Tips or frameworks for closing out calls/demos

Ben Fleishman

Hi All!

Curious if anyone has any good frameworks for closing out calls/demos? I am noticing team members getting to the end of calls and not closing them out consistently with wrap-ups or even next steps.

Thanks!

Ben

Trevor Swaine

Hi Ben, I try to end by reiterating the pain the customer mentioned during the call and how our solution specifically solves that persona's pain, this can position them back to the emotional state which helps in getting commitment to the next meeting. If you have discovered the internal decision process you can align on next steps that are outlined in your go live plan and reiterate the importance of following it. Most of this hinges on the fact that you have qualified your champion and deal first and continuing to do so throughout the process.

Rachel Clapp Miller

@Ben Fleishman You may want to also check out this podcast I did with @Brian Walsh on "owning the next step" - he offers some good tips to help reinforce best practices.

Joe Huber

@Ben Fleishman Here's the link to the podcast Rachel mentioned!

Adam Bowen

A bit late for this, but in case someone else comes along, you set up your wrap-up before the beginning of the call. You should have communicated an agenda before the meeting, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. No worries. Always start the meeting with the end in mind. What are you trying to accomplish in the meeting? Use it as an upfront contract with your prospect/client. Then your wrap-up statement would always conclude with asking the customer if you have met your end of the contract and if they are now willing to meet theirs.

Upfront Contract Example: "Mr. Prospect, my objective in this call is to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that show how we can X your Y by Z. If we sufficiently do this, we would like to get you to sponsor a meeting with Ms. VITO to discuss how we can make this a partnership between our two companies. Is that fair?"

Wrap-up Example: Ex. "Mr. Customer, our objective was to … Did we hit the mark?"
If yes: book the meeting
If no: "What additional criteria would need to occur to gain your sponsorship?"

(not to be taken literally. apply your art to the science)

Ben Fleishman

@Adam Bowen Thank you! I think this is good stuff and will be sharing it with my team!