Sales & Sales Management Brew

Most, if not all, sales people would like to close more business, more quickly, at higher margins.  Most, if not all, sales people attempt to do that at the closing presentation or proposal meeting.  That is the wrong end of the problem if you find that you are getting put offs and ‘think it overs' after you've presented.

In our sales training classes, we discuss two very important concepts that, when executed, create more sales, more quickly at higher margins.  The one concept covered today is the ‘pre-call' strategy session.  The pre-call strategy session consists of the following 4 mini-strategies:

1. Know what questions you will ask and the expected response.  Make sure that you've done some research (don't spend more than 5 to 10 minutes on the internet or searching resources for your research}.  These questions must be designed to get the prospect to say or verbalize exactly what you want to hear relative to severe mental anguish.
2. Anticipate what questions the prospect will ask and practice your ‘counter questions'.  Remember sales 101?  Answer questions with a question.  Your response isn't always a direct question but certainly you need to find out the question behind the question.
3. Anticipate the curve balls that the prospect may throw you.  This is especially true if you are getting ready for your closing presentation and when you get there, the decision maker is not going to be attending.  What will you do?
4. Role play.  You should decide well in advance that any sales opportunity that exceeds a certain dollar amount will be subject to intense role play and strategy development prior to you presenting.

Usually newer people to sales don't have a problem with this sequence. They are new, they know they don't know it all and so they accept this direction like a sponge.  It is the ‘veterans' of selling that typically feel like they are beyond this type of process because ‘they've been doing this for so many years and know what they are doing'.  Try telling that to Tiger as he's going through his practice rounds prior to any tournament.