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.

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.

Establishing Rapport: Creative Listening

Networking is a valuable sales tool. It is also a typical place where first contact occurs with a stranger who may be a prospect. If you’ve been in business for any time at all you’ve probably found yourself at some kind of networking event. These meetings, seminars, conferences and dinners often have the guise of being educational or aimed at a specific purpose but the true underlying intent is to bring people together to do business.
Unfortunately networking became such a business buzzword that these events soon started to follow an uncomfortable format where everyone seems to have a card at hand and thinks that by merely being there they will find business. I generally stay away from events that are specifically organized for networking because they are usually attended by too many insurance salespeople and other sales pros whose only reason for being there is to sell. Your success as a networker is directly related to what events you attend and how you handle them.
Successful networking starts by going where the customers are, that is attending events aimed at a target group of prospects. But what do you do to turn these events into successful first contact situations? Start by thinking like a counselor or therapist. This means doing some creative listening

Creative Listening

Creative listening is a simple technique that many of us find very difficult to pull off. Imagine you are a therapist about to see a new client. The client will be nervous and unsure of themselves and it is your job to put them at ease and make it easy for them to communicate with you.
They walk in and you say hello. Now you have a choice. You can start talking about what you do or you can ask a simple question that helps them start talking about themselves. Obviously, as a therapist, your job is to help them communicate their problems and begin to resolve them so you’ll want to get them talking. The same goes for you as a networker. You must get your new acquaintance talking and then do a little creative listening.
This is done by asking an opening question, letting them respond and then asking simple questions that keep things going. It does not involve any actual conversation on your part unless you’re asked a direct question. Then you answer briefly and redirect your questioning to them. Most of the time they’ll be more than happy to keep talking. And as they do, they’re making a personal investment in you.
Its amazing how this works. I’ve had many conversations where I sat virtually silent while a perfect stranger poured out the story of their life and/or business to me. Only the occasional question, proffered as much to show my continuing interest as anything else, was required on my part. And, at the end of the conversation, they inevitably say, ‘It’s been really great talking to you. I’ve really enjoyed the conversation.’ The funny thing is that I wasn’t conversing, just listening.
There’s no secret here. You just stop your internal dialog; the one that wants to interrupt, tell stories, correct mistakes, etc., and listen. Really listen. You’ll find out incredible amounts of information about them as a prospect that you can use to make an appointment when you call them later. And, because they have made a significant personal investment in you, they’ll be receptive to that call when it comes.