Sales Intelligentsia

The Appointment: Proposals/Estimates/Quotes

Often, after an initial meeting you’ll be asked to provide a proposal, quote or estimate to take the sales process to the next step. If this is the case you must determine exactly what the proposal or quote should contain. Many companies have standard formats they want vendors to use and you must follow them. A non-standard presentation may mean automatic rejection by various corporate bureaucrats.
Make sure you use the appointment to gather as much information as possible for the proposal you’ll be preparing so you can address the specific problems your customer is most concerned about. Again, by carefully going through the qualifying process you’ll be able to address every hot button issue in your proposal. This kind of specific problem-solving approach often helps you get past the lowball quotes and inexperienced but cheap competition.

Selling Without Being Face To Face

You won’t always sell at face to face meetings. Often you’ll work over the phone, via e-mail, a Webex-style online presentation or through intermediaries. These media have the advantage of being fast and the disadvantage of not allowing you to react to non-verbal signals as you encounter them face to face.
Selling on the phone involves the same process as any other selling although it may be compressed somewhat. You must Meet, Qualify and Present and you must ask for the sale or Close. You can use a script or notes spread out before you and take notes as you go to give you a good handle on how well you’re doing.
Selling through others is potentially dangerous as you cannot control how they represent you to the customer. If an intermediary sets you up to do business with someone, don’t assume its a done deal: Go into the first business step treating it as a part of the sales process in which your goal is to determine what your intermediary has promised or agreed to. You must clarify these issues yourself with the customer before you go further.
Selling in a store? The process may only take a few minutes but you should still go through it. You still need to know why they’re there, what problems they are seeking resolutions for and tell them how you can solve them. It may happen in a few sentences but it still is the same sales process.
I’ve sold projects via e-mail and it can be a great pre-sales medium. However you’ll still need personal contact of some sort and, again, the process is the same. Be sure to save your e-mail correspondence as you go through the process. It will be valuable if any disputes or confusion arises later.

The Appointment: Preparation and Stage Fright

The only way to get right down to business and really make progress within a brief meeting is by being fully prepared. This preparation includes:
• Customer Research- Go out and find out as much as you can about their business. Ask business acquaintances, go to the Internet and look up articles about them and check with business associations. This is both a background check to warn you of potential problems and an information gathering process. It really helps when they think you’ve done your homework.
• Portfolio and Presentation Preparation- You must customize your presentation to the needs of each customer and you should do it ahead of time.
• Rehearsal- Go over your presentation either mentally or with a partner to make sure you cover all the points. Use notes if necessary. A rehearsal is a powerful tool for making your presentation sing.
• Call To Confirm- Always call that morning or the day before to confirm that you’re still on. This can be done with an assistant, secretary or other gatekeeper who has access to your prospect’s schedule. It saves time and serves as a reminder that you’re coming in.

Preparation also includes dealing with stage fright. Stage fright is a common affliction and, to a certain degree, is a healthy indication of getting yourself ‘up’ for the event. Carried too far, it can serve as an excuse to avoid selling. Stage fright recedes with experience and preparation. If you lack experience make up for it by preparing carefully and rehearsing. And remember what I was told the first time I got on stage at a crowded nightclub with my first band: Everybody gets it but once you get started it goes away. This is true if you have prepared well.