How to Properly Start a Meeting — Thackray Thoughts Podcast
Hey All! Happy New Year and Happy 2021. So far 2021 feels a lot like 2020 but this month is the start of a brand new year and we can make it as great as possible and control what we can control. Cheers to that and to a great start!
On this episode of Thackray Thoughts (Apple Podcasts or Spotify) I discuss how to properly start a meeting, how to drill down on pain points, and why it is important to know where you are going.
Topic 1 — How to properly start a meeting. I have seen and been on the receiving end of many sales calls and I notice that many of them start off wrong just 5 seconds in to the meeting. They usually all start by a thank you for your time and then get right in to this is what I going to discuss and what I would like to talk about and how I think my product or service will be the best choice for you. That is not the best way to start. In this episode I talk about how you have to make the meeting all about the customer, even if you are going to discuss the same items you would have if you didn’t ask and listen by doing that part first, you get more buy in and are able to point out specific issues that the customer wanted addressed. You should start a meeting by asking what the customer wants to get our of your time today. When this meeting is over, what do you want to make sure we cover? And then you listen for the answer. That way when you discuss how your product will solve that for them, you can call that out specifically and say “You mentioned this was important to you and this is how we solve that for you”.
Topic 2 — Drilling down on pain points. Many salespeople will hear a pain point and stop there and tell how they can solve that issue. While that does technically answer the question, it doesn’t have the impact it could have if you would drill down deeper. In this episode I say you should take their hang nail and rip their arm off with it. They tell you and issue they have and then you follow up with questions. Why is that issue an issue for you? Has that happened in the past? What else does that affect in your organization? Does this cause issues for other departments? What does that mean in terms of delays or money lost or customer issues on your end? Etc.
Topic 3 — Know where you are going. This will take work on your end prior to the meeting to know your product, know your competitors, and know where your competitive advantage lies and be ready to explain how you can be the best option no matter what the customer brings up. If you know where you want to go and are prepared to be able to lead the customer down the path, then you and your product look a whole lot more attractive. I tell a story about walking to a restaurant in Philly and not knowing my way and how that made me feel and relate this to a customers experience.
Have a listen to Episode 2 and let me know what you think!
Originally published at https://rickythackray.com on January 19, 2021.
