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3 Simple Tips to Crush Your Next Sales Meeting

As a sales professional, one of the most critical factors in closing deals and driving revenue growth is how well you prepare for sales meetings and presentations. The more you know about your prospect or client, the better you can tailor your approach, address their specific needs, and ultimately increase your chances of converting them into a paying customer. In this in-depth blog post, I’ll share my top 3 tips to help you prepare for sales meetings like a pro. By the end, you’ll have a proven framework to research your prospects, uncover key insights, and walk into every sales interaction with confidence and clarity.

Tip #1: Dive Deep Into Their Website

The first and most important step in preparing for a sales meeting is to thoroughly review the prospect’s website. This is your opportunity to gain a deep understanding of their business, their products/services, their target audience, and their overall messaging and positioning. When reviewing the website, I recommend doing the following:
  • Understand their sales pitch: Imagine you’re the one delivering their sales presentation. Can you clearly articulate what they do, who they serve, and the key benefits they provide? Being able to summarize their offering in your own words shows that you’ve done your homework and are truly engaged with their business.
  • Check their contact page: This is a goldmine of information. You can learn the names and titles of the key decision-makers you’ll be meeting with, as well as any other relevant contact information.
  • Scan for news and updates: Quickly search for any recent news articles, press releases, or other updates about the company. This can provide valuable insights into their current priorities, challenges, or areas of focus.
By taking the time to thoroughly review the prospect’s website, you’ll be able to walk into the meeting with a deep understanding of their business. This will allow you to have a more meaningful, tailored conversation, and demonstrate your genuine interest and investment in their success.

Tip #2: Research Their LinkedIn Profiles

The next step in your pre-meeting research is to dive into the LinkedIn profiles of the key stakeholders you’ll be meeting with. This is a goldmine of information that can give you valuable insights into their background, interests, and priorities. When reviewing LinkedIn profiles, focus on the following:
  • Career history and experience: Understand the professional journey of the people you’ll be meeting with. What roles have they held in the past, and what unique perspectives and expertise do they bring to the table?
  • Recent activity and updates: Scan their recent posts, shares, and interactions. This can give you a sense of what’s top-of-mind for them and the types of topics they’re engaged with.
  • Shared connections: Look for any mutual connections you may have. This can be a great icebreaker and help build rapport during the meeting.
By taking the time to research your prospect’s LinkedIn profiles, you’ll be able to tailor your conversation to their specific interests and concerns. This level of personalization can go a long way in building trust and demonstrating your commitment to their success.

Tip #3: Explore Their Social Media Presence

The final step in your pre-meeting research is to explore your prospect’s social media presence, particularly on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. While LinkedIn is focused on professional content, social media can give you a glimpse into the more personal side of your prospect. When reviewing your prospect’s social media profiles, look for the following:
  • Personality and interests: What kind of content do they share? Do they have a more formal, business-focused presence, or do they showcase their personal hobbies and interests?
  • Engagement and interactions: How do they interact with their followers? Do they actively engage in discussions, or do they primarily post one-way updates?
  • Shared connections and interests: Look for any common ground you might have, such as mutual connections, shared interests, or similar experiences.
By taking a peek into your prospect’s social media presence, you can gain valuable insights that can help you build a stronger personal connection during the sales meeting. This level of personalization can go a long way in differentiating yourself from the competition and demonstrating your genuine interest in their success.

Putting It All Together: A Proven Framework for Sales Meeting Preparation

Now that you’ve learned my top 3 tips for preparing for sales meetings, let’s put it all together into a comprehensive framework:
  • Review the prospect’s website: Thoroughly review the prospect’s website to understand their business, their products/services, their target audience, and their overall messaging and positioning. Be able to summarize their sales pitch in your own words.
  • Research their LinkedIn profiles: Dive into the LinkedIn profiles of the key stakeholders you’ll be meeting with. Understand their professional background, their recent activity and updates, and any shared connections you may have.
  • Explore their social media presence: Investigate your prospect’s social media profiles, particularly on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Look for insights into their personality, interests, and engagement style.
By following this framework, you’ll be able to walk into every sales meeting with a deep understanding of your prospect’s business, their priorities, and their personal interests. This level of preparation will not only help you have more meaningful and tailored conversations, but it will also demonstrate your commitment to their success and set you apart from the competition.

Putting It Into Practice: A Real-World Example

To bring this framework to life, let’s walk through a real-world example of how I would prepare for a sales meeting with a prospective client. Let’s say I’m meeting with the CEO of a SaaS company that provides project management software for small and medium-sized businesses. Here’s how I would approach the pre-meeting research:

Step 1: Review the Prospect’s Website

I would start by thoroughly reviewing the company’s website. As I navigate through the pages, I would try to summarize their sales pitch in my own words. For example, I might say something like: “XYZ Project Management is a cloud-based software solution that helps small and medium-sized businesses streamline their project planning, task management, and team collaboration. Their platform offers features like Gantt charts, task assignments, real-time updates, and custom reporting to help their clients stay on top of their projects and deliver results more efficiently.” I would also check their contact page to identify the key decision-makers I’ll be meeting with, as well as any other relevant contact information. Finally, I would quickly scan for any recent news or updates about the company to get a sense of their current priorities and areas of focus.

Step 2: Research Their LinkedIn Profiles

Next, I would dive into the LinkedIn profiles of the CEO and any other key stakeholders I’ll be meeting with. I would review their career history and experience to understand their unique perspectives and expertise. I would also scan their recent activity and updates to get a sense of what’s top-of-mind for them. If I happen to have any mutual connections with the people I’ll be meeting, I would make a note of that as well. This could be a great icebreaker and help build rapport during the meeting.

Step 3: Explore Their Social Media Presence

Finally, I would explore the company’s and the CEO’s social media presence, particularly on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. I would look for insights into their personality, interests, and engagement style. For example, if the CEO has an active Instagram account that showcases their love of outdoor adventures, that could be a great conversation starter and help me connect with them on a more personal level. By following this framework and putting in the time to thoroughly research my prospect, I would be able to walk into the sales meeting with a deep understanding of their business, their priorities, and their personal interests. This level of preparation would not only help me have a more meaningful and tailored conversation, but it would also demonstrate my commitment to their success and set me apart from the competition.

Conclusion

Preparing for sales meetings is a critical component of driving revenue growth and closing deals. By following the 3 simple tips I’ve outlined in this blog post – diving deep into the prospect’s website, researching their LinkedIn profiles, and exploring their social media presence – you’ll be able to walk into every sales interaction with confidence, clarity, and a genuine understanding of your prospect’s needs and priorities. Remember, the more you know about your prospect, the better you can tailor your approach, address their specific concerns, and ultimately increase your chances of converting them into a paying customer. So, take the time to do your research, and watch your sales success skyrocket. If you’re looking for more resources to help you accelerate and scale your sales efforts, be sure to check out my website at www.michaelhumblet.com and subscribe to my YouTube channel, The Sales Acceleration Show. I’m always sharing practical tips, strategies, and insights to help sales professionals like you achieve their goals. Happy selling!
Michael Humblet

Michael Humblet

Michael Humblet is obsessed with designing, building, training and scaling sales machines and founder of  Chaomatic and School of Sales , focused on accelerating revenue growth. Michael is the author of Nobody Knows You. The book that explains how to fix the most basic issue to scale your growth. He is also the host of The Sales Acceleration Show, a sales and marketing focused Q&A show on how to accelerate your business.