Pre-Call Planning Your Next Sales Call with John Rosso

Building Your Sales Engine

• 34 min

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Mark McGraw is joined by sales legend and longtime friend John Rosso for a deep dive into the critical (and often overlooked) discipline of pre-call planning. Together, they unpack the four-step framework that turns average sales calls into powerful, purposeful conversations—and why skipping this step is not just inefficient, but borderline criminal. To find our handout for this episode, click <a href="https://www.buildingyoursalesengine.com/giveaway18" rel="nofollow">here</a>. From defining clear objectives and setting upfront contracts to asking the right questions and getting your mindset right, this episode is packed with practical insights and real-world examples that will help you and your team shorten sales cycles, improve collaboration, and drive better results—whether you're flying solo or running a joint sales call. <ul> <li>John and Mark open the episode by reflecting on their powerful five-year collaboration and the lessons learned through working together across offices and industries.</li> <li>They emphasize that pre-call planning is shockingly underutilized, estimating that fewer than 20% of salespeople consistently do it—and even fewer do it well.</li> <li>John compares a lack of pre-call planning to flying a plane without a pre-flight checklist—borderline criminal when you're responsible for valuable cargo (like your prospect's time and trust).</li> <li>Mark and John discuss how most salespeople don't define clear objectives before meetings and how that leads to wasted time and missed opportunities.</li> <li>The episode introduces Sandler's 4-step framework for effective pre-call planning, designed to improve meeting outcomes and shorten sales cycles. <ul> <li>Step 1: Define your objective. John explains why knowing what you want to accomplish—and what specific next step you want—is the foundation of a successful meeting. <ul> <li>Mark shares how even experienced sales leaders misidentify "sending samples" or "following up" as next steps when no real buyer commitment has been made.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Step 2: Set expectations with the prospect using an upfront contract. John explains how this reduces unnecessary tension and makes meetings more productive. <ul> <li>Mark compares the upfront contract to turning a frown into a smile—great at the start, less talking in the middle, and great at the end.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Step 3: Map out your questions. They break this into three parts: questions you plan to ask, questions you may be asked, and answers you want to walk away with. <ul> <li>John stresses how often critical questions—like whether it's an RFP process or who signs the agreement—go unasked because reps aren't intentional.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Step 4: Mindset. John argues this is the most important and most overlooked piece. The right mindset helps sellers ask tougher, more meaningful questions with confidence. <ul> <li>Mark and John offer powerful mindset mantras like "You can't lose what you don't have" and "Act as if you're financially independent, but still want the business."</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li>The duo shares why pre-call planning is especially vital for joint sales calls, where roles must be clearly defined to avoid stepping on toes.</li> <li>John explains how technical teammates and sales leaders should be coached on when to speak and how to pass the conversation back smoothly.</li> <li>Mark compares skipping joint planning to a quarterback telling players "do your own thing" in the huddle—it's inconceivable in sports, yet happens in sales too often.</li> <li>They wrap up the episode by reinforcing the fact that most salespeople need help developing these skills—and that coaching on objectives, agendas, questions, and mindset makes all the difference.</li> <li>Mark closes by thanking John for his mentorship and friendship, while John reflects on the impact of collaboration and how Mark's wisdom continues to inspire his team.</li> </ul>     Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="http://buildingyoursalesengine.com/follow" rel="nofollow">BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/follow</a> <a href="http://sandler.com" rel="nofollow">Sandler.com</a> <a href="http://www.buildingyoursalesengine.com/sandler" rel="nofollow">BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/sandler</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsrosso" rel="nofollow">John Rosso</a> on LinkedIn <a href="https://www.strategiccoach.com" rel="nofollow">StrategicCoach.com</a> <a href="https://www.vistage.com" rel="nofollow">Vistage.com</a> <a href="http://buildingyoursalesengine.com/18" rel="nofollow">BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/18</a>