You just finished a sales call and are leaving the prospect's office.  What are the conversations you have with your associate?  Do you ask each other questions like "Was it a good call?", "Was it a bad call?", "Did we accomplish our objectives?" or "What is the next step?"

In the most recent edition of Fast Company magazine, Chip and Dan Heath write about the importance of "watching the game film."  They emphasize that football coaches spend hours pouring over the film of a 60-minute game, yet in the business world such a review is extremely rare.  According to the authors, this is unfortunate because studying the "game film" can yield unexpected insights.

In sales, the Post Call Debrief is our opportunity to "review the game film."  We can determine what we did well, what we did not so well and what areas we need to improve.  Unfortunately, we are often so busy that we do not give the proper amount of time and attention to this debrief.

You might be asking yourself, "What are some of the questions we should be asking ourselves in the Post Call Debrief?"  Here are 10 suggestions:

1. Did we accomplish the goal we outlined in our pre-call plan?
2. Does the prospect fit our target market?
3. Is it truly an opportunity?
4. What are the compelling reasons for the prospect to make a change?
5. Is the prospect prepared to invest time, money and resources to make a change?
6. What did we find out about our competition?
7. What did we find out about the incumbent's relationship with the prospect?
8. What is the prospect's sense of urgency to act?
9. Do we understand the decision making process?
10. What is our mutually agreed upon next step with this prospect?

The football coach watches the game film so he can gain insights on how his team can continue to improve and how to prepare the team for the next game.  As a salesperson, you should use the Post Call Debrief for the very same reason, gaining valuable insights into your improvement and preparation.

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