One of the quickest ways to loose a sale is to be late for an appointment. A businesspersons character, among other things, may be judged by their punctuality. Some prospects may see it as a slap in the face if you are late for your meeting with them. They may view it as a sign you have no regard for your own word, or their time. And you cannot be depended upon. So why should they do business with the likes of you?

So by all means, be on time for your appointment. Make sure to let the prospect know how much time you will need to make your sales presentation.

If the prospect is on a tight schedule, it is doubtful they will give you their undivided attention. You both may become nervous, or uneasy due to the time restraints on both of you. If you need 25 minutes to present your sales talk and the prospect can only spare 15 minutes of their time, it is better to re-schedule the appointment than to run out of time.

Greet your prospect in a business-like, friendly way. Your introduction should make a good impression of you and your proposal. By choosing your words carefully, you will have gained the undivided attention of your prospect. Then you can tell your whole story.

It is common practice to present your business card to your potential customer. The timing of this could be crucial to your sales talk.

Your opening statement should be designed to deepen curiosity in your prospects mind without being too informative. It may be to your advantage to give your opening statement, then, present your business card to the prospect. If your introduction was successful the card will not only introduce your business, but also help you establish a rapport with the prospect.

On occasion you may call upon a business establishment unannounced. This is called cold calling. This method is not recommended, but it does happen. In this instance it may not be a good idea to present your prospect with a detailed business card. It may tell too much too soon because unlike having an appointment, the prospect has not yet had the opportunity to develop curiosity for your proposition.

But the card that gives little information (a personal card) could be quite beneficial and serve as an opening to your approach, or introduction. You want to lead your prospect through each phase of the selling process without missing a step.

Someone else, such as a friend of the prospect may also be present on the day you meet for your scheduled appointment. Your primary attention should be directed at the person you made the appointment with, but if you have been introduced to the friend, you cannot completely ignore their presence.

Should you include the friend in your sales talk? It all depends.

If your prospect has introduced you to their friend and the friend then goes about busying themselves with other things, the answer is no. Carry on as you would under normal circumstances.

On the other hand, if the prospects friend has made he or she a part of the conversation, or sits down with you and your prospect, it would be rude to exclude the friend from your sales talk.

You may find that the friend is more interested in your proposition than your prospect, or equally as interested in your proposition. So if the friend shows interest give your sales talk to both parties. The friend may turn out to be your best customer.

Copyright 2005 Gloria Whitehorn-All rights reserved