Intimidated by that big sales meeting? Read on...

One of the most intimidating sales meetings I ever ran was with a leading US defense company...

It was a conference call and there were 12 people dialling in from 3 different continents.

Of the 12, 4 were VPs, along with 2 C-level directors.

This was the final meeting to close out the biggest contract of my career so far.

I prepared for over an hour beforehand.

Covering every eventuality.

The meeting began...

For anyone familar with The Challenger Customer, amongst the 12, there were champions, mobilizers and potential blockers.

As I began to speak, a strange thing happened.

All my nerves dissappeared.

I talked slower than usual to command more authority.

I paused when I needed to think.

I set the agenda, the tone and the general structure.

People began speaking.

One of the C Level Directors was by far the most vocal and very much leading things.

And I just let them speak amongst themselves...punctuated by contextual questions where appropriate.

My role was more akin to meeting chair than salesperson.

And this took all the pressure off.

I'd already mapped out the business case in previous calls, so this meeting served as more of a consolidation call with all relevant stakeholders present.

And by giving them the room to breathe during the meeting to discuss things openly...it worked like magic.

I resisted filling any silences for the sake of it - a trap that many salespeople have fallen into, myself included.

No persuading or convincing necessary - just provocative or validating questions where appropriate.

I acted as a partner.

And they collectively persuaded themselves.

Any blocker was subsequently challenged by the main champions, acting as mobilizers.

Far more powerful coming from them.

And a few days later...the PO was raised.

The take away?

Doing less with purpose is far more effective than doing more with less intent.

And people are rarely convinced by an outside voice.

It has to come from them, and the most effective way to guide decision-making is simple...

It's through the questions you ask.