How To Set An Appointment Your Prospect Won't Blow Off
I'm breaking this out so people will see it. Fairly often we see posts where people have set appointments, but when they get there the decision maker brushes them off.
When you set an appointment, you have to do a lot more than say, "OK I'll see you then." You have to set up an agreement between you and the prospect. We can call this an Up Front Contract.
You must get agreement with your prospect on:
* Who are you going to see? (hint: should anyone else be there?)
* For how long?
* What's the main reason they're inviting you in? (hint: this is the conversation starter...and isn't it nicer to be invited in? Use this phrasing when you talk to your prospect)
* What will you discuss?
* Are there any points they want to add?
* How will you both know when you're done?
* What will be the possible outcomes of the meeting?
* What will you do in each of those cases? (hint: there are typically only two possible outcomes)
Get them to confirm these things. Then, when you arrive, go over them all again with the prospect to remind them of the ground rules of your visit.
This stuff is left to chance almost all the time because most salespeople are amateurs and "wing it." They get amateur results, too. Without going through the UFC process, you risk 'mutual mystification' or 'collective confusion', where each side believes they know and understand what the other side is saying...but they don't. Leave nothing to chance.
When you set an appointment, you have to do a lot more than say, "OK I'll see you then." You have to set up an agreement between you and the prospect. We can call this an Up Front Contract.
You must get agreement with your prospect on:
* Who are you going to see? (hint: should anyone else be there?)
* For how long?
* What's the main reason they're inviting you in? (hint: this is the conversation starter...and isn't it nicer to be invited in? Use this phrasing when you talk to your prospect)
* What will you discuss?
* Are there any points they want to add?
* How will you both know when you're done?
* What will be the possible outcomes of the meeting?
* What will you do in each of those cases? (hint: there are typically only two possible outcomes)
Get them to confirm these things. Then, when you arrive, go over them all again with the prospect to remind them of the ground rules of your visit.
This stuff is left to chance almost all the time because most salespeople are amateurs and "wing it." They get amateur results, too. Without going through the UFC process, you risk 'mutual mystification' or 'collective confusion', where each side believes they know and understand what the other side is saying...but they don't. Leave nothing to chance.