How to arrange a business meeting by phone. How to make an appointment by phone

There is a term called “meeting salesmanship,” which refers to a salesperson’s ability to get a client interested in meeting with them. In this section, I offer you several recommendations that increase the likelihood that you will “sell” a meeting to a client, and it will take place.

When inviting a client to meet, you must convey to him the potential benefits (benefits) from this meeting.

If you invite a person to meet, he will immediately ask himself the question: “Why?” When naming the motive for the meeting, you must answer this question.

Do not use traditional motifs worn out by sellers:

I suggest we meet so we can get to know each other better...

At the meeting I will tell you about us, and you about yourself and your business.

I will introduce you to our new project.

We have created a new product (service) and we want you to know about it.

The listed approaches do not arouse interest in the meeting, since they do not contain an answer to the question “What will this give me?”

Use benefit language if you want the client to be interested in meeting with you. Tell him something that might interest him.

In my business, this is an opportunity to improve the efficiency of sales staff and the quality of customer service, which allows us to increase sales (no one is interested in training). In your business, this can be anything (you know best), the main thing is that the client is offered a solution to his problem or a benefit that satisfies his needs.

I hope you have completed the first practice in this book and created a benefit language for your product and business. Then you should not have any questions about how to interest the client in a meeting.

2. Make an appointment for a specific time.

Agreements like: after 9.00, around noon, after lunch, etc. are extremely unreliable, as they are non-specific and imply high probability that the meeting will never take place.

Every time I agreed to a meeting scheduled with a similar wording, “for some reason” the client and I did not meet. Which is not at all surprising, since 14.00 is also “around noon”, and 8.00 the next day is really “after today’s lunch”.

If you are offered to meet after 9.00, clarify: what time should you still be with the client - at 9.30 or 10.00? If a client says that he will come to you in the afternoon, then, referring to his busy schedule of trips and meetings, ask how long you should wait for him. Don’t be shy, you won’t anger the client with such questions, but you will only show him that you are a professional and value your time.

3. Use the method of choice when scheduling a meeting.

Asking the client the question: “When can we meet?” or: “When could we meet?”, you force him to think about the non-specific, about the possibility of meeting in general, starting from the current moment and until... as far as his imagination allows.

Every second client answered this question to me as follows: “Call me on Monday (closer to the end of the week), and then we will agree.” Calling them back at the appointed time, I heard: “You know, it’s a crazy week again, call me back next Monday,” etc. Some clients “pushed” me like this until I myself gave up and gave up the idea of ​​meeting (probably they were counting on this).

When offering a meeting time, give the client two options to choose from, it will be much easier for him to make a decision. It looks like this:

When is it more convenient for you, at the beginning or at the end of the week?

If the client answers: “Better at the end,” then the question will follow: “Thursday or Friday?”

Similarly, you agree on a half-day (before lunch or after?) and, checking your diary, specify the time (for example, at 10:00 or 11:00?).

Even if the client offers his own (third) option, since the ones you proposed do not suit him, this is also good, because the main thing is that you agreed on a meeting.

4. If you are visiting a client for the first time.

When going to a meeting with a client you have never visited before, be sure to ask how to get there. No matter how simple this advice may sound, discussing the issue with hundreds of sellers confirms that almost every one of them at least once came to the client’s address and could not find his office (enterprise).

How many times have I, relying on my ability to navigate the area, written down a client's address and went to a meeting. Having arrived at the place, I could not understand why I found myself in an open field, on the territory of an abandoned factory, or in a tram depot. Oddly enough, sometimes street names and house numbers can be quite confusing, and some clients tend to locate themselves in the most unexpected places.

Tell the client where and how (on public transport or your car) you go and ask how to find his office. The client is in “his territory” every day, and getting there is an elementary matter for him. For you, going there for the first time, it can be an insurmountable task.

I want to reassure you: the client will not reproach you for your poor knowledge of the area where he is located.

On the contrary, the desire to make sure that you correctly understood how to get to him will once again indicate to the client your accuracy and professionalism.

Attention: If a client is going to a meeting in your office, then do not limit yourself to giving your address, explain to him in detail how to find you.

5. Confirm the appointment.

If you make an appointment with a client “in a few days” (on Tuesday you make an appointment for Friday) or “across the weekend” (on Thursday you make an appointment on Monday), then be sure to confirm the meeting.

In the few days that separate the day the appointment is scheduled and the day it takes place, many changes can occur in the client's life. Unforeseen circumstances may arise that jeopardize the completion of the planned meeting. You can come to a client (after spending two hours on the road), and he will be on a business trip, in the hospital, etc.

