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I have been in meeting after meeting this week. People pitching me ideas, concepts, website, companies, organisations and people pitching people who know people who can possible do something for me.

If there is one thing that I cannot stand it’s when people don’t know when to stop selling. Learn this lesson quickly: Pitch me your product, tell me about what you do but then stop. Finish. End. Quit and let me think about what you are telling or selling me. Do not try to resell and rephrase and re re re re re. I got it. I’m a quick learner (or so I’ve been told).

Another thing that has irritated me beyond belief is self proclaimed experts from abroad who have learnt how to “fix” our “problems” here in SA. Do not preach to me about the airs and graces of the United States of America (said with a pseudo-American-twang). Do not go in to a meeting with a South African entrepreneur and tell him that South Africa is 20+ years behind America technologically. That is not a good way to sell me on your product or concept.

The next thing is research. In today’s day and age it is possible to gather a vast amount of information about someone from the internet. Look at this blog. I have my personal details on here, I have links to things that can help you clue together my background. Go and visit my LinkedIn profile, its all there. Then come in to a meeting knowing about who I am, what my company does and where we are planning on going. Research, research, research.

These are basics that I have seen in maybe two of the eight meetings I have had this week. How can people still be missing this stuff? It’s simple. If you haven’t thought about this before, then you are hearing it now. Think about it and you will soon realise that if you do not prepare you will not be successful. You can’t invade a country without weapons, you can’t sell yourself without research.

I attended an interesting course today. Clive Price from the Peers Group gave a great talk today on how to alter your approach to sales.

Some brief pointers:

• You can’t close on sale until you’ve pointed out the need for your service.
• Cold Calling (CC) sucks, but it can work.
• Your goal for a CC is to GET AN APPOINTMENT
• Once in a meeting or appointment make sure you show interest in your potential client and their company. Do not focus on your product. Repeat, do not focus on your product, yet.
• Identify gaps for your product/company to take advantage of while getting to know your client.
• When gaps are identified, summarise them for your client.
• Try to make them acknowledge their shortfalls or gaps.
• This acknowledgment allows you to then suggest solutions (your product/company)
• When you have all the above achieved, begin to fill the identified gaps with products or services that you can offer.
• If all the above has gone successfully, close your deal.

Remember to use open ended questions. Stay away from yes or no, true or false or two option answers. The answer will inevitably not be the one you want to hear.

For more great tips and sales assistance get over to the Peer Group website and contact Clive Price!

I will be in a sales conference for the whole of Thursday. Freelance job one has subsidised the course for me. Hopefully I will learn some interesting things regarding marketing and sales and can pass on the knowledge. Woop woop for large corporations paying freelancers to learn interesting stuff they wouldn’t normally pay for!