Creating an Effective Sales Kit

Most small businesses have a website (if you don't, you should!).  That platform is an excellent way for potential customers to find you and get your basic information.  A good sales kit is an effective tool to help educate prospects about your business and will move them from leads to customers.

The main reason to meet with a client in person is to understand their needs and how your business can fill those needs.  The first (and most important) item in your sales kit is your active listening skills.  Think of the meeting not as a sales call, but as a fact finding expedition.  The client will usually tell you what services will help them the most.  Ask questions and keep track of the answers.  If you're paying attention and taking notes, you can easily present them with solutions based on what they've told you.

Since this packet will be the face of your business that you leave with the prospect, don't skimp on the materials.  Have folders, letterhead, or any other static pieces professionally printed.  You can print any pricing sheets (or items that may change frequently) on letterhead using a laser printer.  A sales kit is also a good place to put promotional marketing materials such as pads, pens, and calendars with your company's logo and contact information.

The first page a prospect needs to see in the packet should highlight your business's unique story and how you are different than the other companies delivering your service.  Use this as an opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition.  Make your organization stand out as the obvious and reliable choice.

Other items to have in the kit are:

• Current sales literature (brochures, sale flyers, business cards, etc.)
• List of frequently asked questions
• Diagrams or exercises to demonstrate your services to the prospect
• Testimonials from or list of past satisfied clients
• Press releases
• CD Roms or DVDs highlighted your services
• Proposal

You can put these together yourself, or you can have a Virtual Administrative Assistant service such as Administrative Business Consulting get these items ready for your meetings.  A good way to think of your sales kit is as a hard copy of your web site information.  It's something you can leave with the prospect so that it can be referred back to at their convenience.