Sales Is Not for Tea Sippers
The goal of a sales call will be different for each client or prospect based on the information known about them, but the objective should never be to "spark interest," "find loyalty," "speak with someone," "collect a business card," or "drink tea." The objective should meet the SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. A solid strategy for reaching the objective is to build rapport as you talk about the company's service offerings and ask open-ended questions about the prospect's business. Planning sales calls will increase a sales rep's self-confidence and garner respect from the prospect by showing that they value their time. It is important to keep in mind that making sales calls for the sake of meeting a set goal per day or looking at them as items on a to-do list will cost the company a lot of money with little to no return. Every sales call must have a result and a follow-up plan, which might involve providing supporting materials like a job case study, a white paper, or a PowerPoint presentation showing solutions to the prospect's needs.