Over the coming weeks, I will provide you with regular (every other week) useful FREE sales tips that will help you stay on top of your game, win more customers and earn more money.
To start with, I am going to address some of the most common mistakes sales people make when in meetings with their clients. This is the first in a series of five blogs designed to get you performing better in client meetings to ensure you get it right and bag that deal!
The Top Five Mistakes Made in Meetings blogs will guide you away from making the following mistakes:
- Not being prepared (volume 1)
- Not asking the right questions and not asking enough of them (volume 2)
- Not listening to or assessing the customer's answer (volume 3)
- Trying to close a sale in the first meeting (volume 4)
- Selling the features of a product or idea rather than its benefits (volume 5)
MISTAKE NUMBER ONE
Not Being Prepared
SOLUTION NUMBER ONE
Be Prepared…
The day before any sales meeting, you need to make some preparations… You need to think about the business(-es) you are dealing with – their brands and their products – and ask yourself the following questions:
- What have I got to offer that is different from the incumbent supplier?
- What questions can I ask to identify a problem with the incumbent supplier that I can solve with my product/service solution?
- What type of person are they going to be, how can I establish a connection without talking about business?
- Researched the company prior to calling them so your knowledge of their business, products, markets, brands, locations, size etc should be known by this stage.
- Emailed the customer to re-confirm the meeting: use a simple one-line message (see below).
As discussed I am just confirming our meeting for tomorrow at [time] at [address], I look forward to seeing you then.
Regards,
[Your Name]
On the day of the meeting:
- Be 15 minutes early every time. This is very important as it allows you to clear your mind and gather your thoughts for the meeting.
- Allow 20% extra travel time in your calculations for traffic and road works, there is nothing worse than to arrive (a) late, (b) rushed, (c) stressed, or (d) sweaty!
- ALways be very well presented
- Men should always wear a tie or have one in the car ready
- Do not wear garishly coloured shirts and ties, yes have colour but keep it simple and classic. Certainly do not wear ties with cartoon characters on them
- Always have clean polished shoes
- Always have plenty of up-to-date business cards
- Collect your thoughts before going in.
