Suggestions for an effective first call and any future calls:
- Research the company to get to know their product/service offering, customer-base, and unique needs- this may include looking into their website, blog, press releases, social media accounts, etc.
- Understand the customer's team and their roles- consider looking into employee bios, or LinkedIn profiles if available.
- Learn about the company's industry trends and challenge- consider researching the competitor landscape and industry challenges.
Once I have gathered data, I suggest discussion focused on building rapport and discussing solutions:
- Acknowledging our differences in experience and perspective by discussing both the company's long-term vision and our individual micro-goals.
- Asking specific questions about previous implementations and implementations of similar products/services.
- Discussing ways we can anticipate customer needs to exceed their expectations.