The pursuit of unqualified business is one of the main reasons for companies not hitting their sales targets. Learn to recognise the three potential realistic outcomes from an initial new business meeting and act on them accordingly to make the most of your sales efforts…
Scenario One
You may discover at this stage that your further exploration reveals that your solution is not the ideal one for the prospect. If that’s the case, don't carry on regardless, admit it and, if it's not absolutely clear to the prospect why that's the case, give your reasons.
You have absolutely nothing to lose in the short term - you're not going to make a sale that is going to benefit you and this company right now - but your honesty and, perhaps, perceived expertise will stand you in good stead if there is an opportunity for you to do business together in the future.
Scenario Two
You get a clear-cut committal to fixing a straightforward problem and need, so you judge what needs to go into the mix, for example:
· Briefly present your company's credentials (your business, how you work, current clients, etc.)
· Demonstrate the product or show appropriate literature
· Tie in the most compelling ways that this prospect's business will benefit from your product or service
· Back them up with the most suitable testimonial(s)
· Tie the prospect down to wanting this
· Close the sale
I have deliberately glossed over this scenario as, in my experience, it only tends to occur when:
· Your telephone qualification prior to the meeting was excellent
· Your meeting is with the sole Decision Maker (the M.A.N. - he with the Money, Authority and Need)
· The prospect is well aware of the product or service on offer
· A demonstration of the product or showing literature about it is sufficient to close the deal
· The need is obvious and urgent
· Whilst the sale is valuable to you, the outlay is not great from the prospect's point of view
· The benefits of ownership are obvious and unarguable and you are streets ahead of any competition (on comprehensiveness of the service you offer, flexibility, value for money, etc.)
If this is the case for you, enjoy it and prosper!
Scenario Three
For the majority of would-be vendors though, the most usual outcome of the initial meeting will be that you use it to:
1. Refine and agree the prospect's need(s) that you have already established in principle prior to the meeting and reaffirm his commitment to finding a solution (ensure at this stage that you understand in your own mind how your solution could meet it)
2. Ascertain your prospect's expectation of price range and timing and whether your solution falls within both
3. Discover who else makes up the Decision Making Unit and the role each person plays
4. If you weren't the one to uncover the problem and need in the first place, find out what competitor products or services are currently under consideration and judge whether you can successfully compete with them
Only once you have satisfied yourself on all four counts should you continue to woo this prospect and commit him (or her) to the next steps.
This is the best prospecting sanity check that you will probably ever see, yet I've never seen it anywhere else.
Happy hunting!
Linda
PS There a lots more tips and pointers at http://www.sellingforbusiness.com
Are you chasing rainbows? - To learn more about this author, visit Linda Mattacks's Website.
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Linda Mattacks
(Visit Linda's Website)
"Linda Mattacks is one of those rare
professionals who combine deep
strategy-awareness with a thoroughly
practical approach to business marketing.
What's more, she is as much a hard-nosed
and sales-driven results seeker as she is
an intuitive people person who understands
what makes everyone tick. She has built a
wealth of experience in sales training,
business research, marketing campaign
planning and project management. Linda has
helped organisations of all types and
sizes in the UK and Europe to learn more
about their customers and markets, and
turn that knowledge into revenue. Her
mature and human manner has won her both
business partners' and colleagues'
complete trust, which has opened many new
opportunities for all involved.” - Jaakko
Alanko - MD McCann-Erickson, Business
Division, London, England ... Linda
Mattacks M IDM (the Institute of Direct
Marketing) is a trainer and mentor. She
has developed Selling For Business, a
course that combines the sales, research
and contact marketing skills that enable
individual entrepreneurs and small
businesses to compete successfully with
large organisations. Please visit www.sel
lingforbusiness.com for more details
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