How many sales calls self-destruct before they clear the launching pad? How many are lost in the approach?

How vital are the first few minutes of a sales call and what can we do to make our first few minutes yield us maximum rapport?

The other day, a person called me on the telephone.

“Mr. Willingham?” she said in a buddy-buddy voice.

“Yes.”

“We’re closing out a warehouse of office supplies and have some terrific prices on file folders, Bic pens, and adding machine tape.”

“Uh, well. . . I. . .uh. . .”

“I can give you a 35% discount on an order over $100 and 40% on ones over $200. Or, if you order a gross of Bic pens and a thousand file folders, I can . . . blah, blah, blah . . . “

“I appreciate your calling, but we don’t need any of those items.”

“Well, how many pens and file folders would you buy, Mr. Wellington, if I could get you a real deal?” she asked impatiently.

“I’m very busy. Thank you for calling.” Click!

“A terrific approach? Right? Really interested in me! Really dug into my needs. Really listened and gained rapport! Not really!

Now, stop a moment and think about times you’ve seen salespeople approach customers, clients or prospects poorly. Then, let’s think how we might be more professional in our approach – realizing that our approach often sets the stage for a successful sales tool. It makes the most of those vital first few minutes.

Not long ago, I called on a man to sell him sales training seminars. I was seated in his office about ten minutes before my appointment and was told that he’s be there on time.

Everything in his office showed that he was well organized and efficient. His swivel chair was in the corner with his desk angled so he could survey and command the whole room.

Pictures and plaques were neatly hung. I immediately got the feeling that if I touched anything, I’d get my hands slapped.

No guest seats were close to his desk. No one could get close to him. Papers were all carefully arranged on his desktop. Everything had a place; everything was in its place.

Precisely at 10:00, he strode in. He shook my hand firmly without smiling and motioned for me to sit down on a settee across the room from his desk.

“You’re here to see me about sales training?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time!” he said, in a very businesslike, efficient, cold voice.

“Oh?”

“Yes. If there’s anything we don’t need, it’s sales training! I don’t want my people running around, glad-handling everyone. If they know what they’re selling, they can sell it! So, you’re wasting your time coming out here.”

What a thrill! I’d spent $350 for an airplane ticket, plus a rental car, plus hotel and meals. I really appreciated his informing me of this fact now.

So, I closed my briefcase, unbuttoned my coat, leaned back, crossed my legs, and said, “I appreciate your being honest with me.”

Then I asked, “How long have you been on this job?”

With that one question I found out that he’d been in his present career twenty-seven years. That he’d been in several different cities and a couple of foreign countries. That he enjoyed living in Honolulu most of all.

“What size family do you have?”

I found out that he had three children. Two were about ready for college. It was going to cost about $10,000 each year to send them. He wasn’t sure where he was going to get all that money. He was very proud of both of his college-age boys. Said they had their heads on pretty straight. Talked about them at length – unsolicited by me.

He softened considerably.

“What all have you done to train your salespeople?” I asked, after listening to him for about half an hour.

He talked for about twenty minutes in generalities. I could quickly tell that he hadn’t done anything. But I spent most of the time listening, responding, nodding approval, giving him physical and verbal feedback, picking up on things he said.

He talked on and on. All his words were definite, choppy and emphasized. So were his gestures. He was a controller.

At the end of the hour – in which he talked and I listened – in which I said nothing about selling him anything – he said, “You know, some good sales training is exactly what we need around here!”

“Oh,” I said, as casually as I could, “how do you think it would help you?”

Very authoritatively, he explained how sales training would help them. He told me how abrasive, rude, and lazy some of his salespeople were. Explained that they were insensitive and offended prospects. (For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out where they’d learned that!)

After he explained this, I asked, “Well, when would you want to start? And, where will you want them conducted?”

He flipped his calendar open and asked me check some dates.

Five minutes later, we had several thousand dollars of training set up. And I left.

presentation? Did I tell him how great I am? Did I compare myself with other Now, for a moment, let’s analyze this transaction. Did I sell him? Did I give him a trainers? Did I deftly overcome his objections? Did I put the close on him?

No! But did he buy? Yes!

Now, admittedly, all sales don’t go like this. But in almost all sales, an effective approach is essential. And a lot of salespeople blow sales because they don’t approach well.

I almost always try to quickly set up a communication process in which they talk and I listen. Then I give feedback. I give positive reinforcement. I nod. I paraphrase. I agree.

You may find that these action guides will help you approach people. To make them part of your habits, consciously practice them each day for the next six weeks:

1. Tune the world out and your prospects in.
2. Put them at ease and make them feel important.
3. Get them talking about themselves.
4. Hold eye contact and listen to how they feel.
I’m convinced that a lot of selling takes place in the first few minutes of a sales encounter, in the initial approach.

So, instead of immediately selling, telling, or demonstrating, spend your initial minutes looking, asking, listening, feeling.

By doing this, your first few vital minutes will yield maximum rapport for you.