Therefore, it is necessary to confirm appointments.

This is done very simply: before you go to the client, call him (at the office or at mobile phone) and remind:

Mr. Client, hello, this is Masha from the publishing house “Fortochka”. We agreed to meet at 15.00, I want to inform you that I am leaving.

Ms. Client, hello, this is Masha from the publishing house “Fortochka”. We have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 8.00 am. I want to confirm that I will be with you tomorrow at 8.00.

Your call should sound like a reminder - a message that you are going to the client.

Never confirm an appointment this way:

Is our agreement to meet still valid?

I want to know if anything has changed?

Have your plans changed?

By asking a closed question, you are inviting a negative response from the client, for example: “It’s good that you called, I urgently need to leave the office. Let's call next week."

When they told me this for the first time, I was glad that, although the meeting was postponed, it would still take place. But when the number of such client responses and canceled meetings began to number in the dozens, I realized that with such “confirmation” of meetings I myself was canceling them.

Why might this happen? Yes, because the seller is the No. 1 candidate for departure from the daily routine of a busy person.

We once conducted a survey of key company employees for one client, after which we had to move on to training the sales staff.

After conducting the survey, one misunderstanding arose that jeopardized the implementation of the training project. The training was supposed to start on Monday, and since our agreement with the client was verbal (and this happens), I had to call and confirm the start of classes. And then Friday came, I was about to call the client and I realized that by asking the traditional question: “Is everything still valid?”, I could lose this project. Only after working through several scenarios for starting a conversation did I choose, as it seemed to me, the most suitable one.

Having called the client, I asked him: “Mr. client, I am calling about the sales training program and want to clarify how many handouts should we prepare by Monday?” I closed my eyes and waited for the client’s answer; relief came when he answered: “Twelve.”

If you are more than 5 minutes late, call the client and warn them about it. Do not think that if you are 20 minutes late, you can count on the duration of the meeting that you agreed on. Perhaps the meeting will be rescheduled, but this is better than being interrupted in the middle.

Being late is the most easy way let the client know that you do not respect him or value his time.

To all the listed recommendations for working with the phone, I want to add one more. If you feel intimidated or even afraid of your phone, that's normal. Over nine years of working in direct sales (more than seven of them on bare commission), the fear of the telephone gripped me several times, literally paralyzing me and preventing me from calling new clients.

Most effective method to overcome this fear, like any other, is to attack it by doing exactly what you fear.

Either you control your fear, or it controls you!

AND last tip: in order to reduce the number of refusals and “messages” when searching for new clients by phone, use “ Golden Rule» telemarketing. Here it is: after calling a potential client, introducing yourself and asking for a few minutes to talk, immediately tell him the benefits and benefits that you bring to your clients, perhaps referring to some of them, and then.

So you have finally reached the person you need. I have repeatedly seen the stupor in the eyes of sellers at this moment. When they, it would seem, have been looking for a way to this important person for so long, and here he is.

Why the stupor? Firstly, the fear of saying something wrong and losing a client, and secondly, how to express everything in 30 seconds and get results. Thirdly, how to schedule a meeting so that it takes place.

There are emergency measures in such cases: just hang up, and when you tune in, after 30 seconds, call and say “I’m sorry, the call somehow fell through,” and then follow the algorithm u.

If we have a “cold” call, then we use the algorithm of previous lessons (attention-interest-schedule a meeting). As a result, we get something like the following dialogue: M: Good afternoon, Vitaly Petrovich, my name is Irina. Are you comfortable talking now? K: Yes. M: Vitaly Petrovich, I understand correctly, you are the director of the company, was I transferred correctly? K: Yes M: Vitaly Petrovich, are you, as a director, interested in optimizing the costs of maintaining a computer network and equipment in your office? K: Yes. M: Very good. Tell me, would it be convenient for you to meet tomorrow at 14:00 in your office? Our meeting does not oblige you to anything and will take about 15 minutes. K: Pull up. M: It's nice to deal with specific people. Then tomorrow I will be with you at 14:00. Tell me your direct phone number, just in case (we write down the number). Have a nice day. Till tomorrow. Of course, this conversation seems perfect. In most cases, there are a lot of objections. The most common objections and how to deal with them can be found in the practical application at the end of the main material.

The most important thing to remember from this material: It is impossible to lose what is not there. There is no need to be afraid of losing a potential client. It is important to be yourself and talk simply, as if to good friend. You don’t address your friend according to the template: dear Dmitry, would you be so kind as to meet me tomorrow near the cinema at 14:00? Templates are provided as a guide. With experience and practice, you develop your own relaxed communication style, even when making a cold call. If your client or acquaintance brought you to his office neighbor and introduced you as a person who needed to be listened to, remember, you were not expected there, and they will listen out of respect for your acquaintance.

