So you got that the coveted meeting you’ve been trying to get for some time now. But the work is just getting started. And as a sales professional, the end responsibility of the sales call is your responsibility, no matter how technical or senior anyone in your meeting is. Below are four scenarios that you as a sales professional will face and how to master them.
I. Tackling the Joint Sales Call
Complex selling solutions involve the participation of various experts and specialists, resulting in a wonderful amalgamation of influence and credibility to present your customer with. This combination however, is not always a winning formula in a sales call. The experts may be good at the technical aspects but selling is not it. Then, the burden falls on you, the sales person, to coach them and educate them before meeting the customers, so everyone can bring their strengths to the table.
Magical phrases that work:
1. Inform them of the power they have over the customer.
“The prospect is liable to take your words as the ultimate truth”
2. Caution them against taking things lightly
“Avoid using flippant words or remarks that might get misconstrued”
3. Ask them to not overload the customer with technical details
“Reassure them ,don’t lecture or educate them”
4. Ask them to be respectful of the competition in their criticism
“We do not ascribe to similar methods”
5. Caution them about saying anything against the company they represent, even in jest.
“We need to be careful about what we speak, even in the lift or restaurant, while it looks like an informal setting, it is anything but, and any jokes about the product or people might be misinterpreted”
II. Saving the meeting from taking a Nosedive
Sometimes a prospect gets distracted, overwhelmed or simply becomes uninterested and you can see the sale getting away from you. Before you panic and reach the throes of desperation, you can always use this technique to change the mood or shift gears again:
Ask a thought provoking question.
Something a bit on the nose to find out their goals. You could probably use a phrase such as:
“Mr. Prospect, Let me ask you a question. If you had a Magic Wand, what would you like to see happen?”
There. Magic your way into their imagination where things happen as per their desire, giving a clear picture of the outcome they hope to have and the irritants they hope to vanish. It will definitely uplift the mood and you may find that the sale is back on track.
III. Selling to the creme de la creme
As easy as I am making this sound, this phrase will only work with middle level management. Selling to Senior Executives requires a more tactical approach as you cannot barge through the door asking “probing questions”. There are ways to win over the confidence of the top executives and learn about their prime concerns, and those ways are as follows:
1. Tell them that you Understand their World
Get to the meat of the matter right after the handshake and a little bit of small talk. Any presentation that you need to give should be short and should cover only the big topics. Use phrases such as “since we do not have much time, I’d like to speak to you a bit about what other top executives who have worked with us, have found important”
2. Find out their biggest concern
There are ways of sleuthing without outright asking them their priorities. You can have them disclose their priorities by providing them with different options and pick out one. It can be any three stories or options depending upon your solutions but kept short, easy to understand and must carry their weight. As quickly as you can in the meeting, use phrases such as
- As we look to the near future, perhaps the next quarter or so, there are three areas at least in which we can help you in a more cost effective and leveraged way
- If you allow me, I’d like to give you a quick overview of three different ways we are helping companies that are similar to yours. We can then discuss more specifics if you are interested
IV. Selling in a Mixed Meeting
Getting into a meeting with executives, each of them heading a department? Tough luck. Well, the good part is, everyone who will have a role, if the sale goes through, will be there. The bad part? Everyone will be there.
Which means different interests, mindsets and priorities. So how do we handle this curve ball?
1. Engage with the Captain of the ship
This is the business executive in the room who was most difficult to get a hold of. Their interest is fleeting as compared to the others who will probably be daily involved. This person will have less technical knowledge than others but have more company related information such as upcoming changes, announcements, competitor or industry trends etc. it is thus essential to hold their attention to get to the crux of the matter.
2. Direct Contact
This is the harried day to day person who is most probably your direct contact. This is the person you already have established some relationship with and is also the person who probably made this meeting happen. While the Captain looks on from a strategic high point, this person is dealing with daily business life and managing the highs and lows. You need to gauge the dynamic between this person and the top exec. They most probably risked quite a lot for setting up this meeting and should be given the due credit.
3. Technical Evaluator
This is the technical expert who is called to see the value of the product or service being sold to the company. Their main job in the room is to protect the company from fast talking sales people. This person may be your friend or foe, keeping in mind that they do not get much time with the captain and may take this opportunity to impress him/her which may come at your cost.
The above scenarios will cover most of the meetings you’ll encounter as a sales person. Gauge the meeting type and practice the content to evolve your meeting skills.
