Sales organizations want to deliver a fantastic sales experience for all of their customers. But what does that mean, exactly? Being sold to doesn’t always have the best connotation, but we instinctively know a good salesperson versus a bad one, even if we can’t quite grasp what the extra something they have is.
But we want to know what that extra something is. In our series, we’re going to experts around the world who we think have that extra something and asking all about that crucial last mile with a prospect: the in-person meeting.
This Week’s Expert
We got a chance to ask Matt Heinz, President of Heinz Marketing, about how he approaches sales. Matt is an award-winning blogger and prolific author with over 15 years of marketing, business development, and sales experience from a variety of organizations and industries.
Matt has been one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in Sales Lead Management and Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers multiple times. His career focuses on measurable results with revenue growth, product success, customer loyalty, and of course, greater sales. In Matt’s words, here are the elements of a great face-to-face sales meeting.
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How would you describe your interactions with a customer before an in-person meeting happens?
Matt: The volume of pre-in-person interactions really depends, but when possible I like to do a little research to get to know the person better. At minimum, I like the three-by-three approach I learned from Steve Richard at Vorsight years ago—take up to three minutes to learn up to three things either in common or of interest about the person you’re going to meet or speak with. You can use those as icebreakers or accelerants to gaining trust and credibility.
I also generally like to demonstrate to someone that I’m interested in them. This can take many forms—commenting on their content, liking their social posts, replying quickly to their emails, etc.
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How much do you expect to talk compared to the prospect in that initial meeting?
Matt: What’s the old adage about having two ears and one mouth for a reason? For me it’s not as much about talking but about asking the right questions. Get the other person talking but focus the conversation on topics that will help you figure out how best to help that person (and their company) moving forward. Know enough about the person, their company and their situation to customize your questions either to discover or confirm certain information that can help you deliver value moving forward.
How do your respond to objections?
Matt: Start and end with the truth. Also don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know,” to acknowledge that something is a weakness, or to walk away. If someone for example tells me my solution is too expensive, rather than get defensive I’ll tell them that we aren’t the cheapest solution for sure, and that we’re not right for everyone. And this is true—I’m not going to win every deal nor will I want to.
How do you follow up with a prospect?
Matt: Immediately and often. At minimum with a thank you for their time via email, phone or hand-written thank you note. Follow up on any information they requested, or proactive links to content you think they might be interested in based on the conversation. Depending on the nature of your next steps (potential partner, prospect or simply a new member of your network) will determine how much and how often you follow up.
[Tweet “Salespeople need to do THIS “immediately and often”:”]
What do you think prevents salespeople from maximizing their in-person sales meetings?
Matt: Lack of preparation and lack of a plan are far too common among salespeople. Prepare for the meeting, know what you want to get out of it, plan in advance how you will handle next steps. This honestly doesn’t have to take a lot of time but does take discipline.
For more on marketing and sales effectiveness, follow Matt Heinz on twitter. Download Heinz Marketing’s Sales Enablement Best Practices Guide for a deeper dive into getting better results from sales and marketing alignment.
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