Sales Meeting
Sales Meeting
How to have a successful first encounter in a sales meeting. Having a successful sales meeting can be difficult, there are a few important things to keep in mind when meeting with a customer.
1. Identify the Decision Maker
Establish who you are talking to; is it the decision maker? This will tell you a lot about what direction the conversation can go in. See here for more help – Gaining Access to the Right Person
2. Identify a Problem
Through a discovery process, try to identify a problem (or pain point) with the customer. See here for help with questions Implication Questions
3. Identify a Solution
Once the problem is clearly addressed and both parties understand what it is, make a clear plan on how to go about fixing it. Reassure the customer that you can help fix their problem and that the outcomes will benefit their business. People want answers so if you can give them one, you are more likely to be successful in getting the deal.
4. Identify Emotional Intelligence
It is also crucial to have emotional intelligence when taking these steps, being able to understand yourself, other people and make connections, is a key to being successful.
Human beings are social beings, and how they act has a lot to do with social pressures and trends. This information can be helpful when trying to conduct business. Make sure while in a sales meeting you pay close attention to how the person you are working with is acting. Take note on their body language, what they say, their likes and dislikes and try to relate, as people like people they can find common ground with. Conducting business in person may enhance your chances of closing a deal because it gives you the ability to make a personal connection with the customer. This is difficult because the world we live in today revolves around technology. People are used to conference calls, video calls, and email as ways to communicate in the business world. This makes it even more difficult to make an impression on your customer and connect with them. Although it can be done, it takes a very good understanding on emotional intelligence and knowing what to say to people to get them to trust you and what you are trying to do
By Kaitlin O’Neill – Sales & Marketing Assistant @B2BSell_com
