It’s the big on site customer meeting coming up.

or

It’s the follow up to your last meeting.

or

It’s the first meeting since you cold called in.

or

It’s any other prospect, customer interaction.

You’re meeting with the customer, your investing your time, they are investing theirs, so what’t the goal? What is it you want the customer to do?

Every prospect interaction needs a goal. You need to understand what it is you’re asking the prospect to do or deliver. What’s the purpose of the interaction?

If you don’t know, you’re not in the driver’s seat. You’re giving something away for free and that’s silly.

Even if the buyer asked for the meeting because they wanted to learn more about a certain feature, or to get a better understanding of the pricing, you still need to have an action goal for the end. The buyer is asking for something from you. What it is you’re going to get in exchange?

Every step of a sales cycle is a series of little deals or sales. It’s a barter dance, each side offering something in exchange for something else. We’re exchanging time for information, access for time, insight for information, access for insight, etc. and knowing what you’re bartering for is critical.

The buyer has something you need, access, information, their time etc. You have something they need, insight, information, expertise, or knowledge. The key is to know what is being bartered and it’s value. You’d never barter a stick of gum for car, yet sales people do it all the time.

Know what you want from your prospect and what’s being bartered. Don’t take too much and don’t give too much. Fair deals are always good deals.

Too often we get hung up on the end game, the end goal of wining the deal and we lose sight of the deal(s) in the deal. Every sale is a series of little deals or sales that must be negotiated. There is ALWAYS consideration at play, it’s just rarely money. The key is to make sure you know what the consideration is and what you’re paying in the deal and what you’re getting in return.

Are you a good sales barterer? You need to be.