How do I achieve my desired sales goals over and over?
Thomas Jefferson once said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
You may have noticed those other sales reps who always seem to get so lucky. You could attribute it to the best territory or the most receptive customers, but it’s more likely the hours of work you don’t see them putting in that attributes most to their success. One behavior that makes the best salesperson lucky, is planning.
Whether you’re prepping for a meeting at a customer’s office or preparing for a call, planning ahead and setting a goal for the conversation is necessary. Get started by defining the desired outcome and use the steps below to set a plan to reach your goal.
What do I know?
Start by writing down what you know about that person or organization you’re meeting with.
- Do I know their goals?
- Do I know their strategy?
- Do I understand what their goal is for today’s meeting?
What do I need to know?
Once you’ve formulated what you know, you’ll be able to determine what additional baseline information you need to find out to accomplish your goal in the meeting.
What is your initial value statement?
Write out how you plan to start your call. Those first few minutes of the meeting are key to getting the conversation off to the right start. Plan your initial value statement to set expectations for both parties in the meeting.
What is the minimum expected outcome?
What is the minimum that you’d like to accomplish for this meeting? Is it setting a call, helping a potential new customer understand their options, or just discovering more about their business? Having an expectation as to what the minimum amount of information you need to make that meeting both valuable for you and the prospect will help you determine your next steps.
What is the maximum outcome expected?
Perhaps the meeting goes off without a hitch, what is the maximum you’d like to accomplish? Maybe it’s setting a future call or scheduling an appointment to do an assessment. Be prepared for all objections and outcomes.
Discovery questions:
Don’t turn your discovery into an interrogation, but plan out which questions will help you get to your desired outcomes. This will help keep the conversation on track and make the most of both of parties’ time.
Next Steps:
After the call, type up your notes and determine your next steps. With that, create an action plan and timeline. Perhaps you need to get a sales leader involved in a creative offer or a technician sent to the office. Make sure everyone knows what they need to do and by when to meet or exceed customer expectations.
Planning your call or meeting ahead of time puts you in a better position to avoid derailment. You might even find you have a little more luck.
