In international B2B sales, the first meeting with the decision-maker matters more than almost any other step. It is where fit is tested, trust is gauged and both sides decide whether it is worth continuing. That is why most of what makes it work happens beforehand.
Before you ask for the meeting
A good meeting starts with choosing the right person to ask. Before the first contact, you should have checked both the company and the person: their role in the decision, where their company stands and what they could gain from working with you. In an industrial company, several people usually have a say, from engineering, procurement and management. Knowing who is who stops you ending up in the wrong meeting.
What should be settled before the meeting
- Who you will speak to and why. Their role, their real responsibility in the purchase and what you know about their company.
- Which of their problems you solve. A generic product presentation rarely works outside your home market. Adapt your case to their sector, their standards and the way they buy.
- Material in their language, with references they understand. A clear data sheet and a short brief written for that person say a lot about how you will work later.
- A clear agenda. What you want to find out, what you need them to tell you and what a good next step would be for both sides.
How to run the conversation
- Start with their context, not your company: what they are trying to solve and why now.
- Ask about their buying process: who else is involved, what timescales they work to and what they expect from a new supplier.
- Show only what is relevant about your product, with one or two examples similar to their case.
- Close with a concrete next step and a date: a trial, a visit, a proposal or a second meeting with more people.
Common mistakes
- Bringing a long, generic presentation instead of questions.
- Talking about price before understanding the problem.
- Not knowing who else is involved in the decision.
- Ending the meeting without an agreed next step.
After the meeting
Send a short written summary of what was agreed and the next steps, and prepare whatever you promised. Record the conversation so that follow-up does not depend on anyone’s memory: a CRM helps you organise it.
Why your technical team should not do it in their spare time
In many industrial and technology companies, the person who knows the product best is also the one who ends up searching for contacts on LinkedIn or preparing presentations late at night. Their time is far more valuable in the meeting, explaining and answering questions, than in the groundwork.
Where INOBERICA fits in
With the IBD Method, we analyse your case, identify and validate the customers, partners or distributors that make sense for your goals, and prepare the ground so the conversation starts well. Then we put you in touch with the decision-maker. The meeting, the negotiation and the agreement are yours.
If you are looking for partners or distributors in a specific market, see how we approach it in IBD Partners, and if you are going to a trade fair, in IBD Trade Fairs.
