Sales Appointments: How to successfully close the deal before the first meeting

Did you know that you can vastly improve your closing rate by selling your value to leads before your appointment?

And that you can get them excited about meeting with you – which greatly increases your potential clients’ show up rate.

The days of scheduling a meeting with a potential home seller and only sending them a text, Whatsapp or email as a reminder on the day of the appointment are long gone. People have so much on their plates so meeting with you can easily be put on the raincheck list when something “more important” or “urgent” comes up in their lives.

But how do you even do this? How do you presell your services and the value you can bring to a homeowner looking to list and sell their home? Before you’ve even met?

Simple: use automated appointment reminder emails, Whatsapps and texts in the days leading up to the meeting filled with nuggets of information that’s important and relevant to them.

Get personal and tell them about yourself (but only for context and credibility).

You can send them videos, links to blog posts or emails that are helpful in the sales process, and that demonstrate your knowledge and professionalism.

Personalise the last reminder (usually 30 minutes before the sales appointment) and let them know you’re excited about meeting with them and how it will benefit their lives.

Now they’re more likely to think: “Hey, this is a sales professional who really knows what they’re doing and someone who knows what I want and need too."

Letting people know you’re excited about meeting with them will make them feel excited about it too and result in them being more likely to attend the sales appointment.

Of course, the sales appointment is just the first step.

Keep reinforcing this excitement during the sales appointment so they "see" the same person they got to know in the appointment reminder emails, but in real life too. Being consistent online and in real life goes a long way to making your prospect feel at ease that you are who you say you are.

Your sales appointments reminder emails should have the following key components:

•   The first paragraph should introduce who you are and what you do.

•   A sentence that confirms your sales appointment time.

•   And follow with a few sentences filled with information about what they can expect at the appointment (things they can get excited about).

•   Close off with an option to reschedule (provide a link to your online booking calendar which is a perfect touch) should their availability change. 

Setting this up once means all prospects receive the same automated messages, and means these reminders can be altered if they’re not hitting the mark as well as you’d like them to.

It’s about testing what works for you and your personality, as well as your market.

The results are more enjoyable sales appointments, more showed up meetings and less explaining who you are and what you do.

In essence it allows you to listen more and talk less. And when prospects feel heard, they tend to like and trust you more, which results in more successful sales appointments.