Appointment Call Preparation

Keeping the Appointment

HOW DO I GET THE APPOINTMENT TO STICK? Once you’ve got it … KEEP IT!

• Send a note or fax or email after you set the appointment to confirm

• Drop a voicemail after hours the night before the appointment

• Ask your prospect to write it in his/her calendar (“Do you have your calendar out?”) Spell your name for him/her as he/she is putting the appointment on the calendar.

APPOINTMENT CALL PREPARATION

Why Prepare?

• Obtain ROI from appointment • Arm yourself with relevant

information• Add value• Conduct an effective meeting• Position as consultant• Have evidence and material needed

When to Prepare?

• Schedule time weekly

• Plan on 15 minutes of preparation per appointment

How to Prepare

• Corporate Website– Scan: Mission, Current News etc.

• www.indeed.com• Online Job Boards• Search our RDB• Google News Search• Cb source

SALES CALL PROCESS OVERVIEW

Sales Call Process

• Earn the Right• Find the Need: Data Gather• Create the Need• Sell Solution• Recap• Costs & Getting Started• Close!

INTRODUCTION: Earn The Right

First Impressions

• First impressions make a lasting impression!

• Statistics show that judgments of character are made during the first 60 seconds of initial contact.

• Your ETR will help you close the deal if you make a good first impression.

Earn The Right

• Goal – Ensure thoughtful thorough answers

• Why is this important?– Questions you ask & information you

receive from your VITO directly correlate to the strength of ETR

• Key components1. Credibility in company2. Credibility in self3. Commitment to the time and process

• Anticipate Objections– Time– Answering questions

Earn the Right

– I’m glad we took the time to meet. Let me step back & remind you why I’m here.

– Currently ____ is one of our strongest verticals. Some of the companies benefiting from our programs are companies like _____ and ______, to name a few. What we do for each company is different but if you had to net it out, we help them ________ and __________.

– Understanding that your company is unique let’s invest the next 5 minutes to learn about your business and needs. If it looks like I can help you, I will go ahead & explain how we can customize a program for you.

–  If it sounds like a fit, we can move forward as business partners today.

–  We agreed to talk for about 20 minutes on the phone, so let’s get started.

FIND THE NEED: Cost of NOT Using CB

Active Listening Skills

Keys to Active Listening:

• Focus your attention• Open your mind• Don’t assume• Don’t interrupt• Let VITO know you are paying attention• Refer to what the customer has already said• GOLDEN SILENCE!

3 Second Rule

When asking your prospect thoughtful & challenging questions – make sure you give them time to answer!

After your customer answers, wait 3 seconds to be sure they have nothing more to add

MUTE BUTTON = “uh-huh” killer!

5 Questioning Styles

•OPEN ENDEDOPEN ENDED Who, what, where, when, how (why)Who, what, where, when, how (why)

•CLOSE ENDEDCLOSE ENDED Multiple choice or one-word answersMultiple choice or one-word answers

•LEADINGLEADING Leads or cornersLeads or corners

•IFIF Any logical/rational person would say yesAny logical/rational person would say yes

•KNOW-IT-ALLKNOW-IT-ALL Has a negative tone; puts listener on the defenseHas a negative tone; puts listener on the defense

What We Know – Where We’re Going

DiversitySuccession Management

Quality vs. QuantityRetentionTraining

Streamlining ProcessesBranding

PAINPAIN

Open-EndedOpen-Ended

Close-EndedClose-Ended

LeadingLeading

IfIf

Know-it-AllKnow-it-All

Data Gathering Goals

1. Org Structure:– Verify you are meeting with a VITO– Quantify how good of a prospect he/she is as

well as others to sell to – Get a better idea of what you would sell him/her

2. Challenges:– Understand where within his/her sphere of

influence we can help – What is giving him or her a headache

3. Our Competition:– Understand what the VITO and the company

currently have in place to deal with the challenge – What is your competition?

– Learn why these tools were chosen, who chose them and how effective they are today so that we can swell to fill their gaps.

Write Your 3 Questions

•Org Structure•Challenge•Tools

Digging Deeper

CHALLENGECHALLENGE

1.1. CAUSE?CAUSE?

2.2. HOW BIG?HOW BIG?

3.3. HISTORY?HISTORY?

4.4. CURRENTLY DOING TO OVERCOME?CURRENTLY DOING TO OVERCOME?

5.5. IMPACT?IMPACT?

Why Don’t Buyers Buy?

Not sufficientl

y disturbed

Not sufficientl

y disturbed

Don’t understan

d the offer

Don’t understan

d the offer

Believe they have

a good solution to their

challenges

Believe they have

a good solution to their

challenges

NoDeal

Using A Presentation To Sell CB

• 10 slides max

CLOSING: Objection Handling

6 Closing Techniques

1. AssumptiveAssume the sale

2. UnderstandHelp me to understand, scale other tools

3. Post PoneTrial, Gather data for long-term decision

4. PersonalPerhaps I haven’t done my job in showing the value

5. Pilot OfferI am confident it will work for you, Gather data to prove

6. BATNABest Alternative To No Agreement – Time is against you!