Everyone is busy these days, and everyone seems to live in meetings. Sales expert Kendra Lee, who writes for Rain Today, recently shared great ideas for making the most of a 30-minute sales meeting with a prospect who may not remember why they scheduled a meeting with you. I think these ideas also work well in any situation where you need to get your point across fast and get invited back or get the go-ahead for a new project.
Ms. Lee offers 12 suggestions. They’re all great, because they focus on planning and efficient (but friendly) communication. Here are the five tips that really resonated with me:
- “Brainstorm a simple, three-point agenda.” I think that means that you don’t leave anything to chance. If you know what you want to talk about, you won’t dither around.
- “Prioritize your questions.” Some questions are bound to be more important than others. If the person you’re talking to must leave the meeting, “you’ll have the details needed to show why your prospect should schedule the next appointment.”
- “Ask thought-provoking questions.” Lee notes that you’ll get and give valuable insights. To that I add that you’ll establish yourself as a smart cookie, which is a good move, as long as you’re not a smarty pants.
- “Share suggestions that make the conversation valuable.” I say that your suggestion can be as simple as offering a link to helpful information.
- “Stick to the scheduled time allotted.” In my experience, if you’re doing a good job, your prospect will often invite you to stay longer or ask you to schedule a follow-on meeting.
We’re all time pressured, and many of us are anxious about how we will be able to fit more into a cram-packed schedule. Let’s all do each other the courtesy of using time wisely, and frankly, that includes deciding whether or not what we have to say really merits a hearing.
Photo Credit: Oleg Dudko (123rf.com)
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