7: How to Conduct a Great Initial Sales Call, part 1

Photo by Haley Phelps on Unsplash What the initial sales call should look like Today I want to talk to you about how to make the most of your initial sales call, that all important meeting that will either get you that new project, or won't. This is going to be a two-parter. In this first episode, I’ll talk to you about what goes into making that initial sales call; in part two, I’ll do a review of an actual sales call I went on, to show you what it looks like in practice. And show you what I did right and where I messed up! (In this case, I committed a huge gaffe before I even got in the door!) I always like to do a review of these personal history sales calls for a few reasons: Reviewing these meetings after they happen allows me to figure out what’s working, what not, and how I can modify the sales conversation the next time I meet a potential new client. This review has become an indispensable part of my process. Plan—Act—Review—Modify I don’t just run through it in my head. I take notes. I have a folder on my computer called Inquiries, and start a new document for each person who reaches out to me, and I save it with their name and the date they contacted me. Then, after each subsequent contact—an email or a phone conversation—I take notes. They’re messy and full of the details the person has told me—why they want to do a life story, how they found me, but also the random pieces of info about their family or their life, the kernels that will develop into the stories in the book. Also random comments about them, which is pretty often This lady is so sweet! Or quiet man, seems thoughtful—hints that will help me when I sit down to interview them should they hire me. I do this for every inquiry. Then, after I sit down with them in person—the actual sales call—I go back and take more notes. EVEN WHEN THEY DON’T HIRE ME. Why? Because it they call back in a year or three—and trust me, this will definitely happens with some inquiries—I can review my notes and catch up on what we talked about. It's helpful to me and gives them a sense of connection—that they’ve been heard. In today's episode, I'm going to describe how I think my initial sales call should go; in the next episode, you'll hear me dissect what actually happened on a call I made this week. Stage 1: Preparation This falls under the “planning” stage. And honestly, it’s one of my weak spots, because I’m not a planner by nature. But it just feels better when things go right, and I’m upping my chances considerably if I force my monkey brain to try to be systematic about it—to plan ahead. Ugh. Okay, so it’s got to be done, and building a system helps me make that happen. First step: gather what I need to bring with me. My nice leather portfolio, with pockets for: my business card (which I inevitably forget to give to the prospective client—see why I need to keep reviewing my process??) my presentation folder. If anyone’s interested, I can do a later post about what I have in this presentation folder—but just briefly, it’s about 15-20 pages (on nice paper and comb-bound) with sections for a description of my process, some testimonials, and some excerpts from books I’ve done. Even if you have all this on your website, don’t assume a potential client has seen it. And even if they have, giving them something tangible that they’ll later see lying on their desk or the kitchen counter is only going to help remind them about you and your service. a brochure—I’m getting away from doing these; they don’t seem to be a very current way of marketing our services. a pen—duh!! Don’t even ask me how embarrassing it is to come as a professional writer, then have to borrow a pen! two blank Professional Services Agreement forms (what I use instead of contracts); if they’re ready to sign on immediately, I want to have the forms at the ready. I didn’t used to do this—it somehow seemed a little rude—which just shows how little business sense ...