Prior to every sales call that I ever made, I formulated and initiated a plan of attack. When armed forces go to war, their planning and strategy will make the difference between whether their tour is successful or not. For you, this is no different. Before any visit, you first need to analyze the purpose of the call. Is your intent simply to meet a new prospective customer so you can learn more about their business needs? Or are you looking for more out of your call? This initial decision will depend a great deal upon the typical sales cycle for your product or service. For some products, like vacuum cleaners, it is critical to get in the door and make the sale in one shot. For other products, like manufacturing equipment, there is a great deal of discovery that must be developed prior to being able to make the sale, as it is a much larger investment for your customer. Once you establish the purpose for your call, you need to develop specific supporting objectives. You may want to identify their current source of supply, secure information about a particular competitor, or find out what is most important to your customer when they make a buying decision. After setting your objectives, you need to create an agenda that supports your plan. The best way to do this is to play out the entire meeting in your head. Picture your discussion with that customer in detail. When you make your sales pitch, what possible objections can that customer have? For every single objective that can be imagined, you must be prepared with a way to turn those objections in your favor. If they can come up with an objective that you are unable to respond to, your opportunity to close the deal can be completely shot.
The key to an effective sales call is in the planning. Once you establish your objectives, you should WRITE OUT various questions that you would like to get answered during this particular visit. The best way to plan your questions is by building a profile on each and every customer. You should know how much they sell in a year, who they buy from, what they need from their suppliers to be successful, etc. A sample breakdown of questions that should be answered is provided in Figure 1.1. If your sales methodology requires you to make a sale on your very first visit (i.e. cold calling a close), then the most important things to identify are :
- Who makes the buying decision?
- Who are they currently buying from?
- What items are they currently buying?
- What are they not getting from their current supplier? Any issues at all?
When you go to war with the market, you need to be properly armed with all of the necessary supplies to be effective. If one of your organization’s competitive advantages revolves around the quality of the product that you have to offer, it is best to bring a product sample with you. It is one thing to tell someone how great your product is, yet it is quite another to let them hold your product in their hands for a personal inspection. . Although it sounds basic, you should also always have a notepad or planner and a writing utensil available for taking notes. Even if you are meeting your customer at the golf course, keeping a small pad and pen in your golf bag will ensure that an important phone number or piece of information is not left on the fairway.
One of your most important supplies is the one that has your name, company, and contact information written all over it. It is critical that you never walk into a sales call without a sufficient number of business cards. When you meet with a customer, you never know who they are going to want to introduce you to. Not having a sufficient business card supply may leave a critical new contact unable to connect with you if an opportunity should arise. I would highly recommend that you not only carry business cards with you during all business situations, but you should have cards with you as you go about your personal life as well. Whether you are at a baseball game with the kids, at your cousin’s wedding, or going to get your hair cut, you must always have business cards at the ready. You never know when you can run into someone who can make a significant difference in your life or career. When one of those chance opportunities presents itself, your business card is the gateway to any future contact with that individual.