Maria Cherazica
Marketing Coordinator at Ethical Sales
Published on 29 July 2024 in Professional Development, Sales Strategy
As salespeople, we spend a significant amount of our time in sales meetings – getting together with prospects and clients is a key part of the job.
When was the last time you reviewed your sales meeting technique?
As the landscape of sales and business development changes, our Ethical Sales Academy members requested up to date training on holding successful sales meetings. So, let’s bring in the experts!
Jack Thompson is Head of Client Success at software development company Ghyston, while Chris Watts is our Senior Business Development Consultant here at Ethical Sales. These industry experts share their strategies and tactics with us.
During a one-hour members-only masterclass, Jack and Chris explore the current sales landscape and looked at key areas of sales meetings, including preparation, questioning, discovery and agreeing next steps.
Read on for an expert overview on how to successfully navigate your next sales meeting towards a positive outcome. To find out more about our Ethical Sales Academy training and membership opportunities, join the waitlist today.
In a community poll, we asked our membership of like-minded salespeople how they felt meetings had changed in recent years. 60% reported they now need an increased number of meetings to close a deal, while others noted that more stakeholders are also involved in the process. What might have previously been agreed after one or two meetings now can take much longer, and requires sign-off from people higher up in the decision-making chain.
As a result, salespeople are having to re-present offerings multiple times to close the deal, as well as confidently guiding inexperienced buyers through the sales process.
More people involved in the decision making process increases the challenges of salespeople liaising with those who are inexperienced buyers. This can elongate the decision-making process as these buyers need more information, support and guidance to help them make a decision.
Another huge shift post-pandemic is that video calls are now the default option for previously face-to-face meetings. Jack Thompson believes this has fundamentally altered how sales meetings work, as it’s much harder to pick up on body language and build rapport.
“Video calls have changed how we handle meetings due to the extra effort we have to put in to build rapport. Getting a vibe from people in the room and reading body language have completely changed.” – Jack Thompson
With all these shifts, now is a good time to review your sales meeting processes and consider whether anything needs altering to fit with the new normal.
Watch Jack’s review on the changing landscape of sales meetings:
So how can we make sure we get the most from our sales meetings? This framework offers a simple yet highly effective way to structure your meetings:
This will involve researching prospects in detail, from the basics of the company website to doing a deeper dive on LinkedIn and other social media to find out any personal interests that may help build a rapport.
It may be that your client is time-pressured and prefers not to take up the offer, but position it so they know you’re trying to ensure they get the most value out of the demo.
““It’s all about trying to frame the discovery call around creating the most valuable meeting and most valuable use of the client’s time, and showing respect for that..I find people are much more willing to engage with discovery before the sales meeting if you frame it that way.” – Chris Watts
Us salespeople can all be guilty of talking too much and not listening enough, especially when we’re not clear on what the client wants, which is why soft closing is so important.
“You can think your job is about telling and convincing people, but you can get the client to do most of the selling themselves if you get them to tell you their problems and then let them see the benefits of your product,” states Chris Watts.
At the end of the meeting, asking the question: ‘has this shown you everything you wanted to know?’ will give you a clear indicator as to whether it’s time to move to the close.”
Watch Chris share his tips to successfully closing a sales meeting:
If you set up the meeting properly, clearly demonstrated how your product or service fulfils the client’s needs and have been soft closing throughout, this gives licence to move onto the next step – closing the deal.
Don’t be afraid of asking direct questions to cut to the chase. Sometimes a simple “When can we start?” or “can I send you a contract?” will clearly show whether the client is ready to close.
Set some timelines and actions for each side to do (ie: “I’ll send a proposal by Friday, then you talk to the board members on Tuesday”), building in contingency as things can get delayed. This also gives a licence to go back and follow up if everything then goes silent.
If this sales meeting is earlier in the process and you know there are a few more to come, close the meeting with concrete next steps for both sides to take. Get that commitment from them – it’s how you know they’re definitely interested.
Watch our experts discuss this process in more detail during our masterclass:
If you’ve not looked at your sales meeting strategy for a while, these insights from our Ethical Sales Academy will help refine it in the context of the changed sales landscape.
Want more insights from our sales experts direct to your inbox?
Our Ethical Sales Academy is a supportive community of like-minded salespeople. We’re joining together to navigate the changing world of sales and business development.
Want more valuable masterclasses like this? Join our Ethical Sales Academy to access live monthly training with a group of supportive, like-minded salespeople and a library of 12+ hours of learning.