by Steve Waterhouse
This month's tips are on TEAM SELLING meetings. Here are 7 tips that will greatly improve your odds of success when selling in a team. If you already know these techniques, forward this message to your team members so everyone is up to speed.
1. Always decide who will be the "lead" and who will be "support" before you meet with the client. The "lead" should control the flow of the conversation and bring the "support" person in as appropriate. This may mean that the support person does most of the presentation and the leader facilitates the discussion. Whatever the case, a decision in advance will improve the flow of the meeting and give the client a feeling of confidence in a well organized team. Never fight for time or the "last word" in front of the client.
2. In team meetings, the listener(s) on your team controls the client's eyes. If the person listening (lead or support) looks at the client, the client will return the look and be distracted from the speaker. If the listener looks at the speaker, the client will also focus their attention on the speaker. Listeners should look at the speaker until they make a significant point. Then it is appropriate to look at the client and give an agreeing nod. When the client nods back, you have confirmed that the speakers point was made. If you want to see pros do this, watch a TV talk show or sports broadcast. The speaker (not the camera) gets the attention of the other broadcasters.
3. Work for your teammates. If one of your presenters has handouts or presentation materials, make sure someone else is prepared to hand them out. Assign one person as 'gopher' incase the speaker needs something during the program. This allows your presenter to remain focused on the client and it also shows the client that you are working as a team to support them.
4. Leave the client with one clear point of contact. When you end the session, let the client know whom they should contact. In some cases there are different contacts for different situations. Clarify this by offering one person as the primary contact for any questions. In large presentations, a list of your contact people and their responsibilities should be prepared in advance and offered to the client.
5. Follow-up notes are appropriate from each of the primary members of the sales team. If your team had many members, notes from each one to their peers on the client's team are appropriate and will help build lasting rapport.
6. Debrief your team. Immediately after the meeting, have a 15-minute debrief session to discuss each team members sense of what happened and what should happen next. Document any promises made to the client and assign responsibility for follow up.
7. Run a training program for all members of your presentation team to cover these points. At the very least, send a copy of these rules to every member of the team in advance of the meeting. If there are any objections, they should be cleared up long before the presentation. When you wing it, you risk going down in flames!
For a free copy of "10 Keys to Sales Excellence" email article2@waterhousegroup.com and request Article 2.