The Exploratory Meeting

As this is normally the first meeting it is also where the potential customer will get his first impression of you, therefore the way you look, act and conduct the meeting will have a direct bearing on whether or not you are able to proceed to the next stage. The key outcome of the meeting is to gain commitment to the next stage rather than focus on getting an order.

Before the meeting, there are a number of actions you can take that will help to ensure that you present a professional impression from the start:

• Confirmed your appointment by letter or email because this provides you with an opportunity to consolidate the prospect’s awareness of you and your organisation.
• Conduct some initial research into the company, so that you have a base understanding of what they do and the market sector they operate within. Many organisations today are used to dealing with requests for their Company Accounts that will tell you a lot more about them as well as their financials.
• Prepare case studies and testimonials that are from customers you have that are operating in the same sector as your prospect. You can use this to provide social proof and reassurance at the appropriate time.
• Robert Birdwhistle research in 1970 highlighted that 55% of the impression we give is based on our appearance. Therefore, dress appropriately for your meeting so that your appearance conveys the right impression.
• Arriving with plenty of time, allows you to take a few moments to mentally rehearse your approach and access a highly resourceful state.
• Act professionally and with warmth to the receptionist - (she/he may be a relative of the Chairman).
• To ensure that you are psychologically prepared, remain standing in the reception area. You’ll feel much more confident and ready to do business.


Build rapport to gain trust
During the first meeting, your main priority is to develop a relationship with your prospect prior to finding out as much as you can about their requirements. 86% of buying decisions are fact that the prospect liked and trusted the sales person. Therefore, your ability to match and mirror them will help put them at ease. Comments about their premises, pictures on the wall, sports trophies etc will show that you are interested and provides a great opportunity to get to know them better.

Show respect by being courteous
You are a ‘guest’ in the prospect’s environment so always be courteous. Ask the prospect how long they have put aside for the meeting and adjust your itinerary accordingly. If the time allocated is insufficient then you need to make a judgement as to whether you wish to carry on or re-schedule when they can give you more time. If a time is given and agreed upon – respect this because they may have a meeting with the Chairman! Five minutes before the time allocation is up - reconfirm that they need to finish - more often than not if they are interested they will find more time - if they can’t then use the last five minutes to summarise and agree the next stage. Taking notes are invaluable as they are a record of your meeting and you will find yourself referring back to them throughout the sales cycle. Yet, it is common practice to ask the prospect if you can make notes because it’s polite!

Confirm company business:
You need to confirm the market they are in, find out who they supply to, who they buy from, who are their competitors - they may be customers of yours - if so tell him - it’s reassuring to a potential customer that you have knowledge of their industry. If they aren’t customers of yours and you get this order - they should definitely become prospects - so make a note of them. By asking what the company actually does will differentiate you from the sales person who is only interested in the sale, you will get an insight into the company’s culture, it’s strategies and values. People like people who are interested in what they are doing and trying to achieve. Every organisation has commercial concerns that can be extremely useful to discover because an organisation will be highly motivated to move away from the pain of their current situation.


Confirm position and their role within the company:
Check that the prospect is who you believe them to be and investigate their level of authority. This is not always obvious from their title. Generally, people like talking about themselves, their responsibilities and their achievements – so ask the questions and listen intently because you can often pick up the political elements of the company and enhance/strengthen the rapport between you.

Identify the decision makers or decision- making unit
Ask who else is involved in this project so that you can identify the buying influencers and aim to get a better understanding of their decision making process. This information will prove to be the foundation for your sales strategy.

Budget and time scales:
You need to know whether there is a budget for your products/services and whether it has been approved. If the prospect appears reluctant to give you this information, then it could be a sign that you haven’t built enough rapport. If your relationship is good then you can explain that for you to prepare proposals that best meet their requirements, and proposals they can afford. It’s good practice to find out how long it will take your prospect to make a decision and identify their required time frames for each step. Both budget and time scales information are usually best received when face-to-face with your prospect.


Resistance/constraints:
You need to be aware of any resistance that the prospect feels may occur to this purchase and where possible gain their advice on how to neutralise such resistance. For example, if the prospect feels that the IT department are going to resist, then it could be a wise move to get them involved and keep them informed as soon as possible so they don’t feel threatened. Generally, the more involved people are in a decision, the more committed they’ll be towards ensuring it’s success. Find out if there is anything that may restrain them from progressing further? It’s much better to know what to expect at this stage and be prepared rather than experience it as a surprise, later on in the sales process.



The Exploratory Meeting - To learn more about this author, visit Nikki Owen's Website.

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