Every time you have a sales call scheduled with a new sales prospect, treat it like a golden opportunity.
Because, in fact, this first sales call could be a golden opportunity for you. What if your new sales prospect has the potential to become your biggest customer?
How much would the lifetime value of your largest customer be?
Here are seven things to do before calling every new sales prospect.
What you should do #1:
Be sure to do your homework and that means making Google your first stop. Do a search by the name of the person, the name of the company, and the name of their best-selling product. You may be surprised with the results you get.
Thing you should do #2:
Now this is a small thing that can have a big impact. It can create a powerful first impression for you.
Go to an office supply store and buy a dozen red folders. While in the store, purchase Avery #8366 which are white file folder labels. Prepare a name tag for your new sales prospect.
Imagine your potential customer’s reaction to seeing your name on this red folder. You’ll immediately find yourself professional, organized, successful, and different from most other salespeople you’ve experienced in the past.
A small thing with a big impact.
Thing you should do #3:
You should have a written sales call objective for your first sales call. Your written objectives for this sales call may include: building rapport, establishing credibility, asking 3-5 open-ended questions, identifying a common interest you share, and securing an agreement for your second meeting.
Your written sales call objectives will scream “Professionalism.” On the contrary, most sellers arrive as a tourist simply enjoying the sights: shame on the poor sales prospect that has to put up with this display of mediocrity.
What you should do #4:
To get the ball rolling, build a relationship, and establish credibility, I suggest you prepare and practice 3-5 open-ended questions.
Nothing shows your interest more than the questions you ask, so make sure you ask good questions.
You can start with… tell me about your business… what are your responsibilities… besides you, who else is involved in making decisions for… what are the biggest challenges you face in growing your business ?
Once again, asking these questions will demonstrate your interest and professionalism and will set you apart from most salespeople.
Thing you should do #5:
If you like to play the game of phone tag, you can immediately skip to #6. It’s absolutely amazing how many salespeople refuse to secure a meeting time and date for the second meeting.
Once you’ve qualified your sales prospect as a lead, don’t forget and never hesitate to ask for the second meeting. Don’t try to improvise. Prepare yourself and practice how you will request the second meeting.
Thing you should do #6:
The following is especially important if you are a serious person. Before you get out of your car, check your rearview mirror to make sure you’re smiling.
Trust me, when you’re stuck in traffic, you’re a little late, you just finished a phone call with a disgruntled customer, don’t think you have a happy face. Look at your mirror to check your smile.
What you should do #7:
Try this statement for size “This will be my best sales call for a new sales prospect.”
Immediately after checking to make sure you are smiling, saying this affirmation fills your mind with positive thoughts and words that remove any possible negativity.
You may not realize this, but you are in full control of your thoughts. And of course you know how you think everything is!
There is a big difference between self-doubt and self-confidence and both are controlled by your thoughts.
This affirmation creates the perfect mindset for a very successful sales call.
Try it once and you will see how much better you feel.
Now you know the 7 things you need to do to prepare for your first sales call. Believe it or not, you now have a 7-point system for making sales calls to new prospects.
Use this system to make each sales call better than the last.
Let’s sell something…