Question of the day … should you or shouldn’t you prepare for a first meeting with a new prospect? Our answer is a resounding SHOULDN’T! We know all of you systemics out there are reeling. Know that there are times when preparation helps and times when it hurts. The first prospect meeting is a time when preparation can hurt you. This may sound crazy, but think about it for a minute … just what preparation are you going to do exactly for your first sales call with a prospect? Prepare what you are going to talk about? Prepare what you are going to show? Prepare what you are going to demonstrate? Demonstrate how much you know about their organization (sales, trends, staff, competition, how the economy is affecting them, etc.)? If you are preparing ANY of these things, you are going to hurt yourself because talking, showing, and demonstrating on the first call puts the prospect in control.

Your goal on your first sales call is to find out if you even have a chance to sell your prospect something or not. And whether or not you have a chance to sell your prospect depends solely on the prospect, not on you, not on your preparation. On your first sales call with your prospect, your strategy should be to show up, ask questions, and watch and see what your prospect’s responses are:

What are your three major goals for this year, and what does it mean to you if you achieve them?  What happens if you don’t? (follow your goal planning sheet: Goal, Benefits, Consequences) 

What are one or two major competitive threats? What does this mean to you personally and to the company? How has the economy affected your business? Are you finding opportunities in it? How do you define success, and are you achieving it? How do you measure it?

How your prospect responds will dictate your next move. If there’s enough pain, how can you help them? Then and only then, is preparation critical.