System of Selling: Information Gathering and Interviewing

When you first begin to analyze system selling it’s important to know that you need an organized approach in doing business. This starts with information gathering, which allows you to get to know your prospect without actually spending time with them.

Before meeting with a prospective client it’s important to do your due diligence in gathering information about the company and the individual that you’re interviewing.

The things you should do are:

1.    Check out their company’s website, when looking through the site take note of the company’s:

o   Mission Statement

o   Purpose

o   Product or Services

o   Players Involved

o   Business History

2.    Visit the prospect’s LinkedIn and Facebook profiles

o   This will give you a good idea of the experience and background of the individual

o   When looking through their profiles jot down some points of interest that you may share

3.    Doing this will provide you with a good foundation when going into the first meeting. It will be immediately apparent to the prospect that you as an interviewer have done your homework.

o   It’s important to note: just because you gather information on someone doesn’t mean you necessarily need to use it, it could be tucked away for future clarification or developing a better dialogue with the prospect.

4.    Through these information gathering concepts you should be able to gain insight into the company’s strengths as well as identifying weaknesses.

Being prepared before your meeting gives you added confidence, an objective perspective, as well as building a basis for good interviewing. The interview is all about discovering if you have a potential fit. At the end of the interview, both parties should be able to come to a conclusion regarding whether or not you should remain connected. Having good interviewing skills and the ability to gather information is essential in your pursuit of an effective selling system.

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