If you walk in the door overconfidently, you risk making mistakes that can cost you this sale and maybe even the customer to the competition.
For example, you’re heading to see a customer who you like, and they have always supported you. You’re going to be presenting something big and walking in the door, you are sure you have a lock on this order. In fact, you are so sure of yourself that you have not totally thought through the demonstration. You’re not up to snuff with the features and benefits of the product, you’re not set with the pricing scenarios, and you haven’t really thought through the closing technique that will fit this situation and this customer the best.
So, you walk in, less than perfectly prepared, thinking this is going to be a successful slam-dunk sale and the event goes downhill quickly. The prospect is expecting a first-class presentation and is disappointed with your casualness from the start. They are asking you questions that would have been easy to answer had you prepared correctly but instead you fumble around looking for the answers. These questions and objections could have been answered in a professional feature, advantage, benefit presentation, but now you have dropped the ball. This customer was looking forward to making this big purchase and they had planned to buy it from you. You have now disappointed and aggravated your good customer. You go outside and get back in your truck wondering what happened.
It's simple. You prequalified this call as an easy sale. You didn’t prepare properly and now you lost the sale to the competition and have no one to blame except the person you see in your rearview mirror.
