Wrapping up Customer Meetings

Wrapping up Customer Meetings

Your sales people should know how to end the meeting to get the results you need

In person meetings are some of the most valuable time you get with your customers. Each stage of the meeting is important but you want to make sure your sales people finish strong. I can’t tell you how many times I was in a meeting with a supplier and they were getting to the end of the content and it was so awkward. “Well, umm, I guess that is it, we don’t have any more to tell you” or “I will have to get back to you with some answers to your questions”. Not exactly finishing strong. You want your sales people to leave them with positive thoughts about your products and your business. You also want them to get the answers to the questions they asked.

Finishing strong requires practice and a plan. When I am speaking anywhere, I will practice the introduction and the conclusion. Your sales people need to wrap it up leaving them with the confidence your business will deliver and that your product will meet or exceed the sales you have discussed.

SKUFood meeting agenda

Over the last few weeks, we have been discussing the components of a meeting with a retailer. Make sure your sales people take the time to make each retailer meeting unique. Your customers are all different so the meetings should be different. Sure, there are common elements but your customers each occupy a unique position in the market and your sales people need to respect this.

When you are developing your presentation, it is important to keep in mind the purpose. Challenge your sales people to outline the top 3 things they want to accomplish in the meeting. From our perspective, if they are successful with 3 initiatives in every meeting this adds up to a lot. When your people get to the end of the meeting they need to make sure they have accomplished these three objectives.

Retailers need to see you as supporting their position in the market, driving traffic into the store and selling products. Include photos of their stores and perhaps quotes from their people. When your sales people demonstrate they are invested with them it makes a difference. We will dive into each segment of the meeting in upcoming newsletters. Our recommended format for a meeting is the following agenda:

1.  Cover page 

2.  Agenda 

3.  Introduction 

4.  Point of differentiation 

5.  Sales plan 

6.  Costing 

7.  Sampling 

8.  Credibility 

9.  Conclusion 

The following outlines the purpose and content suggestions for each section: 

Credibility

As your people get to the end of the meeting, they need to circle back to the businesses’ ability to deliver. Through the meeting they should have covered a lot of ground, which is all important. As they wrap up, they should take the retailer back to the core strengths of your business and reinforce why they should want to put your products in their store. This is not about the products, that should have already been covered. This is about the business and what is in place to get products delivered on time and in full.

Perhaps your business is expanding and you have just secured the financing to allow you to bring in 50% more inventory of ingredients and packaging. This is what they need to hear and build confidence you will grow with them. Another area where it is advantageous to build credibility is with supply of ingredients or packaging. Many food and beverage businesses will come in talking about a point of differentiation that is dependent on an ingredient or some innovative packaging. All good, but really only good if you have a consistent, reliable supply. That can be a challenge in the volatile world we live in. If your business has a reliable source of supply, make sure the customer understands. You can’t control everything but if you have done everything possible you need to make sure, they know this.

When your sales people get to this point in the meeting, they should not repeat things. They should have saved some new information to share. If they are repeating something discussed already, they are wasting time. 2-3 points to build credibility and leave your customer confident they will get what they want is what is required at this point.

Conclusion

As the meeting comes to an end, your people need to finish strong. Not the weak, awkward finale we shared earlier. It is a challenge to finish strong. These are high pressure situations and after going through the agenda, it can be tempting to just wrap it up and get out of there. This is where your people can really separate themselves from the other 10 suppliers in that day. A memorable conclusion, that is concise and effective, leaves them with a good impression.

Our experience is this is the toughest part of the meeting to get right. Your people can usually talk about the business and the products. Finishing strong, getting the answers to the 3 questions you outlined before the meeting and leaving with a solid plan is tough. They can’t leave it all to the conclusion, but they should bring it all together and fill in any gaps.

Do some role playing and get them to practice the end of the meeting. Throw them a couple of curve balls in the role playing. Once they have been challenged in a few different ways, they will have the confidence to put this into action in a real meeting. We do a lot of role playing with people and it is amazing the difference after they have been through it a few times. Do not wait until the biggest meeting of the year. Be prepared in advance so when they are in there, they do a great job.

We encourage people to put a few notes on their copy of the presentation. 3-4 things they need to accomplish in the conclusion. This is not in the retailer’s copy but on theirs so they remember, in the heat of the moment to get answers or information.

A clear path forward should come out of the conclusion. When will the next point of contact happen and what form of communication will be used. The more open ended it is the less likely your people will get the results you want. If the retailer offers to have someone else in their organization be a point of contact, make sure your people meet them in person. Even if it is just to say hello you need that personal contact and then follow up.

You and your sales people will be amazed how powerful it is to finish strong. They will also look forward to the conclusion when they are prepared and have had a chance to practice a few times.

Next week we will share some questions we like to ask in retailer meetings.

I do have travel coming up to Toronto, Guelph, Winnipeg and Vancouver so if you want to connect or have an event in any of these locations give me a call or send me an email.

Peter

SKUFood Recipes for Success Podcast

In this episode of SKUFood Recipes for Success, we sit down with the co-founders of Saltwinds Coffee, Laura Richard and Brad Rideout, to explore how innovation, science, and entrepreneurship have come together to create one of Canada's most unique coffee brands. From their roots in New Brunswick to expanding into retail markets. Saltwinds has built their business by being different through its proprietary Ocean Air infusion process that brings a distinctive maritime element to every roast.

Laura and Brad share the story behind building Saltwinds Coffee, combining expertise in chemistry, product development, technology, and business growth to create a brand that stands out in a crowded category. They discuss the challenges and opportunities of bringing an innovative product to market, the importance of differentiation, and how they've translated a unique concept into an award-winning brand with national reach.

We also explore the balance between innovation and commercialization, the role of storytelling in building consumer connection, and what it takes to scale a premium food and beverage brand.

If you would like to be a guest send us a note. We are always working on the upcoming episodes.

Cyclospora outbreak in US will impact lettuce and pre-packaged salads

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This change in the source of supply will be positive for Canadians. There does not seem to be any definitive decision about the source. It is definitely difficult to trace these outbreaks but it does bring into question it the changes made to the CDC in the US are having an impact on their ability to identify where the issue is coming from and to get it resolved. Sounds miserable for consumers impacted.

Government of Canada Strategic Response Fund

From the website:

With the focus on Canadian food and beverage we wanted to share a program we have developed with Alain Bosse, the Kilted Chef. We partner to share insights about Canadian food and beverage at conferences and events. We talk about where products come from, share insights about some hidden gems and of course Chef Alain has great tips for using the products at home. This is designed to be entertaining and engaging. Not just for food industry audiences, it works for everyone.