You have a Sales Lead, where next?

You have a Sales Lead, where next???

So, when preparing for your first meeting when you have a Lead or Enquiry, what should you do to prepare??

We feel one concept carries through all preparation we do and it is that you can never be over-prepared as shockingly 87% of buyers believe salespeople are not sufficiently prepared.?

Read on for our guide below to avoid being part of this 87% and give yourself the best chance for success in Sales meetings.?

Understanding your own Target market / Niche?

At Sellerly, we work primarily with MSPs (a managed service provider - a third-party company that remotely manages a customer's information technology (IT) infrastructure and end-user systems) and as such we have in-depth knowledge of the industry challenges and issues, main players, successes, failures and so on. Trying to set out your own niche or target market ensures you can be the expert in that industry and be a better Salesperson rather than trying to have a bit of knowledge of all industries.?

Meeting and building a rapport – do your research

We recommend using a mix of company websites, LinkedIn, Google, and social media, plus Companies House and Checkacompany.com, this will then usually give you all the answers to the below essential things we would recommend knowing about your potential new client.?

1. What are their locations? Do they have any subsidiaries??
2. Who are the decision-makers? How many Directors are there?
3. How many staff do they have – are they hybrid, office based or no office premises?
4. What can you find out on Google about them? You can also set up a Google Alert for their business so you will be completely up to date with their news
5. Customer reviews - what are they saying? Any issues you can assist with??
6. Are they profitable? If not – is it worth your time??
7. Who are their competitors? Are they doing more or things differently than your prospect?
8. What are their issues and challenges? Can you solve them / offer advice???
9. Who are you meeting? What is their role? Research them personally – the more you know about them as a person then the more comfortable you will be in their company and if there are any business areas/topics to avoid!
10. Are they the right fit for your business? Can you see a relationship developing or not??
11. Interestingly Chat GPT can put together a decent and basic pre- Sales script with the right prompt in 30 seconds – so if you do not have time to put together a full report then give it a try.?
12. No matter what product or service you are selling – can you find out about their current infrastructure/usage? i.e., for MSPs – what IT solutions are employed and how are they used??

And then finally – this is the big one – the questions below relate to the MSP industry but can be applied to your industry also.

What is their motivating reason for this enquiry?

• Is their current supplier out of date?
• Are they expanding?
• Are they moving into remote working and do they have different needs?
• Do they need help with retention?
• Do they need help with reducing costs?
• Do they want to become more profitable???

At the meeting?

If your aim is to establish an ongoing Sales relationship then the first part, the research into their company should now be done. You now need to position yourself as showing genuine interest in their business and motivations rather than focussing on the Sales end goal.?

The notion of a Trusted Sales Advisor is an old but good one, if you can establish from the outset that you are there to work with them and genuinely listen to what they want/would like/need and then can offer solutions rather than just stating what you sell that can make all the difference.?

Of course, some people may not know what they want or what they want is just plain wrong, but listening is key, with the end goal of becoming more of a partner in the business, and encouraging them to feel part of every decision could mean the difference between a one-off sale and a profitable relationship lasting years.?

And finally, be confident and prepared, but do not pretend to know something you don’t – far better to just say sorry I’m not familiar with that and ask them to explain – people like showing off their knowledge!?

Thanks for reading, and for any questions, queries or help please don't hesitate to get in touch! Find out about all the ways Sellerly can help you from Sales Clubs to Virtual Sales Directors here.

Cheers,

Paul Lloyd

020 8148 6475 / [email protected]

?