Brendan

Simple Steps to Better Sales Calls: Confirm With An Agenda

Brendan · January 22, 2021 ·

Perhaps the simplest step that you can take to improve your sales success rate is to confirm the call with an agenda.

This simple habit serves multiple objectives:

As a meeting reminder
That that you’re prepared and ready
That a commitment has been made
That your time is valuable, too.

Because you’re a professional that takes this seriously, and you want to make sure everyone else is equally prepared and ready to benefit from your services and solution.

And because you don’t want to be waiting around in a lobby or on a conference line, only to be disappointed and stood-up.

The Importance of a Simple Agenda

The agenda itself reconfirms expectations. It should communicate simply and succinctly the scope of the meeting, the attendees, and the customer’s desired outcome. It also provides a chance for the customer to review and prepare for the meeting, and add to or edit the agenda and priorities.

Perhaps most important, this step is an opportunity to uncover any potential surprises and revise your meeting preparation, sales response or overall account strategy. It is not unusual for a customer to announce some change in plans or attendees or priorities at this last minute. As unpleasant or discouraging the news might be, it’s nonetheless preferable to learn this beforehand rather than have it dropped in your lap during the sales call itself.

Again, this should be a standard part of your sales process. And it’s one of the easiest. Take a quick moment at least one day prior to your scheduled meeting. Draft up a concise, informative email that 1) reconfirms the appointment details and 2) covers the key topics and objectives of the upcoming call.

Trust me, this a simple, pro move. Here’s a simple example:

Hi Jim,
Just a quick note to confirm tomorrow’s call at 10:30. (I’ve attached in the dial-in details below.)
Based on our conversations, we’re expecting to cover:

Discussion of your current member engagement process and issues
WonderTool’s member intake approach and process
Integration and implementation overview *(this links to a post that talks about moving implementation forward…)

Are there other topics or issues we should be addressing? Also, my notes have Susan and George attending. Is that right?
Let me know if we need to add/change this. Otherwise, looking forward to our conversation tomorrow at 10:30.
Brendan

There is a risk, of course. Your customer could look at their calendar, see how busy things are, and push this meeting out. Something to consider.

But here is a more likely response:

George can’t make it, but we’ll be fine and can catch him up later. And remember, our big priority is on the least disruption given our fall product rollout.
Jim

An even more likely response would look like this:

Thanks. Looks good. Talk tomorrow.

The risk of being postponed (or cancelled outright) is limited, and this works as another opportunity to qualify the opportunity. How engaged and responsive is your customer? And how collaborative? Maybe you learn something more about the opportunity or the organization.

Chances are your client will appreciate the effort. It’s a reminder, and a chance to prepare.

Make it a Habit

Do this a few times and it will become second nature. Put a reminder in your calendar if that helps. Create an email template to make it easier.

Again, you want to get this email/agenda reminder out to your meeting attendees at least a full working day prior. And if you’re traveling to the customer meeting, send it a day before you’re set to leave.

Finally, be sure to include any administrative assistants on the ‘cc list. It’s another channel to get the message out, and a subtle reminder to have conference space and other resources at the ready.

Like you are. Ready, prepared and professional.

Simple Steps to Better Sales Calls: Show Up Early

Brendan · January 20, 2021 ·

Show up early.

As simple as this may sound, it will differentiate you from most of your sales peers.

Why? Because it requires effort and discipline and planning. And most salespeople don’t do this.

Four Simple Rules

Here are four simple rules for showing up:

30 minutes before a demo or formal presentation
10 minutes before an in-person call
2 minutes before a conference/Zoom call
Right at the mark for any scheduled one-on-one phone calls

Simple.

Thirty minutes for a demo? Yes. Because you need time to set up a demonstration or a formal presentation. There is a conference room to get to, Wi-Fi passwords to contend with, projectors that don’t connect to your laptop. You need time to problem-solve these complications, or wait for someone from IT to get there with the right dongle or navigate the right remote of the seven strewn about the podium.

Ten for a meeting? Yes again. Because the meeting should start on time, and you need to sign in, and they need to round up the troops.

