You never get a second chance to make a first impression

Many sales professionals are firmly convinced that the most important part of a call is the opening. “The first 60 seconds make or break the sale,” they’ll tell you. But the research shows no correlation between openings and success – except in small sales. The first few seconds are indeed very important when the entire sales cycle consists of a single call, as in door-to-door sales. In complex sales, however, buyers will overlook a poor first impression if they think a seller can solve a problem for them.

If the most important part of the call is not the close or the opening, what is it? In Huthwaite’s terminology, a sales call has four stages: opening, investigating (uncovering customer needs), demonstrating capability (showing you can meet those needs), and obtaining commitment (getting the advance). The most important stage is investigating - you can’t win the business without understanding the customer’s issues.

Having said that, it is still necessary to open skilfully. A good opening must do two things:

1. Establish a reason for the discussion,
2. Obtain permission for the seller to ask questions. The opening is over when the buyer agrees to answer questions.

Suppose you’re making a cold call, and you get voice mail: do you deliver your opening to the machine? Neil says that no research has been done in this area, but his opinion is that you must give the customer a reason to call back. Leave a message that establishes a reason for the discussion, but do not “bait the hook” by offering a solution.

Mythbusters: How Major Sales are Really Made

Read the rest of the Mythbusters Sales Tips series here.