Don’t Forget The Basic Eight

Solutions to help you grow…

“I know (Client or Prospect name). I’m ready.”
“I’ll just wing it.”
“I got this.”

Marketing and sales people rationalize the absence of Pre Call Prep with these and other spoken and unspoken beliefs.

When, how and why do we need to do Pre Call Prep?

You need to do Pre Call Prep before every marketing activity.

If you pick up the phone to call a client, you should’ve done some Pre Call Prep.

If you are dropping something off on a service call, you should’ve done some Pre Call Prep.

If you are heading into an internal meeting with peers and others in the organization, you should’ve done some Pre Call Prep.

Unfortunately, real Pre Call Prep is rarely done at all, let alone done well. Yet an investment of only 5 to 15 minutes dramatically improves the outcome of a meeting, telephone call or presentation.

Take the time to do the obvious–The Basic Eight–and make it part of your selling process:

1. Review the prospect’s website. See if there’s any new company news. Check out the featured item on the Home Page. Scan the About Us section.
2. Google both the client and your contact.
3. Spend a few minutes on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media to move beyond the person behind the desk. Learn how they see themselves and what’s important to them.
4. Talk to fellow employees and people in your network to see what they have heard or know about both the client and your contact.
5. Review your notes from past marketing calls or meetings. The recap jogs your memory about important personal and business details.
6. Map out your top call objectives. Be specific and realistic.
7. Jot down fact and emotion-based questions to ask. Think about how you’ll respond to verbal and non-verbal cues with specific questions.
8. Brainstorm about potential stalls or objections you might hear and how to respond to each. Role-play with someone you trust enough to tell you how you are really doing.

I know you got this-but invest a few minutes on Pre Call Prep anyway. Your post call smile (and sales numbers) will be bigger because of it.

David M. Mastovich, MBA, is the president of Massolutions, a Pittsburgh based Integrated Marketing firm that focuses on improving the bottom line for client companies through creative marketing, selling, messaging and customer experience enhancement.