7 Things You Must Do To Prepare For Your First Sales Call by Jim Meisenheimer

Whenever you have a sales call scheduled with a new
sales prospect - treat it like a golden opportunity.

Because in fact this first sales call, could be a
golden opportunity for you. What if your new sales
prospect has the potential to become your largest
customer.

What would the lifetime value of your largest customer
add up to?

Here are seven things you must do before calling on
every new sales prospect.



Thing you must do # 1:

Be sure to do your homework and that means making Google
your first stop. Do a search on the person's name, the
company name, and the name of their best selling product.
You might be surprised with the results you get.

You should also go to: http://www.google.com/alerts Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant
Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice
of the name of a person and / or the name of a company.



Thing you must do # 2:

Now this is a little thing that can have a big impact.
It can create a powerful first impression for you.

Go to an office supply store and buy a dozen red file
folders. While you're at the store buy Avery product
#8366 which are white file folder labels. Prepare a
label with the name of your new sales prospect.

Imagine your prospect's reaction to seeing his name
on this red file folder. He will immediately consider
you professional, organized, successful, and different
from most other salespeople he has experienced in the
past.

A little thing with a big impact.



Thing you must do # 3:

You must have a written sales call objective for your
first sales call. Your written objectives for this sales
call can include: to build rapport, establish credibility,
to ask 3-5 open-ended questions, to identify one common
interest you share, and to secure agreement for your
second meeting.



Your written sales call objectives will scream"Professionalism." By contrast most salespeople arrive
like a tourist just taking in the sights - pity the
poor sales prospect who must put up with this display
of mediocrity.



Thing you must do # 4:

To get the ball rolling, building rapport and
establishing credibility, I suggest you prepare and
practice 3 - 5 open-ended questions.

Nothing shows your interest more than the questions you
ask - so be sure to ask good questions.
You can start with . . . tell me about your business . . .
what are your responsibilities . . . in addition to you
who else is involved in making decisions for . . . what
are the biggest challenges you're facing growing your
business?

Once again asking these questions will demonstrate your
interest and professionalism and differentiate you from
most salespeople.



Thing you must do # 5:

If you enjoy playing the telephone tag game you can
immediately proceed to # 6. It's absolutely amazing
how many salespeople neglect to secure the meeting time
and date for the second meeting.

Once you have qualified your sales prospect as a potential
customer don't forget and never hesitate to ask for the
second meeting. Do not attempt improvisation. Prepare and
practice how you will ask for the second meeting.



Thing you must do # 6:

This next thing is especially important if you happen
to be a serious person. Before you get out of your car
check your rearview mirror to make sure you're smiling.

Trust me, when you're caught in traffic, running a little
late, just ended a telephone call with a disgruntled
customer - please don't think you have a happy face on.

Check your mirror to check your smile.



Thing you must do # 7:

Try this affirmation on for size "This will be my best
sales call ever to a new sales prospect."
Right after you check to make sure you're smiling saying
this affirmation fills your mind with positive thoughts
and words squeezing out any potential negativity.



You may not realize this but you are in complete control
of your thoughts. And of course you know how you think
is everything!

There's a huge difference between self-doubt and
self-confidence and both are controlled by your thoughts.



This affirmation creates the perfect mindset for a very
successful sales call.

Just try it once and see how much better you feel.

Now you know the 7 things you must do to prepare for
your first sales call. Believe it or not you now have
a 7-point system for making sales calls on new prospects.

Use this system to make every sales call better than
the last one.



Let's go sell something . . .

About
The Author:

Jim is a
Sales Strategist and is the creator of No-Brainer Selling Skills.
He shows salespeople and entrepreneurs how to increase sales,
earn more money, have more fun, and how to do it all in less
time. His focus is on practical ideas that get immediate results.
He offers Advanced Sales Management Workshops, Sales Coaching,
Consulting, In-house Sales Training Programs, and a wide variety
of Learning Tools i.e. books, special reports, sales manuals,
and CDs.Jim Meisenheimer
is a member of The National Speakers Association, where he earned
the C.S.P. designation, Certified Speaking Professional. He
has authored five books including, "The 12 Best Questions
To Ask Customers," and the recently published “57
Ways To Take Control Of Your Time And Your Life”.

Websites: http://www.startsellingmore.com/

http://www.meisenheimer.com/