Setting goals in your sales calls work in much the same way as setting goals for other aspects of your business. Once you have identified what they are, you are more likely to achieve them.
Neil Rackham’s book SPIN Selling outlines four possible outcomes to a sales call, and how to handle them. By knowing what they are and planning in advance of a sales call, you have a much higher chance of achieving what you want to.
So you are in a meeting with a buyer. You have investigated his issues, discussed outcomes, and demonstrated how you could help achieve the results he is looking for. You are now trying to obtain commitment from the buyer. Here are four possible scenarios:
1) You get the order. This is a flat out yes. You have agreement on objectives, measures, the value of the order to the buyer, when he will get the proposal, and when you will start the project. If this is the case, then well done! Remember in B2B selling this rarely happens in the first meeting.
2) No sale. On the other hand, you may find that you can’t help the buyer. This is forgivable – sometimes you need to meet a prospect and discuss their issues to see if you can help them. If this is the case, make sure that you are targeting the right kinds of prospects by clearly defining them.
3) Continuation. This is when a buyer offers to meet or speak to you at another a future point in time. They may not be ready to buy just yet, but have offered to keep in touch. Obviously this is not an ideal scenario as it doesn’t progress the interaction much closer to a sale. It is at this point that you should make sure that you consider this an ideal client and that you feel that you could genuinely help them before investing more time and energy in meeting them again. If so, have a system in place to keep in touch, such as an automated newsletter or inviting them to one of your events.
4) Advance. After immediately getting the order, this is the second best option. An advance is when you move closer to signing a deal. The prospect may need more information or may need to make a decision with someone else in the organisation. To determine this, ask questions like “Who else do we need to speak to in your organisation to make a decision on whether this is right for you?” and “I’m happy to provide a demonstration so you can see the benefits of our product or service”.
*Ahmed al-Akber is the managing director of ACK Solutions, a firm that helps companies to improve their marketing and sales results by offering more effective ways attracting customers and significantly better products and services. Ahmed has worked internationally in marketing, sales, and strategic planning at companies such as the Coca-Cola Company, Philip Morris International and Dell. Questions or comments can be sent to Ahmed on [email protected]