The most optimal solution- this is to say that you have heard a lot of interesting things about this person, came to meet him, are now in a hurry, and set up a meeting the next day at 14:30 to discuss possible mutually beneficial cooperation.

Exercise: Write a list of all possible objections that you think might arise when scheduling an appointment. We will discuss them in the comments. This article was written for the Academy of Experts project. Write, did you like it? If you have questions for the author, feel free to write in the comments! Also remember your friends. You can influence their development. “Like” the article (the panel is on the left of this page) and share useful tips with friends on social networks.

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From this article you will learn:

• In what cases would it be appropriate to meet with the client?
• How to behave at the first meeting with a client
• How to properly prepare for a meeting with a client
• What behavior pattern to follow when meeting with a client?
• How to write a report on a meeting with a client

A business meeting is an event necessary to conduct a constructive conversation with the participation of two or more sides In order for the negotiations to bring the expected result, you need to prepare for a personal meeting with the client: outline the goals that need to be achieved during the interaction, familiarize yourself with all available information about the client (his psychological characteristics, achievements, career, business specifics), choose suitable style behavior and clothing. If the preparation has been carried out carefully, the meeting with the client has every chance of being successful.

When is it appropriate to meet with a client?

Most textbooks on sales technology state that the working day of any sales manager should include three types of activities: telephone conversations, preparation for meetings with clients and development of commercial proposals, the meetings themselves. The effectiveness of its work is proposed to be simplified by four quantitative indicators: the number of calls made, appointments made with potential clients, meetings held, closed transactions (based on the number of invoices issued). Special attention In this case, attention should be paid to the meetings that have taken place.

For many sales managers, meeting with clients in sales turns into an end in itself. This is due to the fact that some companies focus primarily on quantitative indicators which employees must comply with; or this happens on the initiative of the manager himself, who is actively seeking personal communication with any potential customer whom he has managed to persuade to meet.

In theory, the more meetings, the more transactions and satisfied clients, and quantity should turn into quality, but in practice this pattern does not always work. Many meetings are wasted and do not lead to a sale, but consist of introducing the potential client to the manager and the product that the company offers, as well as discovering the fact that at the moment the client does not need him and does not intend to buy anything, he is simply satisfying his interest . Or the client can only place a small order, since it is not a target for this company. This is not the manager's fault.

You must be aware that every such useless trip is a loss for business, since work time The manager is spent irrationally: instead of meeting and servicing promising clients who will bring large income to the company, he mechanically fulfills the quota and wastes his resources on everyone.

How to find out the client's hidden needs? Find out in the training program

It is believed that the effectiveness of a call can only be assessed by whether it was possible to arrange a meeting with the client or not. But you can approach it from the other side and consider an effective call to be one that allows you to characterize the qualifications of a potential client.

Potential Client Qualification is conducting an assessment its potential in terms of sales and the feasibility of building interaction with it.

The client can be qualified not only by formal criteria, but also by more general ones (field of activity, scale of business, need for goods and services supplied by the seller, availability of suppliers, willingness to change them and requirements for them, etc.). Analysis of this information about the real state of the client’s business, its capabilities and current needs will allow us to select the highest priority ones from the entire list of potential customers and focus on servicing them. These are the clients with whom the transaction is most likely and desirable, and managers should spend their time first, including holding personal meetings with them.

At first glance, it seems that it is possible to determine whether a client is promising only during a meeting, and not over the phone. But if we know exactly what information we need and consistently ask questions during a telephone conversation using ready-made speech modules, then client potential assessment quite possible. This skill is easy to learn. The main thing is to be aware that effective communication is not tied only to personal meetings.

When interacting with a client, first of all consider how interested he is, and, whenever possible, whet his interest. Use your resources sparingly and don’t get ahead of the curve.

Thus, it will be enough for a “cold” client to sometimes send newsletters with news about the company, new products, and articles on the topic. But a “warm” client is already a candidate to be invited to a marketing event, which will provide the opportunity to meet with several such possible customers at the same time. He needs to devote his best resources. By the way, clients communicating with each other during such events increase each other’s interest in the company.

An alternative option for working with “warm” clients, if there are no marketing activities planned in the near future, is to schedule a meeting with them by phone and invite them to your office, saving the time of your managers.

There are also so-called “hot” clients. If they are of interest to the company and are ready for a deal, it is important not to miss the moment to start a relationship with them. To do this, you can visit the client’s office, carefully preparing for this first meeting, since a lot will depend on it.

How should the first meeting with a client go?

