The first five minutes of an initial sales presentation is the foundation upon which all else is anchored. If a strong foundation is not built, the “house” you build on it just might collapse. Clearly, your pre-call planning should include some thought about how you want to manage the building of your relationship foundation. Here are a few components to consider:
1. Your Personal Link: The starting point begins with the establishment of good chemistry. The quickest way to that goal is to create a “personal link”. One way to do that is by creating a quick personal link. Perhaps you have a common acquaintance. Acknowledge it in a simple fashion “I understand you know John Anderson.” Or perhaps identify a shared experience. Did you both attend the same college? Do your kids go to the same school? Are you both from the same state? In most cases, you will discover that you are no more than “two or three degrees” from most people you meet within your same industry. Another great link could be the mention of something relating to his company. Perhaps their quarterly reports were above Wall Street expectations, or they are building a new plant. Always make sure it is a positive connection. And by all means, keep these “personal links” short and sweet. Then move on to…
2. Set the agenda: Remind the prospect of the stated objective for the meeting, and confirm the client’s agreement. In addition, try to get the prospect to “fill in some details” by asking open-ended questions (those that cannot be answered with yes or no). This assures that both you and your client are aligned, and that you will be addressing the content you both expect. Once done, move toward the…
3. Positioning statement. If you've never done business with this prospect before, you may need to establish your credibility thru a positioning statement. These vary depending on the context of the meeting. You might need to introduce your organization. Or shift your current client's perception of your capabilities. Again, keep it short and focused. Avoid too much detail on the history of your company, or product details. This step is still about establishing a firm foundation for the relationship. Then head into…
4. Story time. Nothing helps clarify your objective and pull in your prospect better than an image-setting anecdote. Illustrate what other non-competing clients who needed to address a similar challenge, or objective. Again, these are short stories. Your goal here is merely to stimulate some thought about the objective, and alternate methods of addressing it. It also serves to open up the conversation so that he will be comfortable sharing feedback with you that will help the process. Then…
5. Ask the big question. Everything to this point more firmly establishes the foundation, leading the prospect to uncover more of their needs, strengthening your ability to close later in the call.
Handled properly, all this takes about five minutes, and establishes a firm foundation for the main thrust of the call; discussing the product or service you are selling, and how it can benefit his organization.
Rule No. 1: Use your own good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules." --John Nordstrom, CEO, Nordstrom’s