by Mary Cantando, Founder of The Woman’s Advantage, Guest Contributor

Many women start a sales call as though it were just another conversation. Sure it IS a conversation, but so much more.

If you build your sales call around the five elements below, you’ll see a real jump in your new business.

5 Elements of a Winning Sales Call

1. Do your homework and start with a compliment.

Review the prospect’s website and search online so you can open the conversation with a compliment. Has she recently won an award? Did she just land a new multi-national client? Has she launched a new product? Lead with that.

2. Lead in to her current situation.

Discuss her problem or challenge from HER perspective, not yours. You might say something like, “With the current state of XYZ, you may be thinking about…”

3. Share examples of how similar companies solved the problem.

Tell a story or two of how an organization similar to hers was struggling with the same situation and how your offering helped to overcome it.

4. Ask if she’d like to share in those benefits.

You might say, “So you can see that our ABC offering has helped other companies achieve DEF; is this something you’d like to see for your organization as well?

5. DON’T ASK for the sale.

Rather than closing with a question, close with an affirmative statement like, “So, the next step in moving forward would be to…