The manager’s appearance is what forms the client’s first impression of him. Therefore, you should take special care of your appearance when going to a personal meeting with a client.

A universal solution for such situations is a classic business style of clothing (trousers, shirt, jacket or jumper; you can dilute this strict look with jeans or a turtleneck, but the overall impression of formality and composure should be preserved). However, if you have information about the client's tastes, you can dress according to them.

What must be avoided are provocative and flashy details in clothing and appearance in general (including hairstyle, and for women, makeup and jewelry), as well as noticeable untidiness. You should prepare especially carefully for meetings with foreign clients: their culture may provide for much more stringent limits on what is permitted than yours.

At the first meeting with a potential client, the manager should be clean and well-groomed, neatly dressed in accordance with his size in order to feel comfortable and not look ridiculous. His entire appearance should express thoroughness, seriousness and place the client in a position of trust.

Don't forget about shoes! Shoes should look expensive (like a watch, they reflect the wealth and social status of its owner), be of high quality and polished. Women are advised to choose medium or low heels for such situations.

Take care of your hair: it should be neat and comply with the business dress code. Get your hands in order - they will be visible throughout the meeting. Also choose accessories based on their relevance to the business context: it is better to do without something at all than to wear an obvious fake or something frankly of poor quality. Give preference to well-known companies and brands that produce business and casual clothing, but do not try to wear all the best and most expensive at once or impress the client with your chic.

For your first meeting with a client, you must take a kit with you. information documents, which should include:

Selling services is more personalized than selling goods. This includes a lot: from training to insurance and medicine. Seeing an advertisement for a training or educational course, a potential consumer will first of all become interested in the trainer (coach, teacher, etc.) and only then in the topic and program. People choose a personal doctor or psychotherapist primarily based on personal impressions and preferences. The client develops approximately the same attitude towards the insurance agent, especially if they have been cooperating for more than a year.

Therefore, for those areas of business where it is necessary to sell a personal service, the biography of the specialist himself is very important; this is not unnecessary information or an attempt to draw attention to himself, but an adequate market requirement. Moreover, even many large companies organize a “Personnel” section on their websites with photographs and information about employees. After all, clients interact not with the company as a whole, but with specific living people working in it, and this communication usually begins with the sales manager.

In addition to writing texts and collecting documents, preparing for a meeting with a client includes other important steps.

Preparing for a meeting with a client: defining goals and collecting information

The first meeting with a potential client in many cases determines the outcome of all negotiations. For a sales manager, every successful meeting brings the conclusion of a contract closer and affects the size of the salary.

To expect that a contract will be signed at the first meeting is at least strange. In the best case, meeting a client will be the beginning of a successful business collaboration and will lead to new meetings and interactions.

For a manager conducting a first meeting with a possible client, the main goals are:

• assessment of the client’s prospects and readiness for cooperation;
• determining the main needs of the interlocutor;
• finding out which of the goods and services offered by your company may be useful and interesting to him;
• offering product samples, showing samples of work;
• receiving feedback from the client.

At this stage, the manager sells not the product itself, but himself (that is, creates a favorable impression, interests the client, builds a trusting relationship with him). To make this happen, you need to work out in advance different scenarios developments of events and be prepared for each of them (and not hope that everything will go easily and you will be able to get your bearings on the spot).

Preparing for a meeting with a client consists of two stages– informational and organizational.

Information stage

Before planning a meeting, collect all possible information about the client, namely:

• Understand the specifics of his business: read specialized literature, remember the most frequently used terms (they can be used during negotiations, showing the customer that you are on the same wavelength).
• Study the corporate website of the client's company. Pay special attention to the sections of top management and personnel - perhaps these are the people you will be talking to.
• Take an interest in the success of competitors in the same area, determine what position your potential client occupies in the market. This will allow you to better understand his needs, prospects and limitations in order to develop an offer that is suitable for him.
• And, of course, you must have an excellent understanding of the products and services that you offer to the client. You need to know every detail about them and be ready to answer the client’s questions during the meeting. Your task is to present your product or service with dignity, confidence and comprehensiveness.

Organizational stage

This stage is about solving all organizational issues regarding future negotiations. First of all, you need to arrange a meeting with the client. This is usually done over the phone. Find out when and what time would be convenient for a potential client to talk in person and schedule a meeting.

Examples of places to meet with a client:

For meetings with clients - both potential and those already working with the company - uncrowded places without noise are suitable. However, the success of the meeting is largely determined by the behavior of the manager, and not by the location where it is held.

How to conduct meetings with clients: main steps

Personal negotiations with clients can be conducted in accordance with various algorithms. Let's look at the simplest and most universal conversation scheme.

