The Professional Sales Call

I gave this advice to a client and afterwards realized it was good enough to blog about. She's a professional who goes on site to provide a free estimate. It's part of her sales process, and it's a good idea. The question is, how do you make your sales call a high-impact one that wins you the business?

First, you have to be offering value - lots of it. Way more value than you're charging. A good ratio is 5:1, though 20:1 would be better. That means you should offer $500 worth of benefit for each $100 you charge, and $2,000 of benefit would be better.

Second, your client has to more than see that value - she has to feel it in her bones. That benefit has to be more than merely intellectual or hypothetical, it has to be so real she can taste it, feel it, see herself enjoying it daily.

Third, your client has to believe that you can deliver it. By the end of the visit - or by the end of the next day (see below) she should have complete confidence in you and your ability to deliver exactly what she's now envisioning and hungering for.

So, how do you do all that in a site visit? Here's my formula, and the reason for each step.

Step 1 - Get the Appointment
Only go on the site visit after you have established that the prospective client is:

• Able to buy - has the money
• Empowered to buy - is the decision maker
• Wants to buy - has a legitimate need you can meet
  

The best way to find this out is to ask. Ask "Who is going to make the decision on whether to move forward?" and then ask "Who else needs to approve of this decision?" Often a spouse, boss, or co-worker will have an implicit veto power that you need to know about in advance.

Step 2 - Arrive Prepared
When you arrive, you want your every action and word to convey that you are a professional in whom the client can safely place her trust. That means you have everything you need - business cards, samples, order forms, testimonial letters, etc. etc. Create a checklist of everything you will need to take on the call and prepare it the night before. Each time you find yourself wishing you'd brought something, add it to the list and bring it next time.

From the moment you arrive, you are creating the image that you are fully capable of delivering the value that you'll be discussing. That means (based on my coaching of prior clients):

• No silliness
• No self-deprecating humor
• No nervous humor
• Nothing that insults you, the client, or third parties - no negatives or criticisms of any kind
• Only say and do things that a consummate professional would say and do
• Strive not to be liked, but to be respected

Step 3 - Follow your Script
For a professional services call, start by understanding the need, and the pain behind the need.
Envision yourself as being a really good doctor with a lot of time. For a one hour meeting, use your time like this:

• 2 minutes - small talk and bonding
• 8 minutes - recap of what she said prior to the meeting, and what you want to cover. "I would like to make the best use of your time by asking you some questions and understanding your situation."
  
• 10 minutes - investigate the need and the pain that will be alleviated by solving that need - use a written questionnaire or other tool, and make notes. Don't try to memorize or wing it. The more thorough you are here, the more you come across as an expert.
  
• 10 minutes - develop a thorough understanding of the need and the pain, and how the client's world would be different in the presence of a solution.
• 5 minutes - ask the client to relate a recent experience where the solution might have been useful. Your goal here is to get her (in mild form) to re-live the emotions of that experience. This step is crucial. You can say "Tell me about a time recently when you wished this were solved."
  
• 1 minute - ask "If you were to have the opportunity to purchase a product (or service) that would fix this problem, would it be worth your while to buy it?" This may seem uncomfortable. It is critical. If the answer is no, you're not going to get a sale. When a client says "yes" she has passed a crucial mental milestone in preparing herself to buy a fix for her problem.
• 14 minutes - relate specific stories of past clients where you have solved this exact problem for others. Only use examples that apply directly to her needs. This both builds your credibility as someone who has been successful with others, and builds her belief that her own situation can improve - she can identify with the people in your stories.
  
• 1 minute - close with a request to work on a proposal and submit it the next day.

This is 51 minutes - so you've over-delivered by having a meeting that ended early. Always over-deliver on promises and expectations.

The emotional resonance you want to create during the entire interview process is a sense by the client that you know what you are doing, that the interview is progressing in a specific direction, and that they are taking part in a well defined process.

Step 4 - Deliver the Proposal 24 Hours Later
I'm a big believer in waiting 24 hours before providing a proposal. It gives you time to really work on it to make sure it fits, and it gives the client time to build a sense of anticipation. (Providing a detailed proposal too quickly can make the client feel that you're offering something rote or canned or off-the-shelf. This can damage her belief that you've crafted something to specifically address her needs.)

When delivering the proposal, either by phone or in person, walk the client through the cause-and-effect chain. Suppose the client interview uncovered a need for a benefit Y and a desire to stop feeling a painful emotion Z. You could say: "When we deliver X to you, within five days you will start to see benefit Y, and the next time you close your books you will feel the absence of Z - indeed, you'll feel its opposite." Make explicit use of the interview work you did.

If appropriate, remind the client of your warranty or money-back guarantee - which I believe all professionals should offer.