Selling - Effective Preparation - Part One

There’s an old saying: “There’s never enough time to do it right; there’s always enough time to do it over”. And, of course, the classic: “perfect preparation prevents pitifully poor performance”. So, let’s take time to consider how to prepare effectively for a sales call or presentation:


Do you think strategically?


Now, you may be making a one-off call to sell a specific product, service or offer. But, often, the sales call is part of an on-going relationship between you (or your company) and that Customer. So, do you remember to deal with the long-term objectives for that business or organisation? These can be both selling objectives and relationship needs. There is little use selling the “wrong” service at the “wrong” time to a valuable Customer resource – simply to earn some short-term gain. Think about the lifetime value of each potential Customer - and measure your current needs against


Do you think objectively?


Simply “selling something” to a specific Customer is not an objective – it’s a wish or hope. An objective needs to be measurable e.g. in terms of size, frequency, price and the like. It needs to be realistic in terms of expectations from that business. Only in this way can you assess the outcome of your call – and plan for the future


Do you think “Customer”?


Here’s a couple of comments I’ve often heard from salespeople: “Oh, yes, Smith & Co. They’re good for xxxx each month” – “Sue Gray complained about the cost – she always does that”. The problem with the first comment is that this Customer is no longer a human being – they’re simply a “size” or “revenue source”. How long before this individual notices a subtle change in the behaviour towards them (or not-so-subtle in the month where they decide not to advertise!)? The key to the second comment is that the salesperson is doing nothing about it. Shouldn’t they be thinking how to avoid the “objection” rather than simply waiting for it to arrive

The behaviours demonstrated by these comments make it more difficult to deal effectively with those individual Customers. If the salesperson looked more from the Customer’s viewpoint, they would be more likely to be successful with them in the long term


(Three more key preparation questions in part two)




Selling - Effective Preparation - Part One - To learn more about this author, visit Gordon Veniard's Website.

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