Opening

The first phase in the Four Stages of a Sales Call is the opening phase. This includes the introduction and beginning of the conversation.

Purpose

The purpose of opening is to gain the buyer's agremeent for tyou to ask questions and move on to the Investigating stage. A good opening should establish a buyer-centered purpose. This meams that focusing on the buyer's concerns, rather than on your own products or service. It also means being flexible

Practical tips

1. Get down to business quickly
   1. While you need to respect the norms of the organisation and culture, a greater danger is wasting the time of a business executive. As a general rule spend as little time as possible on the opening stage.
2. Don't talk about solutions too soon
   1. Successful sellers do not talk about their products, services or the benefits or their solution until late in the call. Talking about the solution too soon causes more Objections than needed and reduces the likelyhood of a sale.
3. Concentrate on questions
   1. Plan the appropriate questions ahead of the meeting and use the time in the opening stage to gain the buyers agreement to move forward to the Investigating stage.
   2. If the buyer is asking the questions, and are being asked for facts and explanations,
4. Practice a 30 second pitch with Advantages. The best test if you are succesful is if the buyer starts to respond to your questions.