A client recently called me with some very good news. She had been hired by a large corporation to do several projects for them. She was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She had been working hard on growing her business for several years and it was beginning to pay off. I told her this didnt happen by luck. She had created a clear and concise step-by-step sales action plan and had diligently and consistently followed each step. Lets take a look at the steps she followed that led to her business success.

1. Know your niche. Be clear about the market/industry you want to go after. Often new business owners make the mistake of being generalists because they want any business they can get. Be specific about who is your ideal client and put all your energy in that direction. Get yourself known as a specialist in one area rather than trying to be an expert in everything.

2. Ask for referrals. Theres low-hanging fruit right under your nose. If a client is satisfied with you, theyll be happy to help you. Ask happy clients if there is anyone they know who you can call. If your client works within a large organization, figure out the department you want to call and then ask the client who they know in that department. This is the first step my client took, so do this early on!

3. Get the meeting. When calling the prospect for a meeting, introduce yourself, give the name of your referral and state the purpose of your call. If they know and respect your referral source, youve opened the door to getting the meeting. Dont wait to say who referred you. Let the prospect know immediately who referred you.

4. Visualize getting the business. Close your eyes and actually see yourself walking into the meeting with confidence, having a great meeting and then getting the business. Do the visualization a few times the day before, as well as before you go to sleep and on the way to your meeting. How you come across as soon as you walk in the door sets the tone for the whole meeting.

5. Prepare an effective presentation. Create a complete presentation of what you want to cover at the meeting. Ive created a PowerPoint presentation of The Sales Breakthrough System. I also bring a marketing folder that includes a list of my programs, with descriptions of each, a bio, client list and testimonials. Whether its a visual presentation or a brochure, you want to show something to the prospect that will enhance your professionalism and make an impact.

6. Practice your presentation. Practice what youre going to say. This includes an opening statement, a run-through of your presentation, responses to objections they may have, questions they may ask, questions you might askespecially asking for their businessfinally, closing for next steps.

7. Establish a connection. Connect with the prospect by looking at them throughout the meeting. Do not talk over them, talk directly to them. You will come across as someone who is warm, confident and in control. This is a valuable skill if youre meeting with a group. Speak to each person for 4-5 seconds, and then move to another person. Youll find each one will pay more attention to what you say.

8. Outline the Next Steps. At the end of the meeting summarize for the prospect what has been discussed and agreed to. Then take out your calendar, asking the prospect to do the same, and write in what the next steps are. Never leave without knowing what the next steps are.

9. Follow Up. As soon as you return to your office, summarize in an e-mail what was covered during the meeting and the next action steps you and the prospect have agreed to take. Send the memo to the prospect the next day. Include due dates for each action step and be sure to fulfill what you said you would do.

ASSIGNMENT

• Make a list of all the clients who work in large companies that youre either working with or have worked with.

• Write down the department you want to call to get an appointment.

• Call your client and ask them if they know of people you can call in the department, and whether you can use their name.

• Using the steps above, start making the calls.

(c) All Rights Reserved.