Many might say that setting an agenda at the beginning of a meeting is being way too pushy or way too demanding. Honestly, it is neither of these. Setting an agenda at the beginning of a meeting is actually a genius idea. This can apply to a meeting with an employee or a meeting or phone call with a customer. This act helps to let the person you are talking to know exactly where you stand and what you hope to get accomplished in the meeting. For example, if you are talking to a customer who is quick to hang up, there is a good chance that that customer will hang up on you if you are not able to get to the point. If the first thing that you do is set the agenda in the conversation, this gives the customer you are talking to a chance to understand exactly what you are trying to do before he or she hangs up the phone.
Not only does setting the agenda help you get straight to the point with customers, it also helps you to control sales calls by being prompt. If you are a salesman who has numerous calls to make in a set period of time, you need to be both fast and efficient. Setting the agenda at the beginning of the call helps you to be these things. Your agenda helps you get to the point with the customer, and helps the customer make his or her decision a bit faster. It also helps you to get a quicker idea of whether the customer is interested in your product or not.
Setting the agenda at the beginning of a meeting or call is no longer a bad thing. It can be used to help make you a more efficient and better salesperson.
BoweryJE22
Good stuff. I agree with the point you make about explaining to the client how the call is going to go. It is a win-win for both parties. It saves you and the client time if you can identify a need early.
For the most part I agree, but I do think there are some potential buyers who would be offended if they received an agenda. Especially in higher end sales, individuals want a lot of attention. They don’t want to be the next person on your list… they want to be the only person on your list. They don’t want to be run through a checklist, they want to ask questions and have a conversation tailored to their needs. In general the practice is good, but a word of caution that it’s always wise to think about the context before implementing this.
This resonates so much with me, mainly because I am a massive list person, and love to stick to an agenda! I had always thought of a sale as a messy subject, with little to no real structure, and a lot of indecision, but incorporating some organization into a somewhat chaotic process makes it seem a lot more approachable and manageable!