But why early for a Zoom call? Because you’re developing a practice, and because you want people to know you’re ready when (or more accurately before) they are.

And yes, dialing the call exactly on the mark may seem slightly too precise or even predatory, ringing exactly at 9:00am for a nine o’clock call. But that’s what you scheduled, right?

Make It Easy On Yourself

Ultimately, these simple rules demonstrate that you’re prepared, professional and reliable. These are qualities that customers want in their business partners. And that are surprisingly rare among salespeople.

Moreover, this is supremely doable. It’s a habit, a practice. Totally learnable. And one that gives you an advantage right when you need it most – At the beginning of that important call or conversation. It’s a breather, a cushion, and a psychological edge.

Who doesn’t want that?

Simple Steps to Better Sales Calls: Listen

Brendan · January 19, 2021 ·

Just Listen.

If you read Relax, I lied. For whatever reason, this step is harder.

It shouldn’t be, but for most salespeople it just is.

Listening just seems to be difficult to pull off. We want to talk, share our perspective, communicate. And we want to have people agree with us.

What Your Customer Is Saying

The act of buying is arguably the clearest, most concrete evidence of agreement. The customer is saying, with their dollars (or pounds, euros, yen, etc.), that they too think your solution will fix their problem.

Photo by Matthias Groeneveld on Pexels.com

And you can’t do that if you’re not busy telling them about all the wonderful features and benefits your solution will deliver on their behalf. Right?

Not exactly.

True, they want to have their problem solved, whatever it happens to be. And yes, they need to learn about all your whiz-bang features and functions. But they need to communicate, too. And they want agreement.

Your customer wants to convince you.

“Huh?” you say.

Yes. Your customer needs to explain and discuss and complain and be understood. They need to educate you. About the company, about the market, their product, the difficulties with production, with their commute, or their crazy uncle. Whatever. You need to understand this. All of it.

What your customer is looking for is this… “Yes, she gets it.” You understand. You’ve be educated on their specific problems and challenges and all the other various details. You’ve come to an agreement, an understanding.

Sure, you want to explain the myriad ways that your solution can solve their very specific problem. But you can’t do that until you understand what their problem even is.

And ultimately, you won’t get anywhere if the customer isn’t convinced that you ‘get it.’

Learn. Understand. Educate.

The real purpose of any sales call is to first learn, and then understand, and then educate. To do that, you need to listen. Being skilled at listening is a sales superpower. It is a fundamental requirement for any consistent sales success.

Which means that there’s a lot to it, and worth serious study.

But, in simple terms, listening requires you to ask your question (if you’re selling, you’re asking questions) and then pause. Wait. Let the customer respond, fully and at their own pace.

Let them determine the rhythm of the conversation. Give them space to elaborate, go off on tangents, complain or ramble. Listen to what they’re telling you. How does it apply to the problem you’re there to solve? Are they uncovering other problems?

If they ask you a question, answer succinctly, crisply, honestly. Ask if that answers their question, and encourage their thoughts. Then, get back to listening.

Again, there’s a lot to this. Effective listening is a critical skill. It requires thought and practice. It’s not easy.

Who wants easy?

Simple Steps to Better Sales Calls: Have a Plan and a Process

Brendan · January 18, 2021 ·

Okay. You have a sales call on the calendar. More importantly, you now have a vision for where this next part of the sales journey should take both you and your customer. You have the end in mind. What’s next?

You need to have a plan and a process.

Let’s Do Some Thinking

Think of it like this. Every sales opportunity is a like project. Each one has an order of events, a series of milestones, action items and status calls, with many of the same characteristics of any significant project or major initiative. And like any big project, you need a strategy and a plan to have a chance to increase your sales volume and boost opportunities.

Your sales plan doesn’t have to be complicated. There is no rule that says it has to be 20 pages long or replete with graphics and fancy layout. And there is no need to overthink this. (Although it does require some thinking…)

But grab a pen and paper, because you do need to write it out.

