10 ways to be better prepared for a sales meeting (ideas for beginners)

Wear ironed and well-fitted dress. Lean towards formal. Good comfortable shoes. Carry a good bag. before going in, try to check hair and face once.

In my case that would be a laptop, mobile phones, notebook, pen, samples, visiting cards. Some sample outputs and company presentation as well. Also before leaving, make sure that laptop, website, mobile app, internet connection are working well.

This list will change for me too and of course will depend on your role and industry.

Always be on time. I prefer to be a bit early. If you cannot avoid being late, please keep client informed. Go with good directions and proper address, to avoid last minute trouble.

As much as possible, do not go blind. Try to find out the goal for the meeting. So you can prepare accordingly.

This may not be relevant for all, but very relevant for me. I need not stop spiraling into thoughts of inadequacy or unlikely disaster scenarios. Go with a mindset to do your best and be prepared to not be able to close the deal. It is a not a personal failure

In a large city and for a small business, a face-to-face meeting is an investment of a considerable amount of time. Before saying yes to a meeting, find out why a meeting is needed. Also if the size of the proposed deal is worth the time investment.

As much as possible, get the clients to talk - to know what they want and to understand their business. Empathy would be great here. For an introvert like me, it may make sense to have some relevant questions ready to get started.

Be positive. Be enthusiastic. Be passionate about problem solving.

This is actually the most fundamental thing to have in bag before the meeting. If there are any known gaps or something extra is needed for the solution, get these sorted out.

Be grateful for this opportunity. You can close the deal or start a relationship towards a future sale. Or at the least this could be practice towards better proficiency and there is always learning about client's business.