The main stages of a meeting with a client:

Let's look at each stage in more detail.

Establishing initial contact

A lot depends on how the initial stage of negotiations went. If you fail to establish contact with the client, then it is unlikely that you will be able to form an open friendly relationship with him. Without contact there is no point in proceeding to the next stage, and it is better to postpone the meeting altogether to another time. Maybe you just came at the wrong time.

If the client is willing to make contact, it’s time to move on to the essence of the negotiations.

Identifying the client’s needs and current goals and objectives

This stage of the meeting is best organized in the form of a dialogue: the manager asks the client questions, and he answers them. You must first explain to the client that in this way you are trying to understand what he needs in order to offer him the best that your company can give. Questions not only provide information about the client’s needs, but also draw him into dialogue, which has great importance in terms of the psychology of communication: even if a person was initially skeptical and did not want to hear about your products or services, the very process of conversation in the form of questions and answers involves him in the necessary context, arouses his interest, and focuses his attention on the topic.

Questions should be posed in such a way that the client not only clearly understands his problem areas, but also imbued with confidence that only you can solve his problems.

If you managed to do this, feel free to move on to the next stage of negotiations.

Product/service presentation

Having gone through part of the chain with the client of asking questions, recognizing problems and the need to find solutions, proceed to positioning your product or service. At this stage of the business conversation, your goal is to convince the client that your product or service is ideal solution for him. Focus on the advantages and benefits of concluding a contract with you, highlight your key differences from similar offers from competitors.

Unlike the second stage of the meeting, during which it was necessary to “talk” to the client, the third stage is more like a manager’s monologue, and the client here is more of a listener. However, it is very important to maintain contact with him, periodically checking if everything is clear, if there are any questions, etc.

Motivating the client to purchase

Having presented your offer, you need to motivate the client to accept it. This is done through direct questions about whether he is ready to make a purchase (conclude an agreement, etc.), under what conditions it would be convenient for him to do this, what he is not happy with, what he disagrees with.

Based on the answers to such questions, one can judge whether the client is inclined to conclude a deal. If definitely yes, then next stage You can skip by going straight to the penultimate one. However, most often the client accumulates objections and clarifications during the meeting, and then the manager needs to give feedback on them.

Work with objections

There are many ways to deal with customer objections. various techniques. The choice of any of them (or several at once) is up to the manager himself. The main thing is not to ignore objections, to let the client know that you heard him, understood him and are ready to clarify everything (right now or a little later). In order not to forget any of the objections during the conversation, you can briefly write them down, and later go through the list and discuss each of them with the client.

Completing the deal

When all objections have been processed and there are no controversial issues left, the time has come to sign the contract. It is important for the manager to understand in time that the client is already ready for the transaction and agrees to complete it, and after that initiate a discussion of all the details and particulars: the exact amount of the purchase, delivery and payment terms. Task this stage meetings - to reach specific and clear agreements on all aspects of the transaction and receive clear promises from the client to fulfill their part of the obligations.

It happens that a representative of a client company is ready to work with you and agrees to purchase, but at the moment it is not possible to sign an agreement (for example, general director the company is not there). In such situations, the sales manager must agree with him on specific actions: the time when the contract will be signed, the procedure for exchanging details and transferring documents.

Many sales managers ignore this last stage when conducting meetings with clients because they do not want to drag out negotiations and are afraid of burdening people with additional requests. But you shouldn’t be ashamed to ask potential clients give you contact information of several acquaintances, business partners and other persons who could benefit from your products or services! This great way replenishment of the client base for the manager. Moreover, many clients treat such a request with understanding and willingly recommend those who might be interested in the product or service being presented.

Of course, live meetings with clients do not always take place in strict accordance with the described scheme. Some stages may be dropped or swapped. But it is highly desirable for a manager to adhere to this sequence in negotiations. First, it structures the conversation and makes it constructive. Secondly, if there is ready-made template the manager does not have to think about his every next step, which saves time for both interlocutors and avoids awkward pauses.

Absolutely all managers who go to personal meetings with clients - even the most experienced and intelligent ones - sometimes make mistakes. The most typical are the following errors:

Mistake #1– immediately present your product (service), skipping the stages of getting into contact and finding out the current needs of the client. In this case, the client feels that something completely unnecessary is being imposed on him and gets irritated.

Mistake #2- hoping for chance and not having a conversation plan. The absence of an algorithm makes the conversation chaotic, creates pauses or distractions, and drags out the meeting.

Mistake #3– lack of understanding of the client’s main need, shifting the focus to less important needs and problems that he mentioned.

