Preparing for a successful sales call 

I would like to make an analogy between preparing for a sales call and preparing for a 100 km walk. I am a big fan of these long walks, so ever year, when possible, I take part in one. I do this together with my daughter and my son, Lentle and Yannick. This event in Belgium is known as The Death March of Bornem.

We always prepare in depth, meaning:

• Prior to the event, we walk long distances, up to 50 km, several times to increase our physical and mental fitness.
• We test our walking outfit and the food and drinks.
• We prepare ourselves for the extreme heat, using a UV repellent T-shirt or a tropical cap.
• We make a list of medication we may need, just in case.
• We debate the walking speed we strive to achieve to reach our goal.
• We plan beforehand several points along the walk where family members provide us food, drinks, and other equipment we might need.

Don’t you find this a rather exhaustive list? This list helps us to reach the finish, to accomplish our goal.

If we compare this with a sales call, what would be the crucial attention points? I’ve listed some suggestions below, which you probably know already. If there would be one point at which you could become 5% better instantly, which one would it be? And what would be the difference to the outcome of your sales calls?

• First, you need to know your product or services by heart.
• Apart from the fact that you need to define a clear goal for your call, I’d suggest that you write it down.
• Prepare the materials you are going to use and when you are going to use them.
• Adapt your call to the behavioural style of your customer or prospect.
• Re-read your notes from previous calls.
• Go through a list of great open-ended questions.
• Visualise your call.
• Put yourself in a positive mindset by thinking about positive experiences that will boost your confidence.
• Role-play with your colleagues for very important calls.

I hope these insights help you with your future sales meetings. If you want more information about what TC3 can mean for you and your sales team, don’t hesitate to contact us or take a look at our courses.