customer’s requirements and concerns enables you to provide customised solutions, increasing the chances of a successful sale.

Confidence + Patience

Confidence allows you to be bold and convincing, while patience is required to face difficulties, objections, and long sales cycles. Together, they help you address any situation.

Basic Typing and System Skills

A Sales agent may need to type customer information and update records quickly and accurately. Being familiar with simple typing and the use of CRM software will make your job easier.

Willingness to Learn and Improve

The sales landscape is continually evolving. Being open to mastering new sales tactics, tools, and tricks allows you to remain competitive and grow in your role.

Pros of Doing Sales in BPO

Sales roles in BPO provide significant benefits, particularly for new employees looking to start their careers in sales. The following are some of the potential benefits:

• BPO sales roles provide career progression without expensive training costs, providing an affordable path to advancement.
• Working with experienced professionals will allow you to develop high-level sales skills and grow your expertise.
• The flexibility of BPO sales allows you to adjust to various markets and customers' needs, expanding your experience.
• These positions allow you to focus on different aspects of sales tasks, improving your skills in inbound and outbound sales.

Challenges of Doing Sales in BPO

Sales in BPO offer several benefits but also present challenges that employees need to deal with. Understanding these obstacles helps you adjust and do better for best results.

• High targets and expectations can be extremely stressful, particularly with high volumes of calls or clients.
• Dealing with rejection is hard, but BPO agents must stay strong despite the constant "no's."
• Boredom from repetitive tasks like making multiple calls or using the same scripts can cause burnout.
• Limited control over methods and tools can reduce creativity and flexibility in the sales approach.

Support vs Sales in BPO – Which Is Right for You?

When thinking about a career path in BPO, it's vital to know the differences between a sales and support role. Both roles are critically important to a BPO, but they serve separate purposes and demand different skill sets. Here’s a quick comparison to help you figure out which one might be right for you:

Knowing these differences can help you choose between a sales-based role, focused on growth and revenue, and a customer-focused support role, aimed at satisfaction and retention. If you love solving problems, support could be a good fit for you. But if you enjoy reaching targets and making connections, sales might be the best option.

Conclusion

Understanding the sales roles in BPO is important for new joiners and support agents looking to move into sales. By learning about various types of sales, the steps involved, key skills, and difficulties encountered in BPO sales, you would be able to decide which way you want to go. Whether you decide to go with inbound, outbound, or cross-selling, mastering these skills and knowing how to prepare for each type of sales role is what you need to succeed.

BPO sales can be a great source of income, providing opportunities for growth, knowledge, and career advancement. By following the right processes and using the proper tools, you can navigate the world of BPO sales successfully and contribute to business growth.