PREPARE TO SUCCEED

Preparation is the groundwork that makes every element of your sales conversation the best that it can be. Preparation is critical. It’s critical to each and every sale, especially in today’s sales world, and it’s critical for your long-term career. That is why Prepare is the foundation of the WIIFT system in Figure 3–1. Preparation supports the entire conversation. Though some sellers tell me that they do much better when they “wing it,” I haven’t observed that to be true—all sales pros benefit from the consistency, confidence, and greater efficiency of systematic preparation.

Preparation is a habit. The act of preparing is not difficult; it’s a discipline. Preparation is physical in putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard; it’s also mental, as you will read in Chapter 5 on the Wait step.

As discussed in Chapter 1, you are central to the success of each sales conversation. I will make this point again and again throughout the book. You may get tired of reading it, but it’s possibly the most important thing I have to say. Your input before and during the conversation significantly impacts the output or the results. The term “garbage in, garbage out” has stuck with me since I took computer programming classes in my MBA program. It’s the same with your sales conversations—and if you do not Prepare with relevant, timely, intentional, and focused input, you can expect your output to reflect that.

When a seller from India adopted Preparation, he closed a $4.6 million sale in one visit. How? He gathered his team to spend time preparing for the meeting. They reviewed the buyer’s Tribal Type (explained in Chapter 4), and adjusted their presentation order, talking points, and PowerPoint presentation to his Type. They practiced responding to the questions and concerns he might ask and built their confidence and competence for the meeting. Their preparation led to closing the sale in that single visit rather than in what would typically have been four visits for this type of opportunity. You can bet this man—and every member of his sales team—is a believer and vocal advocate of the power of preparation.

Preparation is so important I’ve included a tool and many tips and best practices in Chapters 5 and 12 to help you prepare efficiently and effectively.