Face-to-face sales meetings are significantly different from phone meetings. Besides all the topics you talk about and solutions you demonstrate, an important part of a face-to-face meeting is preparation. Proper preparation will put you in a position to be successful. Here are four areas to think about in your preparation.
First, speak to the prospect before the onsite meeting--hopefully more than once. If you are meeting with multiple people, ask to connect with all attendees one-on-one before the face-to-face meeting. These conversations will help you, the sales rep, be properly prepared for the larger meeting and make the best use of everyone's time.
Second, besides having spoken to the attendees before the meeting, you will also want to prepare material that gets the prospects physically involved in the buying process. Try to think of using material that stimulates multiple senses and engages the mind. For example, in large construction projects where vendors are selling to architects, it’s very common to bring food and beverages to a sales meeting. Each sales situation requires different tools, so think of what you might bring that inspires your prospects to start moving in the direction of a purchase.
Third, be prepared for the curveballs. This is where many reps get flustered. The projector doesn’t work, the prospect is late, the meeting room is too small, or my favorite, one of the meeting participants is being a jerk. These are all things that can happen in face-to-face meetings. It’s incumbent upon you as the sales rep to be mentally prepared for these curveballs and rely on your training and skills to guide the conversation through choppy waters.
Fourth, remember why you are there. Regardless of whether it’s an early meeting, a mid-stage or a late-stage meeting, know what the purpose of the meeting is and run your sales meeting appropriately. This means taking notes, asking questions, being curious, and closing. Your job is to create urgency. Just because you can now read the body language of your prospects, doesn’t mean you should let a smile, or a scowl, change your determination to move the conversation forward and toward closure.
There are many elements in successful face-to-face meetings. Like every aspect of sales, practice and repetition are necessary to become competent in the activity. You will screw up--I know I have--but you will also learn a tremendous amount. By thinking about these four areas of preparation, you will make your next face-to-face meeting more effective.