Mistake #4– inability to listen to the interlocutor and be interested in his point of view. Such people seem to be very selfish and oppressive, pursuing only their own benefit. You don't want to have long-term business relationships with them.

Mistake #5– the meeting was not brought to its logical conclusion. Often the manager simply says goodbye and leaves, being sure that the deal has already been completed, and all that remains is to send the client his Commercial offer. But you need to control every detail yourself and clearly agree on all subsequent joint steps - calls, meetings, signing documents - for the sale to take place.

Mistake #6– expression of dissatisfaction with the client’s actions (lateness, postponement of the meeting, refusal, etc.). The client will not want to enter into a relationship with someone who accuses and reproaches him at the first meeting.

Mistake #7– extra calls to confirm the meeting (so as not to travel just like that), multiple reminders about it, etc.

Mistake #8– a thoughtless offer of bonuses, discounts and other preferential conditions for a client who is immediately ready to buy. Inexperienced managers can take such steps out of joy that the deal has taken place and violate the entire pricing policy of their company.

At the stage of getting to know the client and establishing contact, the manager must do the following:

• understand what the client is like, what his needs are and the current situation (perhaps similar clients have already been in his sales practice);
• greet each other;
• create a warm, trusting environment;
• lift the client's mood (with a joke, a remark on an abstract topic).

The initiative during the entire meeting must belong to the manager! After all, it is he who is interested in concluding a deal, and he also initiates negotiations, so you should not let the conversation take its course.

One of the main tasks solved by the manager during the meeting is work out the client's needs. For this purpose the following scheme of actions has been developed:

1. address the person by name (sometimes by name and patronymic if the representative of the client company occupies a high position);
2. discuss the meeting agenda (which is especially important when time is limited);
3. briefly and clearly outline the purpose of the visit and tell about yourself and your company, present the product;
4. elaborate on each need and problem reported by the client;
5. clarify all highly professional aspects that are unclear to the manager, ask the client the necessary questions;
6. do not forget to maintain a light, relaxed atmosphere during the meeting (with jokes, compliments);
7. listen carefully to your interlocutor and delve into what he is talking about - any information he communicates can be useful to you during the conversation.

One of the most crucial moments at negotiations - offer. When pulling it out, keep the following in mind:

• you need to offer something that meets the basic client need;
• All conditions must be disclosed in detail in the proposal, underlined high quality service or product and its advantages are clearly outlined;
• you need to make sure that the client understands the essence of the offer and the product itself (and don’t be too lazy to explain everything again and again in simple words, if necessary, because he is not a professional in your field);
• the cost must correspond to the market situation and the client’s capabilities; sometimes you have to make a compromise, but in this case, many sales professionals recommend giving clients not discounts, but additional options and bonuses (those that cost the company little or no money, but make a good impression on the client).

For stage handling objections there is also a series valuable recommendations. During the conversation you should:

• express yourself clearly, accurately and briefly;
• adapt to the pace of your interlocutor’s conversation so that he feels comfortable communicating and keeps up with your train of thought;
• remain within the bounds of etiquette, behave correctly and respectfully towards the client, his colleagues and the organization as a whole;
• observe the culture of speech, avoid obscene and slang language;
• maintain a given distance in communication (do not come too close, do not behave familiarly);
• turn disadvantages into advantages;
• proceed from the needs and goals of the client, base your argumentation on them;
• present your ideas and arguments visually - using diagrams, graphs, etc.

Ritual end of the meeting must also be carried out correctly. Final stage meeting with a client includes a checklist of the following items:

• agree on what actions each party should take after the meeting;
• confirm the results of negotiations;
• if it is impossible to achieve the main goal of the meeting, try to solve alternative problems;
• get the client to make decisions on at least some of the issues raised;
• end the meeting on a cheerful note (with a joke, a small keepsake, etc.);
• immediately after the end of the personal meeting, send the client its protocol (see sample), which records the agreements reached, describes the actions of each party and the expected time for their completion;
• encourage the client to fulfill agreements: call the next day, write a letter, etc.

Minutes of a meeting with a client (sample):

Basic principles that a manager should follow when meeting with clients:

• do not forget that he is communicating with a specific living person, and not with an organization;
• monitor the client’s emotions and reactions;
• be prepared for the fact that people think and express themselves differently, and the interlocutor may not understand or perceive much due to differences in your pictures of the world;
• A successful conversation is always a dialogue, not a monologue.

Hello! In this article we will talk about how to arrange a meeting with a client.

Today you will learn:

1. What to say to a future client so that he definitely wants to meet with you;
2. What mistakes should you not make when scheduling a personal meeting?
3. Existing techniques that will help even a beginner make a first meeting.

