The sales environment has changed a lot over the years – the sales consultant used to be a source of information, but now they are just a representation of the company, there to close a sale and fill in any gaps of information that the client has. The absolute worst thing a sales person can do is not to prepare for a meeting, especially in companies where a prospecting team handles the build-up to a meeting. Understanding your client is one of the few things that place a sales consultant in a favourable position. Here are some keen points on preparation, in order to fully comprehend a potential client’s position, their corporate culture, anticipate their needs and communicate all of this to them in an indirect manner.

Research the client

Intelligent questions are impressive, so it is best to prepare some queries you may have in advance. Read up on the company’s history, study their website and take note of their offerings, even glance over their competitors to better understand the company’s needs, also scan through their social media sites to get a feel for how the company presents itself to their own clients.  Finally, research the person you will meet with – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, use every available online source to find out who this person is. Entering a meeting with this kind of information lays a good foundation for communicating value to the potential client.

Visualise Probabilities

Anticipate and avoid any potential grey areas left in your client’s mind following the meeting. Begin by placing yourself in their shoes. Visualise all possible questions, concerns and objections. It is possible to identify 99% of these beforehand and in doing so, prepare answers which are intelligent, well-rounded and reassuring. This kind of preparation helps you steer clear of ‘shoot from the hip’ situations. Clients are sure to ask questions on credibility and value, you need to clearly, and subtly, demonstrate the value you have to offer. Stephen Covey identified two terms of credibility in his book, ‘The Speed of Trust’; competence and integrity. As far as possible, provide solid evidence of your company’s integrity; clarify your intent (other than the hope of closing a sale or winning over a client in terms of service offering).


Sales Collateral

These are the little elements of your meeting that will aid you in closing a deal. A powerful tool for sales collateral, are video testimonials. Prove your capabilities and give examples of results you have had in the past.  Better yet, as Covey states: ‘The fastest way to build trust with a client is to deliver results. Results give you instant credibility and trust”. If you are making use of a presentation to support your terms of credibility, customise it. A good idea is to have a generic presentation, which you can quickly and easily modify to suit your any client. The key is to make the presentation relatable to the client – help them to visualise doing business with you.

The Unstated Message

A more distant relation to sales collateral includes the unstated message; your appearance and the word of mouth that brought your name to the client’s attention.  In preparation of your meeting, you need to consciously decide to avoid certain mannerisms, attire and the way in which you conduct yourself verbally. Stay neutral in comments and small talk and use informal language, but stay clear of taking on the jargon you use among friends.  Distinguish between when to speak and when to listen to your client, because listening is an important aspect of any relationship and has the potential of falling in with your terms of credibility. Again, make a point of asking questions, especially in response to things the client says. If they feel they are listened to, the client may place more trust in you, because you find their needs of high importance.

What any sales consultant needs to understand and make use of, is that meeting with clients is primarily about relationship building, not about selling. Relationships last much longer than straight forward sales and have continuous results.