Sales Attitude
A crucial yet often overlooked aspect of sales is your mindset going into meetings. For your meetings to be productive, you’ll need to go into every one assuming it will be productive and lead to next steps. It's normal to feel some jitters before an important meeting, but if you've prepared well, you should feel confident and excited about the opportunity to help a potential client. By this point, you've already done the hard work of finding a qualified prospect and securing their time. Now, it's about gathering any missing information you need to determine if you can help and presenting your solution.
Remember, the person you're meeting with is human too. They have their own personal and professional concerns and are just trying to do their best. They didn’t have to take this meeting, they chose to for a reason and it wasn’t to waste either of your time. There's some underlying need, either conscious or subconscious. They could be dealing with a nagging problem, seeking additional capabilities, or simply feeling that things could be better. Your job is to uncover what they need and explain how you can help. The best part? If you ask, they’ll usually just tell you. It’s really that simple.
Most prospects will approach your meeting with an open, neutral perspective. Your job is not to turn a "no" into a "yes". That’s a fools errand and a key difference between selling and debating. Your job is to turn a “maybe” into a “yes”. Prospects will typically at least be open to the idea that you could potentially help, otherwise, why would they take the meeting? Occasionally, you’ll encounter someone skeptical. They might feel they've managed fine without you or have been burned by salespeople before. In these situations, earn their trust and start breaking down their wall by skipping the small talk and getting straight to how you can help them, using specific examples from similar companies. If they’re closed-minded from the start, they might remain so throughout your partnership, but always remain empathetic and positive. You'll need to show your prospect that the only reason for meeting with them is to see if you can help and you have their best interests in mind.
Approach every meeting with the attitude that you don’t NEED the sale. Prospects can sense desperation, and if you have a full pipeline, there's no reason to be desperate. If, after speaking with them, you find they would be better served elsewhere, that's fine. It’s better to uncover this early so you can move on to the next opportunity. If you can't help them, recommend an alternative. They'll remember your honesty and might come back when their situation changes or refer you to others.
Lose your ego and be prepared to earn their business. No one owes you anything, and there are many solutions out there. Show them why you’re the best choice, that you’ll be there for them, and that they can trust and depend on you.
However, if you determine that you CAN help them, be confident in yourself, your company, and your offering to provide the help they need. This confidence, derived from your research and experience, will transfer to your prospect. If you’re not yet experienced, "fake it until you make it."
Always be clear and direct in your requests to advance the sale. Don’t be timid about asking for the next meeting or the information needed for a proposal/contract. It’s your duty to help as many people as possible, and for that, you need to ask for what you need. Remember, if your prospect made it clear your offering will help and deliver benefits, it’s also in their best interest you help them overcome any hesitation by staying on top of it. Remind them of those benefits, reassure them you will deliver and reinforce the opportunity lost by delaying this change.
When you get on a call, ask good questions, let your prospect speak and listen closely. Don't worry if you're not presenting everything you planned to. If the prospect is doing most of the talking, this is a good thing. It means they are interested, engaged and discussing what matters to them which is the formula for a productive meeting.
If you give your prospect the floor, they will often tell you what's most important to them and how they can help. This will sometimes come through in a specific question or monologue so listen carefully and always get the "why" behind every question they ask.
Finally, be prepared for the call to go in any direction. Preparation really means having a game plan, but being ready to answer any questions and address whatever their needs are. This is your opportunity to pivot and address their top priorities. Remember, people buy for their reasons, not yours.
Whether it’s your first sales call or you’ve been doing this for 20 years, success in a sales meetings largely depends on how qualified the prospect is and how well you’ve prepared. I'd prefer an inexperienced, but prepared salesperson with a clear game plan over an unprepared, experienced one any day. The best way to overcome inexperience is by being overprepared.
Even with all this preparation, it's normal to feel nervous. A trick is to clear my mind right before the meeting. Remind yourself that you've done everything you can to prepare so now all you can do is your best and whatever happens, happens. And no matter what happens, every meeting will be a productive one if you take learnings and apply them to make the next one better!
My book coming out in late September 2024 is a step-by-step guide through the entire sales cycle to close faster, more profitable deals. Sign up for the waitlist to be the first to get it at www.AndrewBarbuto.com and get a free download of my Meeting Hack: How To Secure Next Steps in 5 Minutes! Feel free to check out my Youtube channel: www.Youtube.com/@Andrew.Barbuto where I talk about steps to improve different parts of the B2B sales cycle!
Good luck and remember, if you're not helping, you're not selling!
