The first contact sales meeting happens only once! The first sales presentation is a big opportunity, and for those new to sales, the experience can be daunting! Many professionals, such as accountants or solicitors, are going out to sell their services for the first time and they are fully aware that sales is not their specialist area! Equally, many people are joining the sales force for the first time. This article will give you useful tips to help you get started.

It is a Sales Meeting, not a Presentation

The first thing to appreciate is that the first sales meeting is a meeting, not a presentation. In sales, it is important to listen first and talk later. The idea is that when you eventually do begin to talk about your product or services, you will do so in a way that is totally appropriate and relevant for this particular prospect. To do that, the successful sales person will guide the meeting so that -

1. There is an appropriate flow to the meeting

2. There is a two-way conversation

3. The Sales person can gain an appreciation of the prospect, both personally and in terms of business needs

4. The Sales person will set his or her presentation of their products or services within this prospects context, how we can enhance their business

The key to this meeting is to think in terms of the structure of the interaction, the phases of the conversation from the first greeting in reception, to the farewells at the front door.

The Structure of the Sales Meeting

There are phases to the meeting and each one should flow comfortably from one to the next. There are goals at each phase, and successful sales people focus tightly on achieving those goals before having to move to the next phase.

The following is a useful guideline of the structure of a successful first contact meeting:

1. Greet the prospect with positive eye contact, confident posture and a warm handshake. The goal here is to create a positive first impression, and it is important to think about what impression you want to create. If the person greeting you is an assistant, use the same focus to create the right perception with this person. Every positive relationship counts and an assistant is usually the gatekeeper.

2. Listen and Observe. Walking to the meeting room is a time for you to listen to the prospect and observe them. As they make small talk, a good sales person will try to profile their personality style, how they walk, how they talk and what they talk about.

3. Establish meeting objectives. As you begin the meeting it is important to establish objectives. The prospect may well do this, but if they don't, then the sales person can do this. Usually, a sales person will say they would like to give an idea of the service the offer that would be of value to the person's business, but first they would like to get an appreciation of the nature of the business.

4. Question to fact find. The idea at this phase is to get as much information as possible about the nature of the business, their strategies and goals, their relevant needs and their business culture. People new to the first contact meeting often jump in when they see a selling opportunity and they will take over the conversation. This is a big mistake. Apart from interrupting the prospect's train of thought, you may well miss something vital that they would go on to talk about. The more the prospect talks, the more you will learn. A very general open question usually works well to begin this phase; Can you tell me bit about the business here? Can you give me an idea of your own role?

5. Listen like a sales person. As the prospect is talking, concentrate on receiving as much as possible. The person will usually use a language style that will give you information about his or her personality style, and also about the culture of the Company. Write key words and phrases down in the prospects own words. Identify their values and what is important to them. When you move on to your presentation, you will phrase what you say in a way that will appeal to this particular individual.

6. Present your Company, your products and services. Talk about what you can offer this business, this person and their specific needs. Think in terms of benefits and advantages to them.

7. Trial close. This is where the sales person hands the flow of the conversation back to the prospect and listens carefully to their view of our offering. Again, listen like a sales person, looking for opportunities and buying cues.

8. Gain agreement. This is a key point in the first contact meeting, and is the focus of the entire conversation. Many sales people fall down at this point, simply because they have a very vague idea of what exactly they are trying to do achieve at this point. What exactly am I trying to achieve by the end of the meeting. Do I want to close a sale? Do I want to get agreement for a second meeting? Establish a clear goal before you go in to the meeting, and focus very tightly on this.

9. Ask for agreement - ask for the sale, or the meeting or the next steps

10. Close Positively. No matter what the outcome of the meeting was, ensure the last impression this prospect has is a positive one