Conduct Persuasive Prospect Meetings - Steve Sweeney

The Referral Guy
S4 Episode 8

​Episode Title – Conduct Persuasive Prospect Meetings
Many have been in the situation where they’re sitting in front of a referred prospect and don’t know how to attract their custom. This show will address many of the obstacles that need to be overcome to make that prospect come to you. 

Show Objectives
To increase your knowledge on what to do before, during and after these meetings.

Key Benefits
This is important on three levels –

• You need to make an income.
• Your referral partners need to know they are not wasting their time sending referrals to you.
• The prospect’s problem is solved.

What You Need to Know 
Most prospects are looking for clarity in your offer, congruence across your marketing and a belief that you’re the person who can solve their problems. Importantly, they don’t want to be chased. They want to choose. So make it easy for them to choose you by – 

• Getting your LinkedIn and Facebook pages up to speed.
  • Professionally written
  • Quality headshot
• Making sure your website clearly articulates – 
  • Your offer
  • Customers you serve
  • Problems you solve
  • Compelling evidence that you are the right choice
  • Your point of difference
  • You’re personable
• Ensuring your referral partners know how to introduce you.
• Researching them. 
  • Use referral partner insights
  • Their website and LinkedIn
  • Research their industry and know the issues.
• Not selling yourself.
• Going to their place of work for the meeting
• Adopting mindset of working out if you two are a good fit so – 
  • Seek permission to take notes
  • Ask their goals for their business/life
  • Ascertain the obstacles inhibiting their goals
  • Listen to understand, not to win a client
  • Having researched their industry, display knowledge of it without showing off
  • Don’t sell a solution as soon as a problem is mentioned
  • Instead, remember to come back to it in a few minutes
  • Tell a story of how you’ve helped a client in a similar situation
  • Relate that story to your confidence in your ability to solve their problem
• When you put an offer on the table, be quiet.
  • Contact me about further question combinations that clarify need in a prospect.
• If the answer is no or not yet, respect that and seek permission to circle back in a month.
  • When you do, have compelling new information
• If the answer is yes, describe the next steps and arrange a contract.

What You Need to Do

• These are often delicate negotiations so contact me at info@referralacademy.com.au to be certain you are across the nuances associated with each of these aspects. 
• Listen to the podcast to cement your knowledge.

Previous Show
Mid-Season Wrap
This show was an amalgamation of the season so far. It reviewed the major points all referral marketers should know and practice to grow their networks and attract referrals.

Next Show
10 Tips to Improve Retention in Your Referral Group
Member retention is the major issue of any referral group and here’s a simple and unavoidable fact – members only stay if they are receiving referrals. This show reveals a series of actions that can be taken to improve the likelihood members will receive referrals.

Oh, and there a few fluffy, feel good activities groups can take to make members rave about their group. This is what you want them doing because this is a direct contributor to group growth.

Your Host and Resource
Hey, I’m Steve Sweeney… The Referral Guy.

Being a Specialist Referral Marketing Trainer provides me with wonderful opportunities to help business owners attract more business by referral. This is one of the most cost-effective methods of marketing as it relies 100% on the quality of relationships you have with people in your network. Once trained, your skills last a lifetime and continue to pay dividends.

The Australian Referral Training Academy (ARTA) exists to teach business owners and sales professionals the art and science of attracting referrals and helps them build their own Strategic Referral Teams (SRT)

Shoot me an email if you’d like to learn more info@referralacademy.com.au


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