How to be perfectly prepared for essential B2B calls

As a remote design agency that works on B2B software worldwide, we take calls very seriously — the time of our clients is valuable, therefore, we can’t go wrong and have to use this time to add value to their business. Furthermore, it becomes especially important when we present a proposal, gather requirements or deliver the key pieces of work — calls where failure may entail devastating consequences.

In our agency most calls are never a waste of time and almost always let us meet the goals. We are able to avoid the most common mistakes during communications and the key to this ability — a proper preparation process.

So how do we make ourselves prepared? Well, the plan is obviously simple and brief:

1. Preparing a client
2. Preparing yourself
3. The call-before-call
4. The intro of the call

Arranging a call with a client

First of all, you need to prepare your client, set his expectations up, and make him ready for effective work with you during the call. And the proper invitation solves this task in the best way.

Of course, the invitation can’t be just “let’s jump to a call” even if you are the best friends with your client. Without providing the clients with a prior context you can’t expect from them perfect collaboration, since it’s only you who knows what is going on here from the beginning.

Here’s a must-have content of the invitation from our experience:

• The purpose of the call
• The agenda (the plan of the call)
• Expected duration
• Proposed day and time of the call

For sure, you may extend the list with more details like a tool you’re going to use, documents that should be considered before the meeting, etc. Again, our goal is to provide the clients with all information they may need to make decisions

Bad invitation:

“Hello! We want to call you. Let’s do it in 1 hour”

No purpose, no context, no plan of the call. Furthermore! You’re asking a client to drop everything and rush on your call right now! Nope

Good invitation:

“Hello!

We would like to present our proposal. What is a good time for you?”

It’s fine if you have been communicating with a client for a while and there’s some previous context. But if it’s something new for the client make sure you provided them with brief information about the call.

Best invitation:

“Hello!

We’ve prepared a proposal and would like to present it during a call. On this call, we will describe our approach, propose a budget and a timeline and, of course, answer all your possible questions. The call shouldn’t exceed 30 mins.

We can arrange it tomorrow at any time. What time the best for you?”

You’re providing a client with all the necessary information about the call and help them manage their time. Thus, they have the freedom to choose a time and be prepared for a call.

The rule
When preparing an invitation, think like a client: “Why do I have to spend my time on this call? What value will it give me? How long will it take? Should I make myself prepared and how?”

Preparing yourself

The call has been appointed, now it’s time for some homework — obviously, you can’t turn your presentation into the improvisation theater, therefore, you have to have a plan for the call and some theses. Or, in other words, steps to reach success — after all, we make calls to achieve our goals, aren’t we?

Time to ask questions

If this is a sales call or gathering requirements you mustn’t forget any details when you’re studying the project: all questions have to be asked and no white spots should remain.It could sound ridiculous, but the best way to not forget something — is to write something. And you know what is even more ridiculous? Most of the people don’t write the questions before calls and simply rely on their memory. It almost always leads to missing big or small portions of essential information.

What you may forget to ask that may have crucial consequences

• Do you need a mobile version? (+20–40% to the design and front-end budget)
• What’s a deadline? (you just started work and suddenly understood you have no time to finish it on time)
• Who is a decision-maker? (you’ve spent hours persuading one guy but it turned out that he’s not who makes the decisions)

Do you think no one forgets such questions? Unfortunately, it’s the most common case.

By the way, the prepared in advance questions, among other things, let you avoid unexpected pauses during the call.

The rule
Write the questions prior to meetings. Don’t rely on your memory.

Time to make a killer presentation

Another type of call is a proposal presentation or a delivery of a piece of work, where you present something that your client is supposed to accept or approve. Thus, the very first thing you have to be prepared for — is the client’s objections. Make sure your presentation is preventing objections and answering the client’s questions BEFORE they ask them.

It’s best understood through an example. When we’re going to go for a proposal presentation, we:

• Create a decomposition with efforts and the price of each piece of work;
• Are able to explain (and we always explain) each step and have examples of outcomes;
• Have reasons why it takes this amount of time (and can’t be done faster);
• Have some ideas on how to reduce a budget or a timeline to fit in the client’s capabilities.
• Lastly, we are able to explain why our solution will solve the client’s problem in the most effective way.

Again, think like your client: where they may have difficulties in understanding? What things can cause resistance? What the most important thing for them?

The rule
Write the theses. If you have notes you will not miss anything and the presentation will pass flawlessly.

The call-before-call

You have to spend additional time on preparation if you’re not the only one who is going on the call from your side. I.e. you have to be prepared as a team, otherwise, the call risks sliding down to a series of unexpected pauses and interruptions.

We’ve named this activity “the call-before-call” and it occurs 10–15 minutes before every call with the client. The purpose of this short call is to make us prepared for the team-play.

What do we do during this call?

• Appoint a moderator. The person who starts the call, keeps it in order, invites participants to speak and channels the conversation into the necessary direction if needed.
• Who says what. It helps prevent interrupting each other and awkward pauses during the call. Also, it makes clear for team members when their turn to speak.
• Soundcheck. If you have problems with your microphone or software at the beginning of the conversation, most people (not all) will understand you. Although this conversation isn’t perfect already. And will never be perfect again.

All these little organizing settings make our calls flawless and brief, keeping in mind that the time of our clients is valuable. In addition, it becomes clear to the client that they are talking to professionals and not to amateurs.

The rule
Just never neglect the call-before-call

The intro of the call

In this article, we’re talking about preparation for calls but not about calls itself, but I believe that the first a couple of minutes of the conversation is part of this preparation.

So, when you start a call, your goal is to prepare the client for the next 15–30–60 minutes of their life. Of course, it highly depends on who you’re talking to, but the general intro looks like:

1. Break the ice. Small talk or just asking “How are you?” Let your client understand they are speaking with humans :)
2. General information. The purpose of the call (what for they are here), the agenda (what they are going to hear), anticipated duration (when they can get back to their business)
3. Introducing the team (why these people here)

The rule
Transparency and predictability comfort clients and keep them focused on decision-making

The call itself

As I said, this article isn’t about the calls. So here I can only add that you have a way more chances to close the deal or successfully deliver your design or functionality (or whatever you do for a client) if you’re well prepared.

Let’s summarize the rules listed above:

The rules

1. When preparing an invitation for the call, think like a client: “Why do I have to spend my time on this call? What value will it give me? How long will it take? Should I make myself prepared and how?”
2. Write the questions or theses prior to meetings. Don’t rely on your memory
3. Answer client’s questions before they ask them
4. Never neglect the call-before-call. Be ready for team-play
5. Prepare a client at the beginning of the call. The more transparency and predictability the calmer clients are.

Be self-confident, be friendly, speak correctly and you will always win!

Yurii Lazebnyi,
Co-owner and Clients Services director at Angle2