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When the interview is important to you, invest the time needed to properly set the stage so that the session also becomes important to the other person. The need for pre-planning holds true whether you are making a sales presentation, or meeting with a group of researchers to convince them to use a new diagnostic tool! This month, let's think briefly about what it takes to make your interview important to the other party and increase your chances of a successful outcome.
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Increase the importance and success of critical interviews
Increase the importance and success of critical interviews
Smiles
make the day! Our
New Year's resolutions are usually promises to stop doing everything we enjoy
the most! Most of the new leaves we turn over in January start to fall by
Valentine's Day! New
Year's resolutions often go in one year and out the other. $ Million Marketing
TipsThe interview is already important to
you, otherwise why would you request it? But the other
party (your prospect) usually has a million other things on his or her mind. If
your appearance is a surprise, the chances of your timing being good or of
holding your prospect's attention are slim. So, if the interview is
important, invest the time needed to properly set the stage so that the
session also becomes important to the other person or persons. This holds
true whether you are making a sales presentation, or meeting with a group of
researchers you wish to convince to use a new diagnostic tool.
Advance work and planning can measurably increase the
importance of the interview to your prospect or client. When you set up an
appointment in advance, both you and your prospect have a chance to think about
the meeting before it occurs. The prospect agreed to commit some time
to you and the timing is of the prospect's choosing. Now, it's up to you to be
better prepared for the session than your prospect. You will invest more time
than your prospect to think through the merits of your proposal and its
benefits. Make sure you have done your homework well, anticipating the probable
questions and objections the prospect might raise. Be ready.
The chances of finding your prospect in the right frame of
mind to actually hear and understand your presentation greatly increase
when you have scheduled the appointment. The prospect expects you to have
something to offer worth the time investment made, so advance work by you should
focus on the basic purpose of your interview and reassurance that your prospect
will benefit from the meeting. Naturally, you must follow through with specifics
that cover your stated purpose in an organized manner.
Restating of the reason for the meeting lets your prospect
know you consider his or her time to be valuable and mentally focuses both
parties on the matter at hand. Mention some specific benefits you believe the
prospect will reap. Doing so will get you off to a fast, confident start
and reinforce your prospect's interest in learning more about how they will
benefit. Most people appreciate prior planning and a well-managed session that
has a clear purpose and logical next steps with target dates and
responsibilities assigned.
When meeting with several people, it is equally important
that you follow the same process of advance work and appointment setting. It
will be up to you to set the stage for the meeting by using a statement of
purpose and potential benefits to launch the discussion. You cannot count on
everyone in the room knowing the reason for the meeting. Taking the
initiative allows you to better control the meeting, set the agenda, and move
the group toward the outcome you want.
If your key prospect has a
change of plans at the last minute, it is often better to postpone and
reschedule the session than to go ahead without the key decision maker. If you
plunge ahead, your interview becomes far less important because nobody then
expects a commitment to be made. This wastes everybody's time and your
ammunition.
Thank the person or group for their time and attention.
Clearly summarize what you believe has been accomplished along with the next
steps to be taken by you and by the other party. If there is disagreement
about a commitment or next steps, now is the time to clarify, answer
objections, and attempt to gain full agreement. Follow through on your
action items in a timely manner and be prepared to check progress on actions to
be taken by others. It is so easy for others to leave the meeting, get busy with
other matters, and ignore their assignments. Generally, you have the most to
gain, so it is up to you to keep the ball rolling.
Make the interview important to the other party,
restate the purpose, mention benefits, control the session and agenda, summarize
and set next steps, then follow through all the way.
Resolutions
If
you kept every resolution you made last year, you'd be skinny, smart, healthy,
rich...and bored to tears.
A resolution is always strongest at
its birth.
New Year's resolutions often collide with the old year's
habits...KaBoom!
You'd best keep your New Year's resolutions secret. That
way nobody will know when you break them.
May your
troubles in the coming year be as short-lived as your
resolutions!
TIP: The future is unpredictable, so
consider contingency plans based on multiple market, risk, and competitive
possibilities. Remember the Boy Scout motto..."Be
Prepared."
Amazing Facts!
Marketing Facets - The Market-focused Guide to Company Analysis
Marketing Facets is a practical resource for those involved in determining the current health of a company and gauging its future prospects. I designed my 103-page guidebook to be a supplement to other evaluation procedures and information normally gathered during a thorough due diligence or business valuation process. The workbook takes a holistic approach, assembling facts and management assumptions in key areas to help the analyst form and support conclusions.
Marketing Facets is a valuable resource to private investment fund managers, individual investors, venture capital specialists, investment banks, and valuation specialists. Marketing Facets can also serve as a guide for C-level executives who wish to perform their own company analysis as part of normal business planning, or in advance of efforts to refinance, acquire or divest.
Marketing Facets is available in electronic form via the Internet, on CD/ROM, or in print with a ring binder.P.S.
Ninety-five percent of our engagements originate as a referral from helpful people like you! If you know someone who:I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the situation with you.
Our ideal client
is a business owner or CEO between 30 and 60+ years old. Usually with a financial, engineering, or production background. Who is often impatient, and interested in improving company performance. Comes alive when you ask, "How's business?" He, or she, is practical but also enjoys the finer things in life. So, you may see my ideal client driving a Lexus or SUV to Neiman Marcus...and to Sam's Club. Who do you know that fits this description?A client speaks: "During the past several years, I called on you to prepare detailed business overviews, year-end projections, and pro-forma forecasts. Your reports helped to better describe my company's operating results, account for the impact of product and market changes, and highlight growth opportunities. I continue to use the reviews during discussions with bankers and other interested parties. Recently, your business reviews were quite helpful as input when I commissioned a business valuation. I value your independent perspective and I will seek your objective advice in the future." Larry Kramer, Auto Designs, Inc. d/b/a Texas Auto Tops, Dallas, Texas
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© 2006 Morgan Marketing Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. Other distribution permitted with proper attribution.
Richard P. Morgan CMC
Morgan Marketing Solutions,
Inc.
Two Galleria Tower, Suite 10008
13455 Noel Road, Dallas, TX
75240-6620
Telephone 972.931.7993 fax 972.931.0542
email
Author, Marketing Facets
- The Market-focused Guide to Company Analysis