đĄ Intro
Sales meetings – the pseudo space where prospects become clients and wishful thinking turns into actionable steps. Or the exact opposite happens. We never know for sure. However, we can do our best to prepare for all the things that are in our control.
đ A change in perspective
As the business world becomes more complex, the number of business representatives involved in the decision-making process increases. Several team members influence the outcome when deciding on acquiring new products or services. Therefore, a Sales Rep needs to cover more ground when researching and preparing for sales interactions.
It gets difficult to âwing itâ no matter how many years of experience you have or how well you know your market and customer profile.
â 10 steps for flawless B2B sales meetings
I had several client meetings in the last few days, and I took some time to map out all the steps I take to prepare and hold sales meetings. There is always an element of surprise when meeting new people; therefore, an open mind and some degree of flexibility should be considered for maximising results.
1. Research who you are meeting with
Before every meeting, I check the meeting invitation to see the guest list. I usually set an appointment with a Decision Maker who might add more colleagues to the meeting. I look everyone up on Social Media, especially on Linkedin. I then check to see if I can find press releases that can help me better understand the participants.
Iâm not randomly dropping information about them during our meetings, and I donât use what I find to fake connection. What interests me most is:
- What is their current role within the company â so I can customise my approach accordingly
- Where did they work before joining the company â maybe the previous employer was one of our clients, and I can mention it during our discussion as an example they can relate to.
2. Research the company they work at
I sell advertising services, so I look for ways in which our products can enhance their brand awareness, recognition or trial.
In the same way, you can look up the company and find a bridge between their business and what you are selling. This bridge helps you frame the discussion and think about how you can help.
3. Set a realistic intention for your meeting
B2B Sales are becoming more complicated with each passing year. There are more team members involved in the decision-making process for every deal, and it is pretty unrealistic to think you can win a contract from the first interaction.
Contrary to the popular sales practices, Iâm not focusing on discovery steps either because our primary products are not really meant to be customised, even though they can be in certain conditions.
I usually focus on the wow factor, catching the prospectsâ attention, keeping them engaged and giving at least one idea that suits their brand promotion goals. This final point also relates to the concept of building trust through providing value.
Some other realistic intentions to consider:
- Moving forward to the next step in your pipeline
- Finding out useful information that can help you prepare a sales pitch
- Discussing alternatives and see if you can find common business interests
- Teaching your prospects about a trend; I donât recommend focusing too much on explaining your product’s features. Iâll get back to this in step 8.
- Expanding their perspectives and help them look at something important for their business in new ways
- Positioning yourself as an expert
- Building trust
4. Give something of value: Prepare some personalised tips
In my experience, no one really cares about the company history or my career path inside the company. I get straight to the point and present those services that I think will suit the intention set previously: catch the prospectsâ attention, keep them engaged and give at least one idea that makes sense for their brand promotion goals.
I sometimes make up a story involving their brand and target group. I prefer to show them photos from our previous campaigns and share how other partners with a similar profile (industry, product and/or business practices) have benefited from using our approach.
If this doesnât apply to you, switch to finding 1-2 things you can share to help your prospect understand a trend or look at something in a new way. I recommend you discuss this with your team so you can come up with relevant and actionable ideas.
5. Donât be late
This might be a no brainer, but itâs worth mentioning. There is that saying:
| How you do anything is how you do everything.
I keep this in mind every step of the way.
This simple thing of not being late sends the message that Iâm serious regarding my proposals. If a deal happens, it suggests I can be on time both with the meeting and the deliverables.
6. Set the frame of the meeting
When the meeting starts, I always ask my prospects how would they like for the meeting to go on and offer the following options:
- I can say a few words about our services and let them choose which one should I expand on.
- They can tell me what theyâre looking for.
- We can go straight to the point if they already know our services and are interested in a particular one.
Once again, if this doesnât apply to you, you can think about other ways to set the frame. Maybe you want to ask some discovery questions, and you need to add that to the mix. Perhaps youâre dealing with prospects that have been qualified through inbound efforts, and you can focus only on a specific product. Maybe you have a compelling story you use to bridge the gap between their problem and your service. Whatever it is, the purpose of setting the frame is to manage expectations for both parties involved and give yourself the space to adjust to your client’s requests and needs from the beginning.
7. Pay attention
Some sales reps write down key points or check boxes in qualifications forms, but I prefer to pay attention to my conversation partner. I try to stay as present as possible. I think paying attention also leaves room for inspiration. I was often able to relate to some detail the prospect was sharing and build on it until it became an actual project.
8. Donât give too many details; focus on 1-2 main points
I know itâs tempting to boast about the million ways in which your product can make their lives better, but I prefer to focus only on the best one or two services. If all is well and weâve established the course of action for those 1-2 points, we can further set another meeting to discuss other potential alternatives.
No one can follow large amounts of information, and if the prospect engagement during the meeting is one of your goals, you should keep it short.
9. Write everything down in your CRM
When the meeting is over, I open up the CRM and write everything I remember. I donât get too concerned over proper writing and spelling; I just put everything down while itâs fresh in my mind, including next steps and activities to keep count of.
10. Write a follow-up
I write a follow up based on our discussion and send it as fast as possible, ideally in one hour after the discussion has taken place. This is once again a way of signalling my intentions are serious.
I include a clear call to action to keep them accountable and open the way for future touchpoints.
đ Final thoughts
We are living in a world where numerous things can go sideways. Change is inevitable, but I like to think we have some power to direct that change. Thoroughly preparing for sales meetings has proved to be an essential step in building trust and winning deals. It doesnât guarantee your success, but it can definitely make a difference in the quality of your sales interactions in the long run.