Appointments with prospects can be stressful. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and you have an idea of what you want to discuss and what you’re hoping to get out of the meeting. However, they don’t always end up going the way you envision. It’s easy to get off track, and sometimes when you reach the end of the conversation your prospect just isn’t ready to move forward.

How do you make sure that you can lead the conversation through the key points you want to address, uncover the important information you want to learn and lead them through the sales process to take next steps?

Start every meeting by clearly outlining the agenda!

Why does this work? By stating the agenda at the beginning of every prospect meeting, you will:

1. Make sure you maximize your meeting time. You’ll likely have several things you want to accomplish in the meeting, and setting an agenda with a clear outline of what will be covered will ensure that you don’t miss discussing anything you want to address or uncovering any key information you might need.
2. Keep control of the meeting. Many times, your prospects will take you off on a tangent and start to talk about something you were not planning to discuss. By having a clear agenda laid out ahead of time, you remain in control of where the conversation is headed and can bring them back on track.
3. Set defined next steps right from the start. If your prospect knows up front what’s expected next, it’ll be easier at the conclusion of the meeting for you to move them forward. For example, if you’re meeting for the first time and gathering information about their company and their needs, make it clear when you review the agenda before the meeting begins that at the end of the meeting you’ll be looking to schedule a follow-up appointment to return with some ideas and your proposal. This way, when you arrive at the end of the meeting, they’re ready to set the next appointment because they basically agreed to do so in the beginning.

By stating an agenda at the very start, expectations for the meeting – and beyond – are clearly set, helping you move your prospect through the sales pipeline with ease and confidence!