July 20, 2015, 8:56 PM
Today, we pick up where we left off in Episode 30. On that episode, we covered the benefits of using a lunch & learn to create new leads and how to prepare for one. On today’s episode, we talk about the best way to execute your lunch & learn, from crafting an ideal agenda to the best tips for leaving a good impression.
The Agenda
The agenda for each lunch & learn needs to be tailored to the potential customer. That means researching them ahead of time, figuring out their potential needs, what pain points they might have, and what might motivate them to make a change in security providers. Spend the first five minutes or so focused on creating credibility by sharing your experience with their industry and discussing the problems you know they face.
“Explain, ‘hey, we’ve done this before. We know exactly where you’re at, we’ve been successful with our past customers’,” says Johnny.
By establishing that you understand their needs from the beginning, you have much more credibility when you shift into discussing your own company and capabilities.
A quick overview video can be a great way to make this transition. A good video can lay out the quick highlights of your solution for their specific vertical, addressing any potential questions right from the start. By scripting and shooting quality videos, you make sure each customer hears your best pitch every time.
From there, get a little more customer specific, hitting the finer points of how you’ll deliver their desired outcome. Ideally, have specific numbers that quantify the results you’ll deliver. Bringing in written reports with those numbers to pass around can be a great way to leave them with a reminder of what you can deliver.
Finally, end with some stories of what their day-to-day will look like with your service. Compare and contrast your solution to your competitors, and share success stories with similar customers.
Closing Out The Presentation
Hopefully you’ll have addressed most potential questions already, but be sure to make yourself available for Q&A at the end. Let the customer dictate how the Q&A goes. If they seem to be in a hurry, answer questions real quickly and don’t wear out your welcome. If they want, though, feel free to let it be more of a freewheeling conversation.
No matter what, make sure you stay focused on the questions you’re asked. Don’t turn your answer into an extended pitch that digresses from the main topic. That’s a good way to get people frustrated and looking for an excuse to leave.
Finally, personally introduce yourself to everyone, give them your business card, and thank them for their time. Not only does this leave a good last impression, it’s an opportunity to collect some information for yourself.
“It’s a great way for me to gather their business card and ask them, ‘What’s the best time to contact you? What’s your portfolio like? Is there anything you saw today that interests you the most?” I tell Johnny. This helps you to craft a personalized follow up e-mail.
Tips To Make It Enjoyable
- Have it catered or have an assistant to fill up drinks, throw away trash, bring out desert. Keep them seated the whole time.
- Keep it positive. Don’t badmouth other companies, don’t focus on the negative perceptions of the industry, keep the conversation focused on how you can help them.
- Keep to the schedule and respect their time.
- Don’t make them talk and eat at the same time.
- Don’t skimp on cost. Have good food, leave a little gift, make it memorable.
Remember, this isn’t just a chance for them to learn about you. It’s also an opportunity to learn about their business and their industry, whatever that may be. It’s also an opportunity to evaluate who you want to work with. “You can pick and choose who you want to work with,” I tell Johnny. “Stick to the positive people you think you’re going to have the best results with, because that’s who’s really going to help you grow your business.”
Overall, we've barely scratched the surface here.. Click below to download the Lunch & Learn Playbook that will dive much deeper into using Lunch & Learns to generate more leads and close more business.
