Why use a sales prologue to open first meetings?

What is a sales prologue, and why use it?

This post was first published on Linkedin on 15 January 2024

A sales prologue is a technique used by customer-facing teams to establish trust and credibility at the opening of any meeting, particularly the first meeting. It was originally published by Rob Scanlon decades ago in his private sales coach curriculum but is not widely known or used today... but it should be.

When you perfect your sales prologue, you change how you sell and never return to your previous meeting opening approach. It works because it addresses the questions that arise in every buyer's mind when they come across a new salesperson for the first time - are you competent, and can I trust you?

An example sales prologue

I’ve used this prologue with minor variations to open meetings for years:

“As I was preparing for our meeting today, I tried to put myself into your shoes and think of some of the questions you might have for me –

I thought you might want to know….

• What is different about <Acme’s> approach to [outcome category]?
• Who have you helped that’s most like us?
• How can we get better results from our [outcome category] initiatives?

…. pause - are these some of your questions, do you have any others?”

Be sure to capture their questions, after all, that’s why they are in front of you… to have their questions answered.

Why use a sales prologue?

As mentioned, at the opening of every meeting between a salesperson and a buyer, the salesperson must establish trust and credibility.

• Salespeople must overcome the negative stigma created by prior generations of bad sales practices.
• At the beginning of every meeting, the buyer is curious about your competence and whether they should invest their time in you.
• They wonder if you have their best interests at heart or if you are trying to sell them something they may or may not need.

What does the sales prologue do for salespeople?

Differentiation: It differentiates the salesperson who uses it from everyone else. A buyer has probably never had a salesperson try to anticipate their questions before, and it often surprises and disarms the buyer.

Invites dialogue: It opens the meeting and invites dialogue around the buyer's struggling moments that caused them to want to meet with you in the first place in search of better outcomes.

Works the buyer’s agenda: When you signal to the buyer that you are willing to run the meeting according to their agenda, it shows them that you are confident and well-prepared, unlike most meetings, where the salesperson presents their agenda and proceeds with their list of questions before moving on to a presentation and a trial close... (cringe)!

Quickly build trust: According to Mike Bosworth , for salespeople to quickly establish trust, they must connect emotionally (empathy) with character and competence. In combination, these are rare skills, present in only 13% of all salespeople.

Why empathy?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others by putting yourself in the other person's shoes.

• In sales, empathy involves taking the time to understand the buyer's situation and needs and approaching the conversation from their perspective.
• By showing empathy, you demonstrate that you care about the buyer's concerns and are genuinely interested in helping them find a solution.
• Using a sales prologue builds trust with the buyer because they feel listened to and understood.

When buyers see that salespeople are invested in their needs rather than just trying to push a product or service, they are more likely to trust you and your recommendations. This can change buyer perception, where they see you as a partner in achieving their goals rather than just a salesperson.

After the buyer responds to your sales prologue, an excellent question for salespeople is, "Can you share what's going on in the organisation that caused you to want to take this meeting?”

You’ll need someone to take notes or record the call to capture what the buyer says next as they unburden their problems, pain and frustration; it can be overwhelming.

Implementing a sales prologue

Since learning the technique from Jim Burns a decade ago, I've incorporated it into my sales training and client whiteboard stories.

It takes practice to master the sales prologue and use it word for word to sound wholly unforced and natural; twenty times practicing it should do it.

Salespeople must invest time before the meeting and planning meeting outcomes to anticipate the buyer's context and understand their likely current state and probable questions.

It’s essential to write down the buyer's questions as they arise and answer them during the meeting. When wrapping up the meeting, check their questions off and confirm they were answered satisfactorily.