The difference between a good and an ordinary manager

To do this, use the following instructions:

1. Before dialing a client's number, sit in a chair, lean back, relax, be patient, polite and smile to yourself. Sometimes a person's smile can be felt from a distance. Therefore, be charged with optimism and start taking active action.
2. Call and introduce yourself on behalf of the company. State your last name, first name and patronymic, as well as your position. In a nutshell, tell us what exactly you do.
3. After that, state the purpose of your call. The client must clearly understand what you want from him. But you don’t need to lay out all your trump cards at once. Interest your interlocutor in something and tell him that he will learn more in person.
4. Tell us with which ones well-known companies you cooperate. Perhaps trust large companies to your enterprise will work to your advantage.
5. Set your own date and time for the meeting to start. The interlocutor should have the impression that he decides when exactly the meeting will be held. You're actually giving him a choice without a choice.
6. Say goodbye to the client, not forgetting to thank them for their attention.

Here is an example of a dialogue about setting up a meeting:

— Hello, my name is Ivanov Ivan Sergeevich, I am the sales manager of the Morozko company. We are engaged in the sale of frozen foods. Can you give me a few minutes of your time?

- Hello, I’m listening to you.

— Ivan Sergeevich, I’m calling to arrange a meeting. The company I represent has a very interesting offer for you.

- What exactly do you mean? Can we discuss this over the phone?

— Our company has a personal offer for you, using which you will optimize the costs of producing your products. I can explain it to you in more detail during personal communication. Some of the most famous restaurants in the city (for example, Celentano and Bavaria) have already accepted our offer and were satisfied with their choice.

- It’s tempting, but I’ll probably think about it.

— Let us meet tomorrow at 16.00 or the day after tomorrow at 9.00, I will tell you in detail about the conditions of cooperation with us. This will be more informative than a telephone conversation. Will it be convenient for you to meet tomorrow?

— Perhaps, yes, only if possible, in my office.

- Great, then tomorrow at 16.00 I will be with you. Thank you for your time and see you soon!

Possible difficulties when talking with a client

In the process of fulfilling their job responsibilities Every person faces a number of difficulties that need to be overcome. Sales agents and managers must be able to handle objections.

Let's consider the main problem situations.

There are several effective techniques that will help you quickly and easily convince the client of the importance of the upcoming meeting.

1. Ledge technique– its essence is as follows: you constantly maintain interest in your interlocutor without revealing all the information completely. You can use the following expression: “So in order for me to tell you everything in more detail and convey the information to you in full, we need to meet.”
2. Product revaluation– you need to re-evaluate your product and develop new technology his proposals. Try to replace the boring phrase “I would like to meet with you” with the expression “Our company will calculate and offer real options reducing the cost of your products." For example, if you sell goods to restaurants and cafes, do not say that you are offering the client to buy certain products. Surely clients already have suppliers. Offer a service for estimating the cost of specific dishes. Having done the analysis, you will show that if they buy products from you, the client will save. Therefore, it is better to cooperate with you.

Here are some tips that can avoid difficulties during the conversation:

• Maintain interest, but don't create intrigue.
• Do not promise the client an increase in his profits several times. This causes mistrust.
• Do not use the phrases: “We would like...”, “We could with you...”, because the client is only interested in his benefit, and not your desire.
• Insist on a personal meeting, because looking into your eyes, it will be harder for the client to refuse cooperation.

Conclusion

The right invitation to a meeting is the first step towards holding the right meeting, which entails a long and productive cooperation. The main task telephone conversation, convince the interlocutor of the need for a personal meeting. To do this, you will have to interest the client and learn how to work with objections.

Making an appointment by phone

There is a term called “meeting salesmanship,” which refers to a salesperson’s ability to get a client interested in meeting with them. In this section, I offer you several recommendations that increase the likelihood that you will “sell” a meeting to a client, and it will take place.

1. When inviting a client to meet, you must convey to him the potential benefits (benefits) from this meeting.

If you invite a person to meet, he will immediately ask himself the question: “Why?” When naming the motive for the meeting, you must answer this question.

Do not use traditional motifs worn out by sellers:

I suggest we meet so we can get to know each other better...

At the meeting I will tell you about us, and you about yourself and your business.

I will introduce you to our new project.

We have created a new product (service) and we want you to know about it.

The listed approaches do not arouse interest in the meeting, since they do not contain an answer to the question “What will this give me?”

Use benefit language if you want the client to be interested in meeting with you. Tell him something that might interest him.

