How to close a sale with someone twice your age

Attempting to sell a product, idea, service or advertisement to someone twice your age is a daunting experience for any young entrepreneur. I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to hone my skills over the past 3 years of college. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Dress appropriately

This means many different things for people. Obviously you dress based on the circumstances of the meeting.

My first meeting with a restaurant came about two weeks after I stopped working at a golf course in Connecticut. I showed up in khaki Bermuda length shorts and a Polo shirt tucked in.

Looking back at myself I just laugh. Are you kidding me? I went to this hole in the wall restaurant looking like some rich preppy. The meeting did not go well, and I credit that to my outfit, because I went back a few weeks later with jeans, a t-shirt and a backwards hat, and signed the restaurant up in a second.

My meeting with the marketing director of a large area known as the South Campus Gateway was also in the first few months of my company’s existence. I was getting comfortable in the regular casual outfit, but jeans did not fit the bill in this meeting, and my partner showed up in slacks and a button down. Immediately I gave a terrible impression. We never did business with this particular guy because of it.

Don’t act like a kid

Lose the sunglasses, take out the headphones, and put away your cell phone. Your potential client does not need to know that your buddy just got a new haircut. It is very important to keep this in mind when meeting with a prospect.

When you first meet your prospective client, shake his hand and look him in the eyes. I know you’ve heard it a million times, but it really makes a difference.

Also, put your phone on vibrate. At the very least, make sure it’s not set to your “Souljah Boy” ringtone. Save that for the bar.

And finally, watch your drinking! If you are at a bar, or a restaurant and a client is there make sure you don’t overdo it on the booze. One thing that I like to do is have a glass of water with every drink. If you do this, just make sure you go to the bathroom before you go to sleep!

Embrace your youth

When the meeting begins, drop your ego. It’s very important to let your prospective client know that you feel like you can learn something from her.

However, you need to balance this out by telling her that there is a lot of information you know that would benefit her business. Try and find something to talk about outside of business, there are plenty of topics, for me it is usually a talk about Buckeye athletics.

After the meeting, make sure you thank her before you leave. And don’t forget to provide her with a phone number that includes her local area code. This is important because you have to assume that your client has a land line. You should never make the client call you long distance, it is just another reason not to call.

These are a few of the things I have learned through my experience, but I am sure it differs in every field. Does anyone out there have some other sales tips?