F.I.R.E. Call Planning®
From a high performance perspective, preparing and planning for performance is a pre-requisite. The critical execution of performance within "sales" has to be our "performance" in front of the customer. Be this in a face-to-face meeting, in a call over video-link or via the telephone.
The Triple E approach to preparation for High Performance Value Selling uses the F.I.R.E. approach. (An acronym of Focus, Intelligence, Relationships & Expectations.)
Step 1 is to Focus by starting our preparation standing in the customer's/prospect's shoes and addressing the "What's in it for me" question (W.I.I.F.M.).
Step 2 is to consider the Intelligence that will help us to reach a buying decision in a manner characterised by high quality and productivity. We look at Intelligence from the perspective of the robustness of the Intelligence that we possess mapped against the our proprietary questioning tool that encourages us to think about what we truly understand about the customer's situation and what they actually value.
Step 3 is to plan to manage the important stakeholder Relationships that have an influence or interest in the buying decision we seek. This ensures that we focus on people with power to make decisions, and protects us from expending non-value adding time in conversation with people who cannot advance decision-making productively.
Step 4 is to be clear about the Expectations of the performance we are setting for ourselves against the M.I.L.E. formula™ (Must, Like, Intend, Extras). This is an aspect of disciplined performance in being clear about the outputs we seek from engagement with the customer/prospect and supports reflection on selecting the appropriate inputs.
F.I.R.E. Call Planning® templates are provided as soft copies, often customised to reflect client branding, as part of a programme or under licence. These can be stored and completed on an iPad or similar device to support mobile working.