One of my best friends growing up was an amateur pilot. As teenagers we would fly Cessna 150s out of Teterboro Airport in the busiest airspace on earth. I learned quite a bit about flying, and this was my first experience witnessing a pre-flight check list.
Every time we would fly, my friend would meticulously go through every step of his pre-flight checklist. I remember thinking that he had to do it because he was a novice and when he became an “experienced pilot” he would not need to do all this rudimentary checking...he would just be able to do it all without thinking. However now, with some life experience under my belt, I understand how important pre-flight checklists are, and that they can be the difference between a safe flight and one ending in disaster.
The same concept can be applied to sales calls. Many salespeople tend to gravitate to auto-pilot and “winging” sales calls. Why? Because preparation can be painstaking, procedural, and maybe even a bit boring.
However, a lack of pre-call preparation could lead to negative consequences down the road, especially for more complex deals. All salespeople should commit to developing a culture of pre-call preparation. Pre-call preparation can help establish a higher standard of baseline performance, instill discipline, and can dramatically reduce errors. Planning for a call also helps you break down sophisticated tasks into manageable, auditable sections.
Here are some items to include in your checklist and how to use the Sandler selling system in your checklist.
Be Aware of Your External Appearance/Presence
- Make sure you have the right attire to mirror and match the type of client you are visiting.
- Be conscious of your body language (confident posture and handshake, making eye contact, etc.). You have one chance at a first impression.
- Give yourself enough time to get there/make the call on time. Being flustered by showing up late could negatively affect your demeanor.
- If you are making a presentation, make sure you have rehearsed.
Do Your Research
- Learn about the person/people you are speaking to (organization charts if you have them, LinkedIn profiles, company press releases, etc.).
- Make sure to review any notes from prior meetings.
Create a Meeting Strategy and Agenda
- For a joint call/meeting, plan out who will lead, who will ask which questions, and who will answer which questions.
- Have a plan for how you will transition from bonding and rapport to the actual meeting agenda (“Typically this is how these meetings go”).
- Use an up-front contract to plan the agenda (time/location/who will attend/your expectations/client’s expectations).
- Email the up-front contract prior to the meeting to get clarification from the client.
Plan Your Pain, Budget and Decision Questions
- Don’t wimp out here or you will crash and burn – commit to three levels deep with your pain questions.
- Prepare your budget and decision questions to determine their willingness to spend the necessary funds for your solution to their pain. Also uncover each of the cast of characters for making purchase decisions. What is your plan to approach the decision makers to sell deeper and wider in the account?
We are all extremely busy, and may feel like we do not have time to invest in pre-call preparation and pre-flight checklists. However, putting in some preparation work can make the difference between a successful sale or a crash landing.