During one of the sales conversations in our last class, a fellow student had the idea of utilizing a pen and tablet during his presentation. He simply jotted down some notes regarding the prospect’s responses. Professor Sweet quickly noticed the pen and tablet and commented how effective these tools can be in the sales profession. After class, I began pondering if something so minuscule as taking notes during a sales meeting could have a profound impact on a salesperson’s ability. While researching this topic, I quickly stumbled upon an article published by Engaged Prospect. This article discusses the psychological impact of taking the time to write down the prospect’s important responses and the message this sends to the prospective buyer. The article also discusses the usefulness of taking notes during sales meetings. The article suggests that note taking allows the salesperson to capture and remember “key comments, ideas, and concerns.” By documenting these, it allows the salesperson to identify the needs of the prospect and potentially formulate a proposal to meet these needs. The article concludes by describing ways to improve one’s note taking ability. The article states the salesperson should prepare an outline before a sales meeting to identify the goals he or she wants to accomplish and the information that needs to be gathered. When meeting with the prospect, the salesperson should verbally let the prospect know that he or she will be taking notes. Essentially, these notes should be brief and only include the important facts. Additionally, the article recommends capturing important phrases and writing down common words the prospect uses. In essence, I found this article as a good reminder that everything matters in sales, even the minute details.
Source: https://www.engagedprospect.com/blog/how-to-effectively-take-notes-during-a-sales-meeting
BoweryJE22
I thought this was a really interesting technique used in class as well! I thought it was really smart of the student to give himself time to process what his prospect was saying before deciding how to respond. He was able to more seamlessly move the conversation forward and seemed more comfortable in his role.
It is very interesting to see the impact that note taking has on a sales conversation. Taking notes not only helps the salesperson remember what was said during the meeting but it also allows for you to take your time with the conversation and see what your next point should be based on. Note taking will help in the long run but also during the meeting with your train of thought.
Taking notes, in my mind, is a good way of showing the prospect that you care about what they’re saying enough to keep track of it. I think it was a very important tactic that I didn’t really think of until I saw it being used. Great post!