Stephen Woessner shares insights on how to architect a successful sales call, including using a 'Help Me Understand...' worksheet and structuring proposals. He also discusses the importance of analyzing successful companies that navigated recessions and the vital metrics to measure for client success.
Using the Help Me Understand worksheet during sales calls can help create rapport with clients by demonstrating understanding of their business issues and needs.
Structuring proposals effectively, focusing on clients' needs and providing clear solutions, increases the chances of getting a positive response and demonstrating the value of working together.
Deep dives
Architecting the Meeting: Help Me Understand Worksheet
One way to architect a meeting with a prospective client is to use the Help Me Understand worksheet. This worksheet allows you to better understand the client's business issues, problems they solve, and how their business works. By asking strategic questions and taking notes, you can demonstrate your understanding and create rapport with the client. Additionally, you can use visual aids, like the value ladder, to show how your offerings align with the client's needs. This approach helps the client feel heard and understood, making the sales process more strategic and less transactional.
Making Yourself an Easy Yes: Proposal Structure
To make yourself an easy yes, it's important to structure your proposals effectively. The proposal should start with an introduction that focuses on the client's business issues and challenges, demonstrating your understanding and expertise in solving those problems. The next sections should outline the specific business outcomes that your services or solutions will achieve, and include vital metrics to track progress and success. Finally, highlight the business impact and ROI that the client can expect. By aligning your proposal with the client's needs and providing clear solutions, you make it easier for them to say yes and see the value in working with you.
Closing Sales Without Closing: Seeding and Opening Loops
Closing sales without closing involves using seeding and opening loops to create curiosity and engagement. When having conversations with prospective clients, you can plant seeds of ideas or solutions related to their challenges and then move on without giving away all the details. This sparks curiosity and keeps the client wanting more. Later, you can close the loop by providing the missing information or solution, which positions you as a valuable resource and allows the client to seek your expertise. This approach helps build rapport and avoids a pushy sales pitch, making the client more receptive to your proposal or agreement.
Sales Call Strategy? Optimize your sales approach with our guide to successful sales calls. Unlock success with our sales call strategy.
Sales call strategy — For over 30 years, Stephen Woessner has been in the trenches of agency new business strategy working alongside and consulting with hundreds of agencies, business coaches, and consultants — teaching them how to plant their flag of authority within the markets they serve, grow their audience, and fill their sales pipeline with a steady stream of right-fit clients so they can win new business.
Stephen founded Predictive ROI in 2009 and remains its CEO and co-owner, working alongside his business partner, Erik Jensen. Stephen hosts the “Onward Nation” and “Sell with Authority” podcasts with listeners in over 140 countries and over 1,000 episodes. His agency new business and marketing insights have been featured in major media, and he’s the bestselling author of five books, including his latest entitled, “Sell With Authority.”
Sales call strategy is a must in today’s modern business. In this solocast episode of the podcast, Stephen shares his insights and strategies around how to architect your next sales call so you help your prospect move closer to becoming your next new client — without feeling like you are trying to “close” the sale.
This solocast also serves as a preview of Day 2 of our upcoming 2-day Intensive on November 15th & 16th, 2023. More details below.
What you will learn in this episode is about having a sales call strategy
Create your own version of our “Help Me Understand…” worksheet
Effective sales call strategy
Link the “Vital Priorities” and “Issues” from the worksheet into the proposals you write
Structure your proposals using five ingredients that will make it easy for a prospective client to say “YES!”
Apply our “seeding and opening loops” sales closing technique
Share your value ladder / service levels / offers with your prospective clients in full transparency you are selling without selling