If you want to earn the big bucks in sales and achieve all your goals and dreams, you have to gain a mental edge. Gaining the mental edge is all about preparing yourself upfront, ahead of time to execute when the time is right.

Too many sales people think they are good enough to “wing it.” Many times salespeople pull up to an appointment after weaving through traffic, 5 minutes late, shoveling down their hot dog and washing it down with a Big Gulp while trying to wipe the mustard off their shirt. This is the surest way to the sidelines.

There is one word that stands out above all others as far as “what it takes” to make the big sale. This word is preparation. That’s right; preparation is the foundation of any level of achievement. You have to prepare yourself ahead of time if you want to gain the mental edge it takes to land the big one.

The following seven steps are key in preparing yourself with the mental edge.

1) Know your customer. Take time to research everything you can about the company and the individual you are going to see. Study everything you can about their products and services. Find out about the individual’s hobbies and preferences. If appropriate, go as far as finding out what he or she will wear for your meeting, what they like to eat, and about their family and children.

How do you find out?
a) Research the internet.
b) Ask the people that know them. This includes their assistant, receptionist, or the person who referred you. If the person has purchased from your company review previous sales files or ask other people who have dealt with them.

Learning as much as you can about the customer and their products and services will put you at ease and give you confidence because you will already feel like you know the person and their company.

2) Dress for success. Dress professionally, wear clean clothes, groom your hair neatly, and brush your teeth. Research has proven time and time again that you perform better when you look better. When you look better you feel better and the customer responds to the way you feel.

3) Be organized. Make sure you have reviewed your paperwork and presentation materials and neatly organize them so you can access them easily. The worst experience you can have is going into an appointment, open up your brief case, and start shuffling through stuff unable to find your information.

4) Know your stuff. Review your materials, know your products, practice and record your presentation, listen to it over and over again.

5) Get focused. On the way to the appointment, you need to totally focus on the end result you want to achieve. If you have a long drive, you may want to listen to an inspiring audio that has a positive message or of someone closing a sale or one of your own recordings. In the last few minutes of your drive, turn everything off, relax and focus on the ultimate outcome…securing the sale.

6) Imagine. I teach all salespeople to take at least 5 minutes to mentally prepare before every appointment. I recommend pulling over into a parking lot close to your appointment area or on the side of the road and taking time to visualize in your mind the end result you want to achieve. See yourself shaking your customer’s hand, developing rapport, giving an excellent presentation, and agreeing on a win/win situation.

7) Arrive 3 to 5 minutes early. Punctuality is important. You can lose sales because you failed to keep your appointment time. It is better to arrive early than late.

Following these steps will give you the mental edge that will help you make the big sale. Preparing yourself ahead of time is a small difference that separates the superstars from average performers.

Now that you are prepared…next month we will discuss how you can better prepare the customer to say “yes.”