Getting by in sales is easy if you are an order taker, sell from a catalogue or have shelves and streams of customers clambering for your product, but if you’re like me, you sell a solution or product that simply cannot sell itself and you usually require an appointment with a potential customer.

Today we look at mistake number 3.

Mistake 3: Don’t arrive at your meeting COLD

Ever walked into your appointment ready to wing it? Fly by the seat of your pants? Hope that your client falls in love with you, realizes that your product and offering will revolutionize and change his business forever and that you will walk out with an order that will ensure you shoot the budgetary lights out even though you haven’t prepared or done a thing?

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but those deals hardly exist anymore and certainly are few and far between. It has been proven that 81% of buyers today already know what they want, for how long, for how much and who they’re going to buy from.

This is why inbound marketing is having such an impact on the world’s economy. Do not fear, traditional outbound marketing & sales, such as cold calling and the like, will always have its place BUT it is now YOUR responsibility to do your homework on the person and entity you expect to be your next customer – more so when selling in the B2B space. I can hear the wheels turning in your head asking “But how do I do the research and what should I be finding out?” Here’s a simple checklist of the things you need to know:

1.   Check out your prospect’s LinkedIn profile. This will give you insight into his/her previous experience, degrees, associations and family. Imagine the benefit if this person worked in an industry that you have experience in or are familiar with? Imagine the impact if you shared lecturers at a university or completed a similar diploma and degree?

2.  Research the company they work for. What products do they sell, what markets have they penetrated and what are their successes and failures? Understand the company’s history, founders, length in operation, and social responsibilities. Understand the executive structure as this often gives you the knowledge you need in terms of BANT.

Budget – Authority – Need - Timing

Utilize your existing company databases or CRM. If you don’t have this, it might be worth your while to access an online portal that offers this information. This can give you simple details like what the management structure looks like, where they are situated, industry, contact information and the like. While the data can never guarantee the sale or be your silver bullet, it can definitely help you by giving you a good foundation. Foundations are the platforms for castles. Castles are the vehicles to power, success & stability! Now start researching! Go! Now!