This is a quote I truly believe in. Cracking that 1st meeting with the Prospect comes with rigorous follow-ups and I am sure most of us would want to make an Impact and turn around this opportunity towards deal closure. Prospect knows why he/she has given you time for the meeting and all we need to do is start the conversation with a positive mindset.
Being successful in Sales and Business development for 16 years, I am delighted to share my experiences and best practices that could help other sales people in their sales journey.( More relevant to B2B Selling)
So, Here you go..
Before the Meeting –
Research in depth: As a practice, we try to research about the client company, about the person whom we are meeting. Ensure to include information from their blogs, newsletters, product and services list from their websites, their top clients, testimonials, etc. in your research list. Also, check with friends or relatives currently or previously worked in that organisation and if possible collect information that is relevant to your product or services.
During the Meeting-
Do a quick introduction about who you are, if you are with your team let them introduce themselves.
You can include a small talk: keeping the conversation with a positive start is always important. This will keep the equation right and the client starts realising that you have done enough research for the meeting. Some examples to start a conversation –
“Your company is building some interesting Artificial intelligent technology in clinical space” what is that all about?
OR
“I understand that your company is part of a sister concern of a leading IT firm (ABC Ltd.) How has been the journey so far”
This will open the client to talk about his company and trust who does not like to talk about his/her company :). You get more internal information and insights about their organisation.
Next, Setup the agenda of the meeting –
Remember that the client has given you time and time is precious, and he really wants to know what is in for him.
- Running the Slides: Keep the slides or presentation simple, brief about the vision of your organization, where it stands and how you have grown.Offer details about your products or services, highlights benefits and advantages with some realistic figures and provide examples of how it helped other clients. You can offer some case studies for their reference later.
- Pause to take questions- Prefer Q&A towards the end of slides (presentation) that cover your complete scope of work and solutions so that there is no interruption to the important information you share during presentation.
Ask client some relevant questions –
Spend as much time as possible here as this will help you to navigate on how and where to fit your scope of work, their pain areas, and gaps. Remember to focus on key points here.
Ex: “asking how the current set-up is working for them? What are the gaps to be filled? plans to address them and how critical it is for the team.”
Some more on information gathering –
“As a part of the HR talent acquisition team, how is the hiring planned for this financial year? May I know what is the head count you are targeting?”
Under your leadership, may I know the current organisation structure? How are the people and decision making powers aligned specific to the problem your product is trying to solve?
Ask for Feedback: This will help you to know what and how much the client understood about your product or service based on the presentation you provided. Gives you an opportunity to reinstate some valuable information or correct any gaps in the information perceived by the client. Shows that you are humble and empathetic towards prospect’s need for right information.
EX: How did you like the product and services showcased?
Be a Consultant –
Showcase your expert view by providing solutions to the areas your product or services add value as the client wants his/her work to be effective and your solutions should be an ice breaker.
Ex:
Our tool helps you on board new hire details faster and more effectively, we can customise the report as per your requirements.
With our talent sourcing tool, we have our Expert team who will work closely to hire the talented candidates faster.
Conclusion –
Conclude the meeting with next steps, way forward, action plan, next meeting timelines.
Not necessarily that the deal may close the same day but concluding the meeting with next steps always helps as we agree jointly on how we move forward.
Suggestion is to discuss the commercials and pricing model in the meeting, a slight push helps at times to gauge the interest.
Offer some free advice with no expectation, it shows that you are not desperate for the business and demonstrates your expertise.
Ex: “If it suits you, as a next step, I would like to offer a trial of our services or product for a period of 15 days, and we can proceed to next steps based on your feedback”.
These are a few tips on how to conduct your first client meeting, so you rock and win the business 🙂
Happy Selling!
