Q: It is standard that you arrive early for a sales call with a prospect or client. What is the protocol for conference calls? I have called a few prospects 5 minutes early and they seemed rushed to get on the phone and are not mentally prepared.
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Larry Prevost of Dale Carnegie Training answers your questions about making a success in the sales field.
FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7
| A: Yes, it is standard to arrive early, but not too early. If you scheduled your meeting for 2 p.m., you don't want to waltz in the front door and greet the person at the front desk at 2:10. If you are driving up from Santa Clara to meet your prospect in Emeryville, CA, and you discover that an overturned truck is blocking the Bay Bridge, then call and reschedule your meeting for a later time. (We'll get to calls further down.) On the other hand, arriving too early leaves the impression that you have nothing better to do. Arrive at your client's site with enough time for you to get the "traffic" out of your head and to put on your game face. Typically, you want to walk through the door and into the lobby 5 to 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment. That's about how long it will take you to accomplish the following:
The same applies for conference calls. If you are hosting a conference call, "arrive" early to make sure that everything is working and that you are prepared on your end. There is less setup with a simple conference call than there is with a webinar. Still, things can go wrong and typically do when you least expect it. If you are working with a prospect or client, the last thing you want is to leave the impression that you don't know how to work your own technology. Remember that your prospect's perception is everything. If you are late, then their perception is that you aren't organized and you don't consider them important. However, if they arrive late, then they have too much on their plate and "you are lucky that they showed up." To mitigate your prospects showing up late and not being prepared, use the agenda. Send them an agenda ahead of time. Ask them if they agree with the items listed or if they want to discuss additional points. Get them to participate in the creation of the agenda for the coming meeting. By getting them involved in creating the agenda, they are helping to create the meeting. And when they are involved in creating the meeting, they have a stronger reason to be ready and engaged when the meeting or conference call actually starts. |
—L. P.
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