Preparation is Key!

There is no winging it in sales. You have to know what you’re doing and why you are doing it. This means it all has to be planned. This means doing your homework.

Look, let’s get this out of the way right now. If you became a salesperson because you thought it would be easy, or you thought your time would be your own, or you thought that you would not have to be accountable to anyone, any time, then you were wrong.

Sales is all about preparation and hard work. Success in sales, like in anything else in your life, only comes to those who work hard. The old saying is true in sales: The harder I work the luckier I get.

This means that when you have finally set up that first sales call with a cherished target account your work has just begun. Now it’s time to prepare for that call.

Here are twelve things you have to do to make sure you bring home the gold on that call:

1. Prepare and research. Learn everything you can about the prospect’s company and the prospect as well.
2. Set clear objectives. What do you want to accomplish during that call?
3. Plan on the opening; How are you going to open the meeting. What kind of impression do you want to make?
4. Listen, listen, listen. Do more listening than talking. You are there to learn about the customer. If you listen carefully and ask the right questions, that customer will actually tell you how to win her business.
5. Tailor your pitch to the customer’s needs. After he tells you what he needs, show him the ways that you and your company will not only meet but exceed those needs. Show him how you can provide him with the exact solution that he needs.
6. Tell stories. Stories are better than data. Oh, sure you can insert the data in your stories but make sure you tell interesting stories relating to how your company solved similar problems in the past; the same types of problems and challenges to what this prospect is facing at this time. And please, please, make sure that the stories you tell are pertinent to the conversation.
7. Highlight the value you bring. In the end customers are looking for value. They want to work with companies that will make them and their products better. They are looking for solutions. The more you can provide them with the right solutions the more valuable you will be to them as a supplier.
8. Build a rapport. The better you can get along with the customer, the better your chances are of closing the sale. Always remember that the customer is buying you as well as your company. If you are in any way unpleasant to deal with you will not get the sale. The buyer has to look forward to seeing you again. If she feels that you are just a time waster, she will go to the end of the earth to find reasons not to see you again and if that happens you will never make her a customer.
9. Be enthusiastic and confident. Not smug, confident. Assure the buyer that you have what he needs. If he has a problem, assure him that together you will be able to solve that problem.
10. Handle objections effectively, politely, and competently. It is your job to sell your product for sure. But also, be cautious of winning the battle and losing the war. Remember that the customer is always right even when he isn’t. So, your job is to finesse your way through his objections.
11. Be their expert when it comes to your product. You are selling a holistic solution rather than a distinct product. When you are dealing with technology you are not only selling your product, but you are also selling how that product fits into the customers’ end product.  Demonstrate how your products will make their products better. 
12. Go above and beyond the call of duty. Let the customer know that you will be there for them in the future. Show the customer how you have helped other companies solve their problems even if the problem was theirs not yours. This is very important. Paint a pleasant picture of what it will be like working with you.

And finally in the spirit of under promising and over delivering, one more:

Set up the future. Discuss the next steps, what has to happen now. Create a plan with the buyer for what happens next. Set up the next meeting. Set up the path to that first proposal, do anything to make sure that there is a next time. That way you will be on your way to converting the prospect to a customer.

Practice these steps. Get used to them and use them religiously. And if you do this you will win almost every time. It’s only common sense.