In my business, this is an opportunity to improve the efficiency of sales staff and the quality of customer service, which allows us to increase sales (no one is interested in training). In your business it can be anything (you know best), the main thing is that the client is offered solution his problems or benefits, satisfying his needs.

I hope you completed the first one practical task of this book and created a “benefit language” for their product and company. Then you should not have any questions about how to interest the client in a meeting.

2. Make an appointment for a specific time.

Agreements like: after 9.00, around noon, after lunch, etc. are extremely unreliable, as they are vague and imply a high probability that the meeting will not take place.

Every time I agreed to a meeting scheduled with a similar wording, “for some reason” the client and I did not meet. Which is not at all surprising, since 14.00 is also “around noon”, and 8.00 the next day is really “after today’s lunch”.

If you are offered to meet after 9.00, clarify: what time should you still be with the client - at 9.30 or 10.00? If a client says that he will come to you in the afternoon, then, referring to his busy schedule of trips and meetings, ask how long you should wait for him. Don’t be shy, you won’t anger the client with such questions, but you will only show him that you are a professional and value your time.

3. Use the method of choice when scheduling a meeting.

Asking the client the question: “When can we meet?” or: “When could we meet?”, you force him to think about the non-specific, about the possibility of meeting in general, starting from the current moment and until... as far as his imagination allows.

Every second client answered this question to me as follows: “Call me on Monday (closer to the end of the week), and then we will agree.” Calling them back at the appointed time, I heard: “You know, it’s a crazy week again, call me back next Monday,” etc. Some clients “pushed” me like this until I myself gave up and gave up the idea of ​​meeting (probably they were counting on this).

When offering a meeting time, give the client two options to choose from, it will be much easier for him to make a decision. It looks like this:

When is it more convenient for you, at the beginning or at the end of the week?

If the client answers: “Better at the end,” then the question will follow: “Thursday or Friday?”

Similarly, you agree on half a day (before lunch or after?) and, checking your diary, specify the time (for example, at 10.00 or 11.00?).

Even if the client offers his own (third) option, since the ones you proposed do not suit him, this is also good, because the main thing is that you agreed on a meeting.

4. If you are visiting a client for the first time.

Going to a meeting with a client you have never met before, be sure to ask how to get there. No matter how simple this advice may sound, discussing the issue with hundreds of sellers confirms that almost every one of them at least once came to the client’s address and could not find his office (enterprise).

How many times have I, relying on my ability to navigate the area, written down a client's address and went to a meeting. Having arrived at the place, I could not understand why I found myself in an open field, on the territory of an abandoned factory, or in a tram depot. Oddly enough, sometimes street names and house numbers can be quite confusing, and some clients tend to locate themselves in the most unexpected places.

Tell the client where And How(by public transport or your car) you go and ask how to find his office. The client is in “his territory” every day, and getting there is an elementary matter for him. For you, going there for the first time, it can be an insurmountable task.

I want to reassure you: the client will not reproach you for your poor knowledge of the area where he is located. On the contrary, the desire to make sure that you correctly understood how to get to him will once again indicate to the client your accuracy and professionalism.

Attention: If a client is going to a meeting in your office, then do not limit yourself to giving your address, explain to him in detail how to find you.

5. Confirm the appointment.

If you make an appointment with a client “in a few days” (on Tuesday you make an appointment for Friday) or “across the weekend” (on Thursday you make an appointment on Monday), then be sure to confirm the meeting.

In the few days that separate the day the appointment is scheduled and the day it takes place, many changes can occur in the client's life. Unforeseen circumstances may arise that jeopardize the completion of the planned meeting. You can come to a client (after spending two hours on the road), and he will be on a business trip, in the hospital, etc.

Therefore, it is necessary to confirm appointments.

This is done very simply: before you go to the client, call him (in the office or on his mobile phone) and remind him:

Mr. Client, hello, this is Masha from the Fortochka publishing house. We agreed to meet at 15.00, I want to inform you that I am leaving.

Ms. Client, hello, this is Masha from the Fortochka publishing house. We have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 8.00 am. I want to confirm that I will be with you tomorrow at 8.00.

Your call should sound like a reminder - a message that you are going to the client.

Never confirm an appointment this way:

Is our agreement to meet still valid?

I want to know if anything has changed?

Have your plans changed?

By asking a closed question, you are inviting a negative response from the client, for example: “It’s good that you called, I urgently need to leave the office. Let's call next week."

When they told me this for the first time, I was glad that, although the meeting was postponed, it would still take place. But when the number of such client responses and canceled meetings began to number in the dozens, I realized that with such “confirmation” of meetings I myself was canceling them.

Why might this happen? Yes, because the seller is the No. 1 candidate for departure from the daily routine of a busy person.