Before a customer visits, the salesperson must carefully and meticulously prepare for the relevant work. The salesperson and the factory should make arrangements according to the company’s relevant processes and systems for the purpose of the customer’s visit.
1. Understand the customer
For old customers, the salesperson usually has a certain understanding of the customer’s situation. But for new customers, the salesperson must understand the customer’s actual situation and the real purpose of the visit in detail. If it is found that the customer’s company entity does not exist or is a company of the same type with similar products as our company, it must be treated with caution. If it is determined that the customer is a real and valid customer, it is necessary to obtain as much useful information as possible, such as the customer’s contact information, country, company nature, company size, main products, market influence, existing cooperative companies, etc. Before the customer visits, the salesperson can make a background investigation form for the visiting customer, as shown in Table 4-1, and obtain the information required in the form through various methods and channels. It is generally not recommended for salespeople to directly ask customers a series of questions for them to answer, because this will appear impolite. Salesmen can collect customer information by themselves in the following ways:
(1) Using customer information on the B2B platform
(2) Log in to the customer’s company website to understand the customer’s background;
(3) Use search engines to find traces left by customers on the Internet;
(4) Use social media such as Linkedin to mine customer information;
(5) Carefully analyze previous communication records with customers and try to understand customer needs in depth;(6) If the new customer is introduced by an old customer, you can learn about the new customer’s situation from the old customer.
2. Car Arrangement
Before the customer visits, the salesman must submit a car application form two days in advance based on the number of visiting customers, so as to arrange a car to pick up the customer as soon as possible, as shown in Table 4-2.
3. Participate in the reception staff docking
Based on the previous communication, the salesman can basically understand the main content of the customer’s visit. To this end, the salesman should communicate with the relevant technical personnel and relevant leaders one day in advance, and ask the relevant technical personnel to provide assistance and support during the reception. At the same time, the information about the customer’s visit should be reported to the department head in advance in order to accurately grasp the customer’s intention, ensure the smooth progress of the talks, and analyze and judge possible problems. More importantly, before the customer visits, the department head, deputy general manager or general manager should be notified according to the customer’s level to determine the personnel involved in the negotiation. If senior leaders are required to participate, the management must be informed in advance to confirm the time arrangement of senior leaders.
4. Data preparation
Before the customer visits, the salesperson should carefully organize the relevant information communicated with the customer in advance, such as the product situation, price situation, technical improvement situation, mold opening situation of the negotiation cooperation, as well as important emails, relevant contracts, quotations and other information exchanged with the customer. The technical parameters and instructions for use of the relevant products should be contacted with the relevant technical personnel in advance to ensure that they are correct. The salesperson should communicate with the department head and deputy general manager in advance on this information to promote the smooth progress of the negotiations. More importantly, before the negotiation, the salesperson should fully understand the situation of the products to be negotiated and cooperated, so that he can respond quickly at the negotiation site and answer the customer’s questions at any time.
5. Preparation of necessary supplies
The day before the customer’s visit, the salesperson should inform the Administration Department in advance of the number of visitors, the number of mineral water, coffee, fruit, paper cups, memo pads, pens, etc. that need to be prepared, the use time of the exhibition hall, conference room, and multimedia room, whether national flags, gifts, banners/welcome signs and other requirements are needed, so that the Administration Department can prepare for the meeting. The Administration Department should prepare all preparation materials and supplies before the customer enters the conference room.
6. Preparation of reserve funds
In order to ensure sufficient funds during the customer’s visit, the salesperson should borrow part of the reserve funds from the Finance Department in advance according to the relevant procedures based on the number of visiting customers, arrival time and other information, so as to entertain customers or use them for other matters.
7. Preparation of meals
Before the customer’s visit, meals should be reasonably arranged according to the time of the customer’s inspection. If the customer returns on the same day, the customer should be entertained at noon. If the customer leaves the next day or the day after, lunch can be simple. It is recommended that the department head or deputy general manager participate in dinner. Reservations should be made in advance before the banquet.