From preparation to hyper-preparation, or how to make the difference in appointments
"He who neglects to prepare, must prepare to be neglected" goes the saying.
A truth that makes even more sense today, in a competitive world where information and professional culture are at everyone's fingertips... Every detail counts. So get ready to be hyper-prepared!
Long gone are the days when the salesman would come up to his prospect and gently say "Hello, nice to meet you... Tell me a bit about your company." Today, such behavior would certainly earn bewildered eyes and a snide laugh in response... " NEXT!"
In a society increasingly focused on the individual, customers expect personalized attention, and want to feel considered and valued: "Show me that you're interested in me, and I'll tell you who I am".
Objective #1: win the battle for credibility
It all starts at the very first moment... To capture the customer's attention and, above all, keep it, the salesperson has to show that he or she is interested in the customer, knows the customer, has a good grasp of the customer's environment, and is aware of what's at stake... When hyper-preparation goes hand in hand with hyper-documentation.
After all, what is hyper-preparation? First and foremost, it's a real work of research and analysis upstream, so as to arrive at the customer's doorstep with a clear understanding of his or her world.
It's also the first step in confronting the customer with the issues at stake, and then providing some answers... These are the elements that will put the contact in perspective, and trigger in the customer's mind the certainty of added value.
This hyper-preparedness allows you to personalize your pitch and make it more credible. The result? The customer feels confident, and a sense of complicity is created. The first battle is won...
Hyper-preparedness to reassure customers
In addition to putting the salesperson in the best possible conditions, hyper-preparedness also reassures the customer. It creates a marker of competence and sends an immediate positive signal: "This person knows what he's talking about, so I can trust him".
Indeed, customers need this confidence to shake off their natural inertia generated by their own doubts, fears and questions. Faced with a hyper-prepared interlocutor, they will not only find answers to their concerns, but also the "courage" they may lack to take certain decisions and move forward.
In addition to their arguments and added value, salespeople must be able to create a sense of excitement, dynamism and movement in which to draw their prospects along.
Hyper-preparation to build sales confidence
We'll say it again and again: hyper-preration cannot be neglected. The best example of this is provided by aerobatic pilots. Although they are surrounded by a highly competent technical staff who look after and maintain their aircraft, the pilots always check the planes themselves before take-off. Why do they do this? Because they can't afford to have the slightest doubt about the safety and reliability of their aircraft during the maneuver. Their minds must be 100% focused on their performance.
In the same way, if salespeople know that they have mastered their subject, that they are confident in their preparation and in their persuasive "material", they will be able to invest 100% of their energy in their sales pitch, without allowing themselves to be destabilized by doubt.
These fundamental principles give the salesperson extra confidence, which in turn boosts the impact and effectiveness of his or her pitch.
It's up to each salesperson to take charge of his or her own career and forge the most solid professional culture possible.
What about you? Are you hyper-prepared?