During the recent client workshop, an interesting conversation emerged. Frankly, it is one of many on this topic I have had during my career, especially over the past years since I worked as a sales advisor, mentor, and coach.
The subject of the particular workshop was preparation for client meetings. We started with Q&A on practical challenges the sales team faces in their client interactions, followed by a debriefing of a real-life case.
“The meeting was great, the buyer was very interested, and we stayed together longer than planned; good buying signal.” was the opening statement by the seller presenting the case.
Great, what was the goal of the meeting?
“We wanted to position ourselves as strategic partners.” proudly answered the seller. And what was the buyer’s expectation for that meeting?
This is where things got a bit complicated.
We looked at the (unwritten) meeting plan and actual meeting flow and roughly estimated the conversation time split between the seller and buyer talking ratio. Apart from the ice-breaking and introductions, the buyer was bearly speaking. Next steps agreed: seller to send the presentation and some extra materials…
It quickly became apparent that we had a presentation, not a conversation. It is all right, we sometimes have to or even want to present, but we should never deliver a presentation without having a conversation.
The seller prepared for the meeting, investing significant time in delivering the content. Little or no time was invested in preparing for a conversation. Let me explain the “little” part first. It was all about avoiding difficult questions rather than how to answer them. Yes, we sometimes face situations where answering difficult questions is part of our job. Why not prepare?
We continued our discussion and sketched out a meeting preparation checklist:
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- The opening statement with the mutually agreed meeting goal (end in mind).
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- The questions we want to ask prospective buyers in order of priority.
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- The questions buyers might ask us during the meeting.
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- The possible next steps if we achieve the mutually agreed goal of this meeting?
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- The “draft” meeting plan is sent to a prospective buyer for comments and suggestions before the appointment.
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- The internal role-play of the meeting with the leader or a colleague.
“But this is too much work; we don’t have time to prepare; we have to spend more time with our customers.”
Why are preparations and rehearsals natural to sports professionals, pilots, firefighters, musicians, and many other professions but rarely practiced in sales?
What is your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!