The sales call is a specialty food business’ chance to highlight its product, brand, and industry knowledge. The difference between a good call and an excellent call can have a dramatic impact on the future of a company. During SFA's Maker Prep webinar, titled “Effective Sales Calls,” taking place this Thursday, Feb. 2, John Maggiore, sales strategy industry leader, will cover best practices for a buyer call, and give tips on how to follow up.
SFA News Daily recently spoke with Maggiore.
What mistakes do you see businesses make during sales calls?
I have noticed businesses fail to notify the buyer about their objective prior to the meeting and fail to know or consider the retailer’s strategies (pricing, promotions). When these issues occur, valuable minutes are used to talk through them leaving less time to talk through key meeting objectives.
Does a sales call in the specialty food industry differ from other types of sales calls?
Only slightly. Typically, it differs because the business involves a 3rd party distributor. Whenever possible you should be prepared with the cost from the distributor to the retailer so that you can talk in real numbers rather than give estimates.
What is the most important consideration when preparing for a call with a buyer?
A business must consider how authorizing and/or promoting its brand is going to benefit the retailer. If they are bringing your items in, it means something is being taken out to make space for your product. Your items need to outperform the existing items. You should consider how you will make this happen.
When should businesses follow up with a sales call?
Businesses should follow up when they are looking to present new items or set up promotional programming.
What do you hope attendees will get out of this session?
My hope is to better prepare attendees for meetings and enable them to gain better results.
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