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The Sales Evangelist

TSE 212: Sales From The Street-"Sales Appointment Preparation" Doing the sales presentation is only the second half of the presentation battle. Preparing for it is the critical first half.

How well do you come prepared for every sales call?

Today’s guest, Brian Higgins will show you the key points to help you come prepared for each sales call and take that next step to closing your sale.

Being in corporate America for 17 years, Bryan has rebuilt 7-8 sales teams in that course of time. He is also a certified coach and he is in constant search of new, out-of-the-box ideas. In the past 12 months, Bryan has finally made the leap to open his own sales consulting and training company with more focus on the tech space.

Here are the highlights of my conversation with Bryan:

Bryan’s philosophy before meeting or calling a prospect:

  1. Know WHO you’re calling.
  2. Know WHAT makes them tick.
  3. Know WHY you need to be talking to them.
  4. Know the person’s industry, the title of the person you’re talking to, and the organization as a whole.

Learning points from Bryan’s blog post The 7-Point Checklist for Sales Appointment Preparation

  1. Research

Get data from the people you get on the phone (receptionist, etc.). Speak their language. Get the research down. Know your competition. Figure out what’s going to make them tick. Determine what path to go on and line up your resources as you go. Make cold calls first thing in the morning.

  • Are your customers able to buy?
  • Do they have the power to make that decision?
  • What does the organization consist of?
  • Is there an opportunity for cross-selling or strategic long-term plays?
  • Look at the whole picture.
  • Talk to as many people in that same organization before moving on to the next one.
  • Qualify your customers.
  • Everybody is going to be a source of information for your prospect.
  1. Understand business objectives

Have an idea of your prospect’s business objectives to gain their trust and that will give you credibility.

Have a post-game analysis after every interaction with a customer:

  • What did you do well?
  • What to do differently next time?
  1. Strengths & 4. Weakness
  • Know what’s going to help you close the sale faster.
  • Know what’s important to your customer.
  • Check out the Charlie App that allows you to search your prospect prior to the meeting and pulls in the prospect’s social media profiles, Google information, news, and other data about the company and the person to give you some talking points
  • Other apps you can check out: Refresh App & LinkedIn Connected
  1. Plan your presentation.
  • Target your presentation towards them.
  • Make sure you have their interests in mind.
  • Convey professionalism.
  1. Prepare your presentation.
  • Have a clear, thought-out presentation with an opening, a middle, and a closing.
  • Make trial closes throughout the process to prepare you to close the deal later and flush out any objections during the process.
  • Have a presentation format that allows you to ebb and flow with the meeting.
  1. Set up for presentation.
  • End each day with preparing for your following day and make this a HABIT
  • Make sure you brought everything you need.
  • Be aware of everyone that’s going to be in the meeting and prepare an agenda for each of them that makes them realize you understand them and their needs.

Bryans Major Takeaway:

“Be prepared. You may only have one shot so you want to professionally convey that your product is the best for them (if it is) and gain the knowledge and information you need to close the sale. Become a doctor of sales.”

Current projects Bryan is working on:

Bryan is presently investing on The Alternative Board (TAB)  that provides private business coaching and advisory board services.

Episode Resources:

Visit Bryan’s website www.mysalesmatter.com

Read Bryan’s blog: http://www.mysalesmatter.com/blog

The 7-Point Checklist for Sales Appointment Preparation

Shout out to Jason Tripp!

Connect with Bryan on LinkedIn and on Twitter @salesmatterllc

Check out The Alternative Board

Connect with Jason Tripp (https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jason-tripp/21/43b/236)

 

Jason Tripp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cool tools to make a killer first impression!

Charlie App

Refresh App

LinkedIn Connected

Check Out TSE Hustler’s League

The Sales Evangelist, Donald Kelly, Donald C. Kelly

 

About the Author The Sales Evangelist

Donald is the host of the popular sales podcast,"The Sales Evangelist". He is the founder of The Sales Evangelist Consulting Firm where he helps small companies develop killer sales process to scale their business and increase growth.

Donald is also an award-winning speaker, sales trainer, and coach. He's a big fan of traveling, South Florida staycations and high-quality family time. Donald has a belief that “anyone” can sell if they have the desire and receives the proper training.

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