If you want to double your sales, double the amount of face-to-face meetings with your prospective clients. Instead of lunch or dinner, ask your lead to meet you for a coffee around their office. There are three reasons to meet over java instead of lunch or dinner:
1. Your prospect is busy. Lunch or dinner requires at least an hour of their/your time. A 20 minute coffee break around their office is an easier sell. You also have more time to line up appointments and meet with other prospects that same day.
2. You will accomplish more for less. Whether you have a company “wine & dine” expense account or you are on your own, be smart about your expenses. Your wallet or your company will appreciate it. The introduction, the handshake and a great chat doesn’t need to cost you anymore than 5 dollars. Especially when it usually takes multiple “No’s” to get to a “Yes”: 5 dinners with same prospect could mean 500 dollars spent with no sale in sight. 5 coffees are 25 dollars – a much smaller investment with same results.
3. Coffee makes people more open to persuasion – a recent study suggests this happens because coffee revs up the brain, improves one’s attention and enhances cognitive response. A couple of cups of java can also make you more easily convinced by arguments that go against your beliefs! The active compounds in coffee improve people’s ability to understand the reasoning behind statements they would normally dismiss. Read more.
