Inline Plastics Playbook v2 JUL-21

Pre-Call Planning Worksheet

It is important to find out as much as you can about your contact before you call on them. It is not so much to determine what you are going to tell them as to anticipate what questions you are going to ask them. Remember, these calls really aren’t about you – you know your contacts only care about their own problems and issues. They will pay attention only if they see how what you offer might make their lives easier or better for them or their company. They want to solve their problem; not watch you beat your chest. You can brainstorm to come up with questions and topics that will make your call more relevant, meaningful and important to them. You cannot hope to do that effectively, however, unless you care enough to take the time to find out some things about the person you are addressing and the company that he or she represents. Write down these questions and consider how to ask them. Make a list of things that you must find out so that you can talk intelligently to your target. Practice the questions you will ask and the questions you anticipate coming up during the meeting with a coworker or manager. Professionals practice! The top sales people already do this! They do it instinctively. They go into a call with plenty of background information, knowing what they will ask, not just the “lines of the pitch”. They anticipate the objections and are ready with a relevant response (some of the most common objections and best answers are presented in Managing Objections section). When they see progress, they know just what to do next. They have a plan-they do not just wing it. If you want to improve your performance during sales calls, if you want to advance to produce more, than you should do what top sales-people do. If you plan ahead and ask relevant and insightful questions, such as the ones that may be inspired by the Pre-Call Planning worksheet on this page (this is also included, with less detail, into Action worksheet), you will see how quickly you build credibility with the people to whom you hope to sell. You will feel confident, and they will feel confident in you. When everyone on the sales team makes pre-call planning a priority, the results are obvious. ___________________ The Pre-Call planning section is a part of Action Worksheet in Salesforce (tool we mentioned in HVT section). Questions displayed here will help you with more in- depth preparation for the call with your target contact.

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