Who hasn’t heard of the 6 Ps of planning: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance? This notion couldn’t be truer than when preparing for any sales call or customer interaction. Without a solid call plan before engaging with your customer or prospect, you leave the outcome of the call to chance—which most times ends with the last time you will engage with your buyers.
Here are the risks that even one bad call can have.
Your credibility. Every sales call is an opportunity to demonstrate to the buyer(s) that you are professional, that you respect their time, and you are there to help them solve their key business issues/problems.
Trust. Trust must be earned. A poorly planned call has the potential of ruining any trust your customer may have previously gained with you and your company.
Your company’s brand. Every seller is a representative of their company’s good name and brand. Poor customer interactions will slowly, over time, erode your company’s brand equity.
Word of Mouth. Perhaps the most damaging of all, is word of mouth. Good word of mouth is more effective than paid ads, social media, trade shows, etc. If your customers love you, they will rave about how great you and your company are to their colleagues and friends. This is also true in the reverse. Customers will tell everyone they know about a bad experience they have had with you, resulting in lost future sales to this network of people.
A strategic part of ZZ Sales Systems’ Consulting and Advisory Services is to help sellers create and execute solid call plans so they can effectively mitigate all risks associated with poor planning. Proper planning will result in a successful call where your objectives for the call will be accomplished.
If your company needs help to execute its Call Planning strategy, contact us for a free consult.
Jerone Jackson
1-404-918-9524