Business Appointment Success or Failure

One of the quickest ways to loose a sale is to be late for an appointment. A businessperson's character, among other things, may be judged by their punctuality. Some prospects may see it as a slap in the face if you are late for your meeting with them. They may view it as a sign you have no regard for your own word, or their time. And you cannot be depended upon. So why should they do business with the likes of you?

So by all means, be on time for your appointment. Make sure to let the prospect know how much time you will need to make your sales presentation.

If the prospect is on a tight schedule, it is doubtful they will give you their undivided attention. You both may become nervous, or uneasy due to the time restraints on both of you. If you need 25 minutes to present your sales talk and the prospect can only spare 15 minutes of their time, it is better to re-schedule the appointment than to run out of time.

Greet your prospect in a business-like, friendly way. Your introduction should make a good impression of you and your proposal. By choosing your words carefully, you will have gained the undivided attention of your prospect. Then you can tell your whole story.

It is common practice to present your business card to your potential customer. The timing of this could be crucial to your sales talk.

Your opening statement should be designed to deepen curiosity in your prospect's mind without being too informative. It may be to your advantage to give your opening statement, then, present your business card to the prospect. If your introduction was successful the card will not only introduce your business, but also help you establish a rapport with the prospect.

On occasion you may call upon a business establishment unannounced. This is called "cold calling." This method is not recommended, but it does happen. In this instance it may not be a good idea to present your prospect with a detailed business card. It may tell too much too soon because unlike having an appointment, the prospect has not yet had the opportunity to develop curiosity for your proposition.

But the card that gives little information (a personal card) could be quite beneficial and serve as an opening to your approach, or introduction. You want to lead your prospect through each phase of the selling process without missing a step.

Someone else, such as a friend of the prospect may also be present on the day you meet for your scheduled appointment. Your primary attention should be directed at the person you made the appointment with, but if you have been introduced to the friend, you cannot completely ignore their presence.

Should you include the friend in your sales talk? It all depends.

If your prospect has introduced you to their friend and the friend then goes about busying themselves with other things, the answer is no. Carry on as you would under normal circumstances.

On the other hand, if the prospect's friend has made he or she a part of the conversation, or sits down with you and your prospect, it would be rude to exclude the friend from your sales talk.

You may find that the friend is more interested in your proposition than your prospect, or equally as interested in your proposition. So if the friend shows interest give your sales talk to both parties. The friend may turn out to be your best customer.

Copyright © 2005 Gloria Whitehorn-All rights reserved

About the Author:

Gloria is an article writer, business owner, author of two books, salesperson and seasoned mail order pro. Visit her site for information on a great part-time, full-time-anytime business. She knows what she's talking about.

http://www.dovemang.com

*Attn: Ezine Editors/Site owners*
You have permission to reprint this article in your ezine or on your website as long as you print the complete article and leave all the links and resource box in place. You cannot modify the content in any way.

---

Secrets That Lead To Failure In Sales

Let's be realistic nobody really wants to be labeled a... Read More

How To Write A Solution - Savvy Sales Letter to To Get Clients

Too many sales letters are shaped into paper airplanes and... Read More

Why Salespeople Dont Take Risks

Proponents of traditional sales training simply teach the material, sometimes... Read More

Peak Performance

One of the best books I have ever read is... Read More

Reaching Goals in Direct Sales

From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals... Read More

Top 10 Secrets to Fully Embrace Sales and Exceed Your Goals Forever!

1.- REMAIN VERY CLIENT FOCUSED! Not Company focused. Your clients... Read More

How To Improve Your Sales Skills

One of the biggest problems for many business owners is... Read More

Are You Missing Out On Sales Through Fear of Pain? Improve the Persuasive Power of Your Words!

Education plus Motivation is a powerful formula. But how do... Read More

The 6 Secrets To Sales Success

There is no magic pill, trick, teqnique, system or secret... Read More

Sales 101: Asking for the Order

"Ask, and you shall receive", a biblical principal that offers... Read More

How To Get Clients To Take Immediate Action

Are you tired of excuses? Looking for a persuasion technique... Read More

Jump Start Your Sales In 10 Quick Steps

1. Combine a product and service together in a package... Read More

How To Stop Chasing Prospects Forever!

Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by salespeople is the problem... Read More

Why Salespeople Fail

Since 1990 I have focused on the three primary barriers... Read More

Be Yourself

Here's the thing... you still have to make every marketing... Read More

The Business of Closing the Sale Without Killing It

You must be able to coordinate your sales talk to... Read More

Closing The Sale

Several weeks ago I asked my Newsletter subscribers to send... Read More

Your Business Approach Can Make or Break a Business Deal

Every sales presentation should start with the approach, or introduction.... Read More

Sales Marketing: 5 Fantastic Secrets To Attract New Customers Now

If you have problem attracting new customers, the sales marketing... Read More

Essential Training Skills for Managers

Today's manager lives in a world where change has attained... Read More

A Stupid Question

This is a stupid question but it has to be... Read More

Eliminating Objections to Increase Sales

You want to increase the flow of sales revenue, but... Read More

The Ultimate Think Differently Sales Tip

Sales drive revenues, and revenues drive companies. Companies, then, are... Read More

Have You Prepared for Success in Sales?

My wife and I watched the movie Ray a couple... Read More

How to Reduce Sales Resistance

Sales resistance is a fact of life for most sales... Read More

Increase Your Sales With an Incredible Offer

What are you selling?Coaching? Consulting? Professional services? A product? Information?To... Read More

The Quickest Way To Increase Your Sales

The quickest way to increase sales is to make things... Read More

Seven Keys To Closing More Sales During The Second Half Of 2006

It's not too early to start planning for the sales... Read More

Spend More Time Selling

On average a sales person spends less than two hours... Read More

Why More Sales Training Comes Before More Marketing Expenditure

In most businesses, when sales are slow or low, the... Read More

Objections Are Buying Signals? Usually!

How well do you handle objections?The fact is, most people... Read More

The Key to Driving Sales is Understanding What Not How

What does it take to make a sale lately?In Sales,... Read More

10 Killer Ways To Multiply Your Sales

Would you like to multiply your web site sales? Or... Read More