It’s Not Complicated

Your call plan process can be as simple and straightforward as running through a thorough set of preparatory questions, and then determining both the answers to those questions and any homework or responses needed. Questions like:

Who is attending the call? Who should be attending?
What is going on within the customer’s company right now? And in their industry? How does this affect them, and how does your solution address those issues?
What does each attendee want to know? What questions will they ask? What are their priorities, their preconceived positions? Do they stand to win or lose if you are selected?
What materials, documents, information should you have at your fingertips?

Depending on where you are in the sales process, the questions will naturally vary. Early in the sale, you’re simultaneously in ‘Discovery mode’ and looking to establish credibility, which will inform your questions and preparation for those calls and meetings. Further along the sales process, your attention may be instead focused on proving out the expected ROI or working through implementation challenges, and so your preparation and the sales strategy will thus evolve accordingly.

This is an exercise you’ll want to go through for each meeting, call and conversation you have with your clients. (Don’t worry. It becomes automatic, just a natural part of your sales process.)

Make It A Habit

But you should still formalize it. Have a defined structure, a set of steps that force you to focus and prevent you from missing some key perspective. Having to circle back after a meeting to get important details, or having to move forward without those details, is to be avoided at all costs. Having a written, working plan and a rigorous planning process will enable you to avoid such missteps and execute more effectively.

If this sounds tedious and overly academic, it shouldn’t. Having a concise, actionable written sales plan can be as simple as a few reliable forms and the investment of a few quiet minutes.

And the return on that small investment will pay off handsomely and consistently.

(For example, download these Sales Discovery Worksheets to help support your discovery process.)

Simple Steps to Better Sales Calls: Begin With The End in Mind

Brendan · January 18, 2021 ·

Like anything worthwhile, being effective at sales takes time, effort, and dedication. But everyone can become better at sales.

Start with the fundamentals.

Start with the fundamentals. And when it comes to the sales call itself, there are ten simple steps that every sales professional should adhere to.

And this first step sets the foundation and establishes the momentum for everything that follows. Again, we want to keep things simple.

So let’s get started.

Step 1: Begin With The End In Mind

You’ve scheduled a sales call. Now what? Is it the first real sales call, or the fifth? Is it a discovery meeting, or a big formal presentation? Whatever the circumstances, you need to be prepared. You will want to have a plan and a process.

But before you can effectively formulate that plan, you should first invest time and think about where this specific call or meeting should end up. You need to begin with the end in mind.

Ask yourself the important first questions: What is your desired outcome? What does this successful meeting look like? What did you learn, and what did you accomplish?

Hopefully, you know what you aim to achieve by the meeting’s final minutes, whether it’s an agreement to have a next meeting, or a verbal commitment, or a detailed implementation discussion.

More even more important to every successful sales call, what is the client’s desired outcome? They agreed to the meeting, so they clearly have expectations. What are they? Do you know? Are you prepared to address them? Are there advocates or coaches attending that support your solution? What exactly do you think they want to learn and happen by the time you’ve wrapped up this meeting?

Because, in the final analysis, it’s all about the customer.

Getting Overlap

Once you truly know their meeting objective(s) and your own, do this. Create a simple little Venn diagram that overlaps your objectives with your client’s.

What does it look like? Does it look like this?

Or… is this more like it?

Thinking about your next upcoming sales call in this admittedly unconventional fashion can be illuminating because, with this simple exercise, you’re qualifying the opportunity. You’re estimating the customer/product fit, and determining if there is a significant gap.

Aligning Objectives

We don’t need 100% overlap, but we are striving for something close. We’re aiming for aligned goals and objectives between you and you customer.

This can be as simple as ‘they want to solve ABC problem’ and ‘your solution solves 90% of their ABC problem, plus it addresses their DEF problem, and I want to get them to understand they have both problems.’

This is a much better product/customer fit than if your objective is to get them ‘to only solve their DEF problem.’ It doesn’t mean you don’t have a legitimate sales opportunity, but it does mean your objectives are different from those of your client.

With this awareness, both of your customer’s desired outcome as well as your own, you can then begin to reconcile any gaps (or chasms) that you’ve identified.

Which is the next step. Step Two. Your sales plan and process.