The Winning Formula for Planning Sales Engagements

Identifying the purpose of the call before you make the call greatly improves the odds that you will achieve the outcome. It will direct your efforts during the sales call, and it demonstrates a level of professionalism.

1 The Purpose of the Sales Call

Too often, because we have made hundreds of sales calls, we believe that planning a sales call is no longer necessary. Nothing could be further from the truth. Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates your professionalism to your ideal client.

Planning a sales call begins with asking and answering the question: ‘What is the purpose of the sales call?’

• Identifying the Purpose for Your Ideal Client

There are really two party’s purposes that we need to consider. We tend to focus on what we hope the outcome of the sales call will be for us, when we should first focus on what our ideal client needs as an outcome. This is why it is helpful to understand where the client is in their buying cycle.

If your prospective client is working on developing an understanding of their needs, they will expect that you can help them develop those needs and add ideas that they might need to consider. You have expertise in your industry that they don’t possess. Because of your experience, you know things they don’t know.

If your prospect has already developed their needs, they will expect you to help them understand the range of options available for meeting their needs. You have helped other clients, and you can help your ideal client understand what is possible, and what it will cost them in time, effort, and resources.

If they are trying to ensure that they make an effective choice and avoid risk (usually late in the buying cycle), you help them to understand the risk and you resolve their concerns in a way that gives them confidence to move forward. When they are unsure, you provide what is necessary to give them the confidence to move forward—and to defend their decision.

It helps to consider your client’s needs first because it means that you have a greater opportunity to create value for them during a sales call. When you open the sales call, you can confirm these