From Questions to Closing: Mastering the Art of the Consultative Sales Call
Walking your prospects through a structured call outline can make all the difference
I’ve received a lot of questions recently about how to create an agenda for a sales call with a prospect — specifically, What is your outline for a sales call?
My first response is typically, “That depends.” However, there’s some structure I use that’s common to all sales calls.
The primary goal of a sales call, in my view, is to understand the needs, pain points, and problems that need to be solved, and then determine if working with me or my company (or product) meets that need in a meaningful way.
This is based on a consultative sales approach or GAP selling versus MEDDIC or Challenger Sales approaches.
If the primary goal is met, we need to determine, value, and urgency and work towards closing (proposal, etc.)
Here’s a general outline I use for every sales (or recruiting) call. The assumption here is that the prospect has been initially qualified for fit and is the decision maker.
Introduction and rapport building.
State the primary goal for the call and confirm that they’re here for the same reason, or ask if they have a goal for the call.
Review their goals, pain points, and needs gap through questions. Active listening and open-ended questions are incredibly important. Don’t rush it. I spend the majority of the time in this step.
Summarize, and then have them confirm the top pain points
Discuss how your company/product works and briefly describe how it can help the prospect (linked to the specific needs or pain points that you can solve).
Ask the prospect if they feel your solution solves their issue. Also, ask these questions:
What impact would it make for them or their team if they solved this issue?
Do they need to solve it now?
What happens if they don’t solve it?
What is it worth to solve it?
7. Lastly… close:
Re-establish your desire for a business relationship.
Confirm the need and specify the next steps.
Arrange for the next appointment if applicable.
Follow up in writing.
I think of a successful sales call as walking with someone down a corridor full of doors. Each door we walk by is a reason or opportunity that a prospect has to exit the sales process; they can leave through any door at any time. If you rush them down the hallway to the final door (the close) without acknowledging the other doors, you’ll have a hard time closing.
Walking with the prospect and having them say, “I see that door [objection or concern], but I’m choosing to continue with you down the hallway,” allows you to address issues as you go and creates a likelihood that they’ll close.
I’ve found that adding structure to calls helps cover all the bases, and with practice, you can successfully walk with your prospect to the end of the hall together fully understanding what it will mean for them to get into a business relationship with you.
Happy Selling.
Joe