Page 183 - 101 Ways to Market Your Business

101 WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS

A few points to remember when making sales calls:

1. Find out a bit about the person or company that you
are targeting.

2. Make sure that you are talking to the person who
makes the buying decision.

3. Make an appointment.
4. Arrive on time, neatly dressed and be organised.
5. Look around the office or building for anything of

interest that you could start a conversation with.
6. Have a few minutes of small talk and thank the person

for seeing you.
7. Explain why you are there.
8. Ask them about their business and their requirements.
9. Outline your product or service (in a few minutes)

based on their needs.
10. Ask for the person’s thoughts or questions.
11. Don’t be afraid to ask for the business.
12. If they ask you for more information get it to them

quickly and call to make sure they received it.

Point number 11 is probably the most important but the
least often done—asking for the business.

I have seen thousands of great presentations with bells
and whistles, overhead projectors, laptop presentations,
glossy brochures and high-tech videos but by far the most
common fault that salespeople have is that they don’t ask
for the business, which is of course the whole reason they
are there.

At the end of their presentation they pack up all of
their gizmos and walk out the door without once ever
asking the customer for the business.

By following the above suggestions you will dramati-
cally increase your chances of conducting successful sales
calls.

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