Do you use a Sales Call Planning Framework? According to Brainshark, 68% of sales people prepare for their sales meetings in the car. This implies that an inadequate amount of planning is being performed by the majority of sales people for their customer meetings.
The Need for an Emergency Sales Call Planning Framework
Any good sales methodology will show a sales person how to prepare for a sales meeting, and the preparation to be done depends on where the prospect is in their purchasing process. But sometimes you just don’t have the opportunity to plan properly. Some of the 68% of sales people are preparing in their cars because they have no alternative. The lead was just passed to them, or they’ve just not had time to prepare. So for those situations, here’s an emergency planning framework for when you only have limited time and opportunity to plan.
Emergency
Recognize that you need to do some emergency planning and do whatever you can to buy 30 minutes of quiet time and access to the internet! We know it intuitively but a sales effectiveness study from Cranfield University has demonstrated the clear link between pre-meeting planning and sales success. Then close the car door, turn off your phone and get out your Emergency PREP Sales Call Planning Framework.
Process
Where are they in the buying process? This is singularly the most important question you need to answer before you go in. It tells you what the prospect is expecting from you. Are they early in the process and so will be happy answering questions? Are they late in the process and so will be expecting details of a solution?
Reality
What’s the reality of their situation? Make sure you know as much of their situation as you can. To paraphrase Neil Rackham, “Situation questions bore the pants off people.” So get the basics of their situation, as not having this information will reduce your credibility and effectiveness.
End
What’s your end in mind? What do you want to achieve by the end of the sales meeting? What do you want to achieve by the end of the whole buying process? You’re less likely to achieve your goals if you don’t know what they are. So be clear on your sales goals.
Purpose
What’s the purpose of the next sales meeting? Selling is often likened to chess and in chess you need to play 3-4 moves ahead. You should do so too in sales, but in the case of emergency planning, you at least need to know what the propose of the next meeting is, so that you can agree it with the customer.
Emergency PREP Sales Call Planning Framework
There is a clear link between pre-meeting planning and sales success. Sometimes we don’t have the opportunity to prepare adequately for sales meetings. In those situations use the Emergency PREP Sales Call Planning Framework to fill the most important gaps in the time you have available.
