Ep.4: How to Run a Successful Meeting and Demo to Push the Sale Forward

 

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In this episode, Scott and Robert discuss the different strategies and tactics to use in a meeting and demo with executives at a prospective client. Key areas covered:

  • Casting Call: knowing the right people to bring to the meeting with you and the importance of everyone knowing their roles.
  • How to successfully demo your product while maintaining the interest of your audience (*tip: don’t bring handouts).
  • How to handle side conversations during a meeting and avoiding a trip down the rabbit hole from impertinent questions.
  • Dealing with objections and obstacles: knowing when to head them off ahead of time versus letting them come up naturally.
  • Making sure you push the sale forward by establishing action items in two key areas.

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Podcast Notes

1:00 – Bringing the wrong people to a meeting: how to properly cast the participants you bring with you.

2:45 – How to start a meeting by utilizing good research ahead of time.

5:20 – Getting background information and vetting out ideas during your informal start.

6:00 – Procedure for taking the start of the meeting from the informal stage to the formal.

7:15 – Don’t give handouts! How to guarantee focus stays on yourself.

8:45 – Successfully demoing a product while maintaining interest from your audience.

9:45 – Establishing that it’s not a demo, it’s a conversation.

10:45 – Using a round robin to find out the ideas and questions your audience want covered.

12:45 – Allocating and prioritizing time on the right people during a meeting.

15:30 – Handling side conversations and avoiding the rabbit hole of impertinent questions.

19:45 – How to make the transition from demoing your product to moving your sale forward.

22:20 – Dealing with objections and obstacles: knowing when broach them yourself versus letting them occur naturally.

25:30 – What to do when the end of your demo is greeted by silence.

27:45 – How to close out the meeting by maintaining control.

30:45 – Making sure you push the sale forward by establishing action items.

33:40 – Approaching the procurement process and finding out how much interest you’ve actually generated.

37:20 – Number one piece of advice for meetings and demos.

38:40 – Wrap up.

Resources mentioned or related to this podcast

Selling in a New Market Space” by Brian Burns.