Sales Call Excellence
September 14, 2021
Pandemic Prospection Series
Picture yourself prospecting and asking for an appointment. You ask for the meeting something like this: “How does next Tuesday look on your schedule; can we say 2pm?”
Three types of meetings can result from asking for appointments:
Virtual
Phone
Face-to-Face
Here are tips to accomplish just that:
Virtual Meetings
A clear challenge in conducting a virtual meeting is coming across as confident, authentic, and trustworthy when you can’t be physically present. But this can be accomplished with the right planning, a strong sales narrative and visual cues to elevate your virtual presence.
Consider these best practices as you prepare for your next virtual meeting:
Always have a welcome page and agenda when your prospect enters the meeting. This will reassure your prospect they are in the right place. Displaying the agenda reminds them of the purpose of the meeting and you can use the welcome page to include your logo AND the prospect’s logo, adding personalization.
Open your presentation and documents so you are ready to share. Your prospect doesn’t want to wait around while you fumble to find the right documents at the start of the meeting. Make sure you have all of the presentations and documents you want to share open and ready to go.
Make a smooth transition from small talk to the purpose of the meeting. Knowing when you should “get down to business” and move on from small talk (or trust talk) can be tricky. There’s no need to rush but you’ll put everyone at ease if you control the flow and navigate this transition smoothly.
Engage your prospects through annotation. Collaboration is key when it comes to engaging your prospect during a virtual meeting. You can use the annotation feature in your meeting software to get your prospect’s attention and ask them to change or clarify whatever you’re showing on the screen.
2. Phone Meetings
Are you running into some prospects that are simply burned out on virtual meetings? Could they have a case of ‘Zoom Gloom?’ A phone meeting is still a meeting and it drives new business. It may not beideal, but don’t let that stop you from using the phone as a virtual selling tool.
That said, not having any visual cues presents a challenge when you can’t show and tell or read their body language. To help you make the most of your phone meetings, consider these best practices:
Send a visual. Since your prospect won’t be looking at your screen like they would in a virtual meeting, send something via email right before the call. That could be a company overview, e-brochure, or snapshots/ pictures of your work. It’s important to give them something to look at so you both have a reference point.
•Maximize the power of the phone. A huge advantage of talking by phone is you can avoid the feeling of your brain being on overdrive like it can feel on a video call — multi-tasking, searching for body language clues and missing the eye contact. We can just talk, ask and listen carefully, really hearing a person’s tone of voice. Lean into the power of the phone and the advantage of being fully present. Relax and create an engaging conversation.
Follow up with a video. Personalized videos have power. This cannot be stressed enough; especially for those prospects who preferred a phone meeting. Utilize a program like Vidyard or Soapbox. Grab a white board, write your prospect’s name on it and record a 45 second to one minute video to say thank you and share a final thought. If you felt you were not able to convey your enthusiasm and genuine interest over the phone, this video will do the trick!
3. Face-to-Face Meetings
Your face-to-face meetings may be few and far between these days, so you want to be well prepared for these meetings if you are able to secure them.
Consider these things before you go on your next in-person meeting:
Confirm any safety protocols before you get to the office or facility. After confirming your onsite “Tuesday at 2pm” meeting, ask a couple questions such as: “Do I need to go through a special entrance?” “Do I need to sign a waiver before arriving?” “Are there any safety protocols I can be aware of so that I’m respectful of your staff’s preferences?” Come assuming you’ll wear a mask and follow their lead on comfort level. The key thing here is to understand the rules of conduct for outside visitors and to be respectful of those rules.
Have printed and electronic options. Bring your laptop to share any visuals just in case handouts are not permitted. As much as possible, plan well in advance and be ready for anything!
Smile and express your gratitude for this much needed personal interaction. By agreeing to this meeting they have demonstrated they value you. And by sitting down with a customer or prospect in person, you have demonstrated you value their business. That’s a win for everyone.
So go ahead…keep on dialing and asking for appointments. Be flexible and respectful in your quest to secure one of the three types of meetings. All will bring you one step closer to achieving your sales goals and financial goals, both now and in the months and years to come.
Much prospecting success to you!
AI has changed how sales professionals prepare. In minutes, industry specific AI tools can help you research a company, understand an industry, organize your thoughts, and generate questions for an upcoming meeting including targeted categories. That is a real advantage. But it can also create a dangerous feeling: I already know this customer. You read the website. You scan recent news. You review a few LinkedIn profiles. You uncover lease renewal or contract renewal dates. And then, AI gives you a polished summary of the company’s likely priorities and challenges. The problem? “Likely” can quickly start to feel like “true.” AI should prepare you for discovery. It should never do the discovering for you. Here are five ways to use AI without losing the curiosity that makes great selling work. 1. Use AI to Prepare AI is excellent at helping you get ready. Use it to research companies and industries, brainstorm questions, organize your thoughts, identify possible decision-makers, and spot blind spots. Used well, AI saves time and helps you enter the conversation more informed. Try this prompt: “I’m preparing for a first meeting with [company name]. Using publicly available information, give me a brief overview of the business, three possible priorities or challenges, and three thoughtful discovery questions.” But preparation is only the starting point. The goal is not to prove how much you know. It is to learn what you do not know. 2. Watch Where AI Can Fool You AI can make assumptions sound like facts. It can also be incomplete, outdated, or simply wrong. Even accurate information can lead to the wrong conclusion. A company may be expanding, but growth may not be the customer’s biggest concern. The real issue could be staffing, service, cost control, or the time lost managing too many vendors. The danger is not using AI. The danger is believing you have learned everything before meeting the customer. Preparation should increase your curiosity, not replace it. 3. Remember: Curiosity Cannot Be Automated AI can tell you what a company does, what happened recently, and what trends may affect its industry. Only a real conversation can uncover why the customer is considering a change now, what is frustrating them, what success looks like, and what they are worried could go wrong. Use your research to open the conversation, not control it. 4. Ask the Questions AI Cannot Answer AI can suggest questions. The art of selling is knowing what to ask next. Try: “How did you decide on ….?” “Had we not called, what were you already planning to do about ______?” “What have you already tried?” “If you were sitting in a review six months from now, having personally made a significant impact on the business, what would success look like for you?” “What happens if nothing changes?” These questions move the conversation beyond surface-level pain. They also help you avoid pouncing too quickly. Whether the customer mentions delivery, cost, service, or vendor consolidation, slow down. The first answer is rarely the full answer. Ask one more question before offering one more solution. 5. Do Not Outsource Your Curiosity Everyone has access to similar AI tools. Not everyone listens well. Not everyone notices hesitation, follows an unexpected comment, or stays with an issue long enough to uncover what really matters. That is still your competitive advantage. Use AI to prepare, broaden your thinking, and identify what you may be missing. Then put it away and be fully present. Before your next customer conversation, challenge yourself to do three things: Prepare with AI. Verify with the customer. Ask one more question before offering a solution. Do not simply work through a list of AI-generated questions. Listen to the answer and follow where it leads. The question you did not plan to ask may be the one that uncovers the real opportunity. The more powerful AI becomes, the more valuable human curiosity becomes. AI can help you enter the conversation more informed. Your next move is to stay curious long enough to leave the conversation with a better understanding.
Here’s a simple guide to recognizing four common customer speeds and how to adjust your approach.
