In sales the logic used to be the less you saw your sales staff, the better your company would do. You wanted your road warriors out there talking to clients, having meetings and always closing.
Then we saw the economy plummet and money got tight. Companies began looking for ways to keep their sales force working with customers and looking for new business but also cut travel costs.
When it comes to dealing with clients I consider the project and if it is really necessary for an in person meeting. This can be an adjustment for clients too. I had a chance to work with a major corporation that was located on the opposite coast from me. They wanted me to come in and talk about capabilities. There was no guarantee of work and even if I had gotten the job the project was going to be small. I offered a phone conference for our initial conversation and to introduce my company.
The rep was shocked when I suggested this option. She said she had never been turned down for a meeting. I had to explain that I wasn’t turning her down, but we have travel budgets to consider. We travel when it is necessary and I would be available to meet in person as the project progressed. But based on the fact they were still determining if they were even going to bring in an outside vendor versus doing in house, we needed to start this way till they had a clearer scope of their project.
The economy is forcing companies to train their sales staff to adjust their technique and not automatically schedule in person meetings. But don’t forget the positive aspects of this are that it offers more time to connect with clients on the phone and electronically rather than sitting in traffic.
If you’re a sales person what do you think, do you prefer in person or phone meetings?
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