Good planning leads to good results

Techniques. Updates. Advice.

Good planning leads to good results

By Jill Van Dierendonck, JMV Communications

“The best way to maximize your success on your next sales call is to plan ahead,” says Charlotte Landram, a highly successful leader of sales organizations, professional coach, and founder of High Impact Training & Coaching Systems in Phoenix. “All those cliché makers are really right: If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. Planning is paramount. Do your homework.1 Be prepared, or be prepared to lose to someone more prepared than you.2

Constructing a sales call plan and working through a handful of steps before you pick up the phone to set an appointment will help you achieve significantly better results, time and again, says Landram.

Let’s start planning!

Build a profile of your best client/customer. If you’re artistic, maybe you’d like to start with a sketch. If you tend to think a bit more linearly, jot down the qualities, characteristics, demographics and psychographics of your ideal customer(s). Who are the people who need your product or service? Who are the people you can help? Who is in the best position to say, “Yes, I’m glad you called today; I think you can help us out.”

Landram’s coaching tips:

Here’s an example of an ideal client profile for someone who sells copiers:

A company that has old equipment or one that will need to purchase replacements within the next six-12 months.
Someone who has purchased products from your company in the past.
A firm that has a budget to purchase equipment.
Someone who is ethical and easy to do business with.

“Remember the advice I learned from one of my mentors, Bob Law,” says Landram. “’If you’re barking up the wrong tree, more yelp won’t help.’ In other words, having a clear profile of the best potential client for your product will reduce wasted effort and time on your part.

“If you are selling in a large territory with a large population of potential prospects your ideal client profile needs to be very specific,” Landram adds. “If, on the other hand, you have a limited number of potential clients, you can construct a broader profile.”

Create a target list based on this profile. Where do your best prospects live/work? Where exactly should you spend time looking for your ideal customers? The length and depth of your list will vary depending on your specific sales objectives and market, but you want to make this list as air-tight as possible. Make sure you’re compiling accurate information. There’s no sense wasting time with phone numbers, addresses and other pieces of information that are incorrect. Are you going to have to work with others to reach your actual prospect? If so, how can you best involve them to help you get to your decision maker?

Landram’s coaching tips:

Take time to brainstorm ideas of where you will find these potential purchasers.

“Ask yourself how you can best compile this list,” Landram says. “Past and current clients can be helpful, or maybe your company even generates leads lists for you. You can also do research and find solid contacts at industry meetings, trade shows and conventions. Mailing lists are another option.”

Gather useful information on your prospective client/customer. Google away! With so much information on individuals and organizations easily available on your desktop or Palm, there’s no excuse for failing to complete this step. Is your prospect currently using your product/service in any way? Are they working with a competitor? How much potential volume/revenue/market share do they represent? What can you learn about your customer’s company operations, or their industry sector? Has your prospect ever done business with your company before? All this information will help you prepare thoughtful, meaningful questions to ask…and even suggest possible solutions your prospect might not have considered prior to your call. By the way…this type of research is an everyday priority for the best sales professionals because it enables them to continually offer proactive advice and solutions to their clients. It’s a bit like using “insider” information in a completely legal and advantageous way.

Landram’s coaching tips:

“Researching the answers to the questions above will prevent you from wasting valuable selling time,” Landram notes. “Learn to sell better by learning from my mistakes!

“Once I invited my sales manager to join me on a call with a top prospect. I failed to do my pre-call research. During the entire lunch meeting I tried to shove our products and services down his throat. He wasn’t buying. His business model didn’t require any of what I had to offer that day. Of course my sales manager picked up on my mistake right away. Needless to say, I didn’t get the sale. My sales manager, however, to my embarrassment, had a story to use with all future sales representatives on the team on what not to do,” Landram says.

Script a perfect outcome for your sales call. What do you really want to accomplish with this appointment? Of course you want to make a sale – or lots of them…but this may not be your best objective for an initial call. Here’s where purpose and planning can really set you apart from your competitors. When you have a very clear idea of what you’d like to accomplish, you can much better prepare information for your client and respond to questions or objections. And, remember, doing less on a first call may be your best long-term strategy. What’s the old saying? ‘Leave ‘em wanting a little more…’

Landram’s coaching tips:

Here are some examples of ideal outcomes for a meeting:

Obtaining a referral to another prospect
Learning your prospect’s top three objectives for next quarter
Scheduling a follow-up presentation on the specific products or services your prospect is interested in
Closing a sale

“If you fail to identify the ideal outcome for the meeting, you are more likely to leave the call with nothing accomplished -- and no momentum to move the relationship along,” explains Landram. “If you regularly think up reasons to contact a stale prospect, you probably make this mistake often.”

Draft a short set of probing questions. You’re in front of your prospective customer. You’ve listened. You’ve presented. You’ve said all the right things…and all of a sudden, there’s a lull in the conversation. Everything is going well, but you haven’t quite met your call objective. How do you get things rolling again on the right track? Here’s where you turn to a couple topic areas you’ve pre-planned. “Tell me more about x…; how did you make the decision to expand in that area?” “What other concerns do you have about y?” “Has your company faced a similar situation in the past…and if so, how did you work through it?” Probing questions shouldn’t be difficult to ask as long as you’ve done your homework to this point.

Landram’s coaching tips:

“Constructing a list of questions geared toward the ideal outcome will help you refocus your sales call should you begin discussing non-related matters, such as personal chit-chat,” Landram advises. “However, if your conversation is focused on your prospect’s business questions, remain flexible. Here’s where having a master’s familiarity with your company’s products and services it so vital,” Landram adds. “You have to be in a position to address your prospect’s specific needs – even if they ask about a solution you didn’t at first prepare for.

“Also, be sure to listen first and ask questions second,” Landram coaches. “I’ve observed sales people so consumed with asking all the questions on their pre-written list that they made the huge mistake of asking a list question that was irrelevant -- or even worse, one that the prospect answered earlier,” she notes.

Put this five-step plan into action today…and get ready to maximize your results on every call and appointment!

1 Thanks, mom and dad.
2 Thanks, Jeffrey Gitomer, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers

A handy checklist
What have I forgotten?

Are you really ready for your sales call? Or, do you find yourself breaking out in a sweat because you’re working your ‘parking lot plan’?

Check off the following reminders, take a couple deep breaths…and go help your newest client be more successful!

Have you confirmed your appointment? You and your client are clear on your meeting place and time, correct?
Have you allowed enough time in your schedule to arrive early – but not too early? Do you have an opportunity to orient yourself to the meeting location?
Have you verified you have the correct address and directions? If you’re using a map, GPS, or a friend’s directions, can you count on them?
Have you done everything possible to create an environment for a successful sales call? Will your meeting place be free of distractions – for both of you?
Have you done everything you can to prepare?