Close the Sale Bootcamp Flashcards
What should I get out of every meeting? (2 things)
Leave the meeting ready to send in a bid and be in a strong position to get the assignment.
What 4 things should I do before the meeting?
1) Gathered some basic information about the company and the possible assignment.
2) Learn who the decider is on this and ask that they be at the meeting.
3) Prepare a list of questions.
4) Prepare one or two free useful tips or story ideas you want to pitch, like blog post headlines, case study ideas, or whatever is appropriate to the situation.
Describe the persona you should bring to meetings (5 elements)
1) I am confident that we are going to work together
2) I know It’s going to be a terrific experience on both sides.
3) I am a happy, super-confident writer,
4) I find their company fascinating.
5) I can relieve your stress
What should the message or undertone of the entire meeting be? (3 things)
1) Working with me is going to be easy
2) It is going to be enjoyable for both of us
3) Your goals are going to be achieved.
How convinced are most prospects that they want to hire you before you go into the meeting?
75%
Is it OK to take a lighthearted attitude? Why or why not?
Yes, this recommended. Having a lightness to your attitude helps. Even though this is business, it’s about building a relationship as well, and people buy from people they like, so think about how you can make the client feel comfortable with you, just break the ice and have some fun.
What 5 things make a client a “dream” client?
1) At least a mid-sized company.
2) Ten employees or more.
3) They understand their marketing needs
4) They’re making money
5) They’ve usually hired freelance writers before.
What happens during the first 5 minutes of the meeting?
Getting to know each other and building rapport.
What do I say when prospects ask me, “So, what do you want to know?” or, “How does this process work?”
“I am mostly here to listen and learn about your writing needs and how I can help. Tell me about why you reached out to me”
If after the building rapport phase (first 5 minutes) if the client goes silent, what should I say?
Ready to talk about your project? I am interested to hear about what you’ve got going on?
What is my primary job in the meeting?
Listening.
What usually happens as you move into the 5+ minute stage of the meeting? What is this stage called?
The prospect is going to start throwing a lot of information at you and the catch is often that it’s not the information you want or the information you need. This is called the TMI stage.
Why should you listen for recurring phrases while they’re talking?
It will help you capture the company’s tone in whatever you end up writing for them.
What 6 things should you be doing during the TMI phase?
1) Mention whatever shows you’re the ideal writer for this company and this project.
2) Talk about relevant past experience.
3) Show them, “Oh, I’ve done this before, and look at all the value I provided.”
4) Put the client at ease and help them in any way you can.
5) Take notes, smile, and nod.
6) Show them you are loving every moment of this meeting.
What is your objective when talking about PAST EXPERIENCE in the TMI stage?
Build confidence in them that you will be turning in something they’re going to love.
Why should you cut off the TMI segment if it goes too long? (2 reasons)
1) To be efficient and not waste their time
2) To look professional like you’ve taken lots of meetings and you know how they should go.
What can you 1) do and 2) say to take control of the meeting if the TMI section goes too long? (You already know what project they want to talk about).
Look for when they take a breath or if you really have to raise your hand, even with a big smile on your face if they are one of those continuous talkers that never seem to breathe and say:
“This is great. Totally fascinating. Really looking forward to learning all about what you do.
“Right now though, I’d like to talk about the writing project you have in mind. I have some basic questions I always need to ask to make sure I get what I need to get started on a project. I ask these questions upfront so I can be more efficient. Does that sound okay?”
They’re going to say, “Sure, sure, fine, fine, please go ahead.” Often, they really don’t know how to organize this. They have a million ideas bouncing around in their brains and it’s hard to boil it down. That’s your job – to run the meeting, to bring the focus if they aren’t organized especially.
15 minutes into the meeting, at the end of the TMI section, you should be getting to the details of a defined project. What do you ask to start this conversation, if it hasn’t started already?
It sounds like you have a lot of great initiatives going. I think it would be a good idea to find a first small project to work on so we can see if we all like working together. Sound good to you?
I love that statement because it conveys that you, as we said before, are not desperate.
15+++ into the meeting, you’ll want to recap what the client has said they need, and identify what might be the top project they’ll want you to work on. How do you word this?
“So it sounds like XXX is the top priority, is that right?
Having identified the top project, what 7 questions do you need to ask?
1) Audience?
2) Length?
3) Materials provided?
4) Research?
5) Style of writing? (Ask for samples)
6) Reporting to?
7) Deadline?
What are 2 good questions to ask marketing managers to build your authority?
1) What did you like or not like about your recent marketing?
2) What’s your unique selling proposition?
What 2-3 questions should you ask them to find out the style and quality they are looking for?
1) Do you have a sample of a publication/marketing piece that you admire? I need to see how what I am creating fits with the rest of your marketing.
(This question is huge because that’s actually a big concern that a lot of companies have with adding a new freelancer is that what they write is going to stick out and not really be meshing well with the rest of their staff or with editors.)
2) Who do you admire among your competitors as far as how they market? I’d like to look at some best practices and see what you’re liking or hating.
3) if they’re not the market leader, ask: “Who is doing the best job?”
What’s important to watch out for when asking them about their unique selling proposition (USP)?
Don’t let them get away with answers like, “We’re the foremost supplier of widgets in the country.” You want their actual real USP. What will make this company or this publication stand out from other widget suppliers or whatever in the customer’s eyes?
What should you do/ask at the 25 min. mark?
Is there anything else you’d like to know about my process?
