One of the easiest ways to fail as a salesperson is to avoid preparing for an upcoming meeting. Too often, salespeople show up to a prospect’s office with a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants approach and cross our fingers that they’ll buy what we are selling.

For example, how often have you…

• arrived at a meeting without a proper agenda?
• forgotten your personal business cards?
• neglected to send an email confirming the meeting beforehand?
• chosen not to do your research about the person with whom you’re meeting?

While these actions may sound simple, they are essential steps in your sales process. You establish credibility by following a process that makes it easy for your prospect to do business with you.  

To prepare for a sales meeting properly, take these 5 steps the day before the meeting is scheduled.

1. Send an email reconfirming the meeting.

Just because the meeting is on your…