A salesperson was about to walk into a meeting with a prospect. Asked what the plan was (how he would open, what he needed to find out, what the outcome might be) his reply was: “I don’t know, let’s just go in and see what happens!”
It’s really common. And it’s how teams end up leaving meetings saying “I think that went well.” If you, or your salespeople, come off a call or out of a meeting saying that, you should be concerned. Ideally you should know it went well.
The hidden cost: false hope
In Martyn’s experience, up to 60% of opportunities in pipelines are not accurately managed. That’s a big chunk of false hope. As those opportunities fall out, the pressure to close the remaining ones increases, which leads to pushing too hard… which leads to more drop-out. And the cycle repeats.
Set one clear objective
Back to that meeting. The question became: “If you could wave a magic wand, what’s the very best outcome?” His answer: a tour of the factory, so he could spot things he could help with. So that became the objective.
Business owners are proud of their business, especially anything new. Within two minutes of arriving, genuine interest in what had changed since the last visit earned an invitation into the production area. He left with agreement to propose materials handling and storage products, and a date to go back and discuss it.
A simple fix
- Plan the meeting: desired outcomes (theirs and yours) and a few key questions
- Know their motives: what is their case for change?
- Anticipate challenges: reasons not to go ahead, other options
- Agree actions for both parties. This is the vital bit. If the salesperson takes on every action, there’s no buy-in
Do this and you’ll start leaving meetings saying “I know that went well because…” or, just as valuable, “this one is qualified out.”
Want your team doing this every day?
Reading a tip is easy. Making it a habit across a whole team is where training comes in.
Talk to Martyn