There is one tenet of growth that all successful businesses manage: information. Clear and concise information, provided in a timely manner, is essential in order to maximize on the opportunities when they present themselves. Information supports decisions and provides the motivation to continue on the same path, or choose another direction.
Regardless of it is good or bad in nature, every piece of information is important. While the sales team is always searching for information about competitors, customer requirements, and general market trends, there are still some extremely important pieces of information that is often ignored, or easily forgotten. It’s not intentional. In fact, it’s natural to forget key information. It’s rather normal to forget something someone just heard seconds ago. Here are some simple, but effective ways to guarantee memory retention and ease of information transfer.
Take Notes in Front of Customers
There is nothing at all wrong with taking notes in front of customers. It shows an interest in getting the information right the first time. Take the time to write down notes in front of customers and make sure to ask them to clarify anything not quite clear. The customer should be more than willing to allow an opportunity to make sure the information is clear and concise. Therefore, make sure to take diligent notes and record as much pertinent information as possible.
Use a Digital Voice Recorder
This is an easy way to capture information that might otherwise be easily forgotten. Immediately after customer visits, make it a point to sum up the general reflections and feelings about the meeting. Using a recorder will capture immediate thoughts right after the visit when the information is still fresh. If there is any information that needs to be conveyed to people at work, make it a point to send that information as soon as possible.
Complete Trip Reports on the Same Day
While this is not always easy, it’s ideal to finish trip reports on the day of customer visits. It’s also important to get plenty of sleep and remain fresh for that next appointment. However, retaining information is often difficult and can easily be forgotten, so try and make sure to complete those trip reports on the same day.
Exercise, Eat Well, and Get Plenty of Sleep
Living on the road, moving from one appointment to the next, is never easy. Eating well is even harder, but it can be done. It almost seems impossible to eat well and exercise, and still be able to get a good night’s sleep. However, try to maximize the opportunities when they present themselves. The benefits are worth the time. Take the stairs when visiting customers, park further away and enjoy a nice walk, or spend 5 to 10 minutes in the morning doing low impact exercises. Anything to get the blood flowing and those endorphins firing!
Information gathering is an essential aspect of capturing business opportunities. Every piece of information is essential. Memory retention is not often a subject that sales people are interested in discussing. After all, salespeople are counted on for being able to make things happen and being self sufficient, so reminding them of the importance of information gathering isn’t easy. However, when reminded of how information gathering and memory retention is essential in closing orders, most sales professionals will make the wise choice and adopt these principles.
Ian Johnson - I currently run a business blog called www.driveyoursuccess.com. I have over 15 years consulting experience in production cell management, ...
