You got it! You got the meeting

You are triumphant. After some savvy networking and diligent keeping in touch, you have been invited in; you have your first sales meeting in the diary with a new customer. Yipee. But restrain yourself from punching the air and breaking into your favourite celebratory jig just yet. Firstly, because, well, we don’t want you to embarrass yourself by revealing your David Brent tendancies.  And secondly, because there is lots to do before the meeting. It’s not just a case of turning up at the right time and rambling on about how great your organisation is.

To help you along here are a few reminders:

1. Do your research. Find out as much as you can about your prospective customer – get their accounts, scan the press, research your contact, does anyone else at your organisation have any information that could help you? Think about their issues, their problems and how you can help them. Then prepare some good open questions.
2. Set your objective. What information do you want to have by the end of the meeting? What outcome are you aiming for? And then think about open questions that can help you achieve this.
3. Consider preparing an agenda and sending it in advance for their feedback and additions. It gives the meeting an objective and ensures both parties are clear about their intent.
4. Prepare your introduction; it will give you confidence. In your introduction focus on the value you can bring to the person you are talking to rather than simply your job title.
5. What messages do you want to get across? Remember to focus on benefits rather than features – don’t just run them through your product list, think about what value you can specifically offer their business. 

And finally, if you really need to do that air punch and jig thing, maybe head to the toilet and get it out of your system in privacy!