Questions You Should and Shouldn't Ask During a Sales Meeting
Preparation is key when you've committed to a sales meeting. Here are some dos and don'ts you should review before arrive and begin negotiations.
“Are there particular departments or individuals that focus on energy solutions in your business?”
“Can you think of any previous energy solutions that have been particularly gratifying? Why?”
“How have you funded energy-related initiatives in the past?”
“What is the process for approving projects here?” – Feel free to exhaust this question.
“And then what? And then what?” until you reach the steps where the purchase order and notice to proceed are issued.
Never ask questions that could’ve been answered with a little research ahead of time. If you’re walking into a major university don’t ask, “So, how many students do you have here?” You could have looked that up on your smartphone during the elevator ride to the meeting! Opening with that sort of question demonstrates a total lack of prep on your part as well as intellectual laziness.
Failing to ask the right questions sets you up for failure. You won’t know how long the process is going to be. You won’t know how to juxtapose what you can offer with what they want in order to make your value proposition not only relevant but also compelling.