The number one most important (yet most ignored) aspect of gaining new business is being prepared. In some cases, preparation may only take 5 minutes of your time. In other cases, you may have to spend hours preparing for a client. There isn't a specific amount of time you must spend; it depends on the situation. However, the rule of thumb is to be enough prepared that you know all the concerns and objections your potential client may bring up and to be able to overcome them with ease.
For obvious reasons, the best place for you to start looking is the Internet. You can find a wealth of information about most businesses and business people on the Internet. You should not only get to know the company you are looking to gain business with, but you should also learn as much as possible about the individual you will pitch to. Start by doing a Google search for the company and then move onto a Google search of the individual.
After you have invested the necessary amount of time gaining information and an understanding of the dynamics of your potential client, you must organize all this information to be able to present. Overcoming your client's objections before they even arise will not only prove to your potential client that you are well prepared, but it will also improve your chances of closing the sale and to 'Wow' them enough that they may become your best client and biggest promoter of you and your company. Most people don't realize how far a little preparation can actually go.
Call/Meeting Structure Cycle
- Preparation
- Who are their competitors?
- What do they use their website for?
- Fact Find
- What are the interests and hobbies of the individual you are pitching to?
- Find opportunities for your client to benefit from
- Pitch
- Preparing the pitch
- Presenting this to your client
- Objection Handling
- Negotiation phase to resolve objections
- Close the Sale
- Back to Preparation and Repeat Cycle
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