| There’s an old adage that children and animals can both smell fear. We think it is every bit as true for buyers. When you show up to a sales call or client meeting and you “need the sale,” you are already half DOA. You have to get your head right before you enter the conversation so that you are sending out the right messages both consciously and unconsciously. This is all to say: if you show up to the sale needy, you might not close the big deal.So while we’re all hungry to make the sale, it’s important to stock up beforehand — and that means doing your research so you come to the table ready to have a conversation, not a manhunt.
Here’s what you can do before and during a mega sale meeting to ensure smooth sailing — and a better chance at closing the deal.
1 Focus on Solving Their Problem
Frame your work as solving, not selling. It’s about their issues, not your product or service, and this is top of the list because it endures as one of the most convincing sales techniques. Remember, they are qualifying to do business with you, not the other way around, so it’s in your best interest to craft solutions that directly address their needs.
2 Come Prepared with Questions
Come with questions ready and make certain to get them answered. You should go in set to have a conversation but also know what you need answered. Beforehand, you can even lightly role play out the big meeting so that you are ready for all the ways in which the dialogue may pivot.
3 Lead the Process, Don’t Follow
The second you are in the back seat, your chance of closing a big sale goes down because you won’t be in the position of power. Lead, don’t follow: this means letting the buyer know what happens next in your process of evaluating their needs, establishing a working proposal, and doing business together, not asking “What are the next steps?” The buyer also wants to know that they are working with legitimate leaders, so prove to them that is so.
4 Do Your Research
The buyer is looking to you as they are overcoming obstacles, otherwise they probably wouldn’t be in a position to sell. If you do your research, you seem more informed, engaged, and prepared to take on their business and fix their issues. If the sale for the sake of money is all you’re interested in, your buyer will smell that and won’t feel like their business is in good hands.
5 It is Okay to Want the Business
Wanting is a key part of doing business — without it, a meeting or negotiation would feel lifeless. You should express a great want so your buyer feels your energy and understands your passion, but tread the line carefully: want the business, just don’t need it.
Hungry to close the big deal but are afraid of how to approach the meeting? We have tried and true techniques that help companies up their market value by strengthening their sales teams. Get in touch to see how we can make you a more effective, efficient sales leader in today’s global economy. |
