The Most Effective Way to Begin a Sales Meeting

Posted in Art of conversation, Discipline, Qualifying, Re-setting expectations, Sales, Toolkit on May 1st, 2012

Ever had a “groundhog day” sales meeting? You walk away thinking; “Damn, we already had this meeting…we haven’t moved forward. Same old stuff.” We have all made this mistake. Part of it is just plain preparation and being clear on the agenda. But that’s not all. There are two tactics that high-performing sales professionals use consistently; the purpose, benefit, check and pivots. The purpose, benefit, check is the way EVERY sales meeting should open:

“The purpose of our meeting today is to discuss your sales toolkit and how it supports your sales process.

I think this will provide you with a strong sense of how the toolkit could be enhanced to strengthen the sales team (benefit).

How does that sound (check)?

The “PBC” gives you three critical things: aligns your prospect’s expectations with your own, demonstrates that you are prepared and organized, and shows respect for your prospect’s time.

It also points your body down the hill. (What does that mean?) In giant slalom skiing, the racers fly through the gates at high speed. But if you watch them closely, you will notice that their bodies are pointed at the finish line, even as they are subtly shifting their weight to pivot around the next gate. Just like high-performing sales people, skiers know they have to hit all of the gates. They know they can’t miss even one. And they know they have to do this as fast as they possibly can.

Pivots are the same. As mentioned in previous posts, pivots are the transitions you make in a sales meeting to ensure that you are tackling your own objectives. If it is a qualifying conversation (is there any other type?), you are pivoting from budget to timeline, from timeline to decision-makers, and so on. In my experience, sales professionals can make 3 to 4 clean pivots in a sales meeting, and when they do, they walk out having significantly moved the situation forward.

Every sales meeting should be going somewhere. You determine where you want it to go and then you set the course (PBC), pivoting through the gates to get there. As fast as you can.

Have you used “purpose, benefit, check” in a sales meeting? How did it go? Was the meeting more effective because you initiated this process? Let us know via Twitter! (You can also follow Sales Engine CEO, Craig Wortmann, directly!)

Re-setting expectations

Posted in Closing, Re-setting expectations, Sales, Toolkit on February 1st, 2011

Most sales processes end at the “close.” But that’s like running a race without first tying your shoes. The final step of the sales process – after the close – is “re-setting expectations.” This is the critical step where the hand-offs are made and the client is crystal clear on what she’s getting and what she’s not getting.

If sales people view the close as the final step, this causes them to take their focus off of a smooth transition. But if they view the close as the penultimate step leading to a well-structured expectations conversation, their “prospects” will be more successful through the journey from “client” to “success story” and finally to “reference.”

Re-setting expectations is the responsibility of sales. At this early point in the relationship, the sales person holds the history of the relationship to date in his head. He knows the uniquenesses, the nuances. And he is the person best-positioned to make a clean hand-off to the rest of the team.

This step of the sales process is usually left out, causing the new client to have to re-trace her steps and educate a new group of people (best case) or get quickly down the wrong path leading to failure (worst case).