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Sales Prospecting: Start Conversations and Book Meetings
New
9 students

Sales Prospecting: Start Conversations and Book Meetings

Research relevant prospects, practise call openings, handle hesitation and confirm a useful first meeting.
Created byDr. Law Payne
Last updated 11/2026
English

What you'll learn

  • Build an evidence-based reason for a first prospecting conversation.
  • Adapt an opening and question sequence to the prospect response.
  • Interpret objections without inventing interest, authority or urgency.
  • Confirm a useful next meeting with a clear purpose and appropriate participants.

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Course content

2 sections • 10 lectures • 1h 48m total length

  • First Conversation Relevance Brief10:31

    You finally reach the operations manager. You explain your company, your experience and everything your team can do. Ninety seconds later: I'm busy. You speed up. More services. More reasons you're impressive. But where's the reason this person should stay? Let's build that reason before the next call. You'll prepare a conversation brief that connects a real situation to a useful question, without pretending you've already diagnosed the prospect's business.


    By the end, you'll have a researched reason to make contact, one question that tests relevance and a clear view of what you still don't know. You'll also recognise when your evidence doesn't support the opening you planned.

  • Relevance Response Map11:26

    You did the research. You had a real reason to call. The prospect understood you, and still didn't want to continue. Now what? This is where relevance becomes a judgment you make with someone, instead of a line you deliver at them. The issue may already be covered. You may have the wrong person. Or there may be something worth exploring. Your next response needs to follow their answer, not rescue the pitch you hoped to give.


    I personally designed your Relevance Response Map to help you practise that judgment. Download the three reply cards, learner map and worked interpretation from this lecture's Resources area.

  • Opening and Evidence Annotator10:58

    Can they tell why you called before you take over the conversation? That's the test for your opening. Strip out every detail and it becomes a vague request to connect. Tell your entire company story and you're giving a presentation nobody agreed to hear. Let's find the useful middle: a factual reason, a clear question and a real chance to respond. You'll build an opening you can support with evidence and say like a person.


    I personally designed your Opening and Evidence Annotator so you can inspect the sentences before rehearsing them. Download the opening drafts, editable annotator and worked revision from this lecture's Resources area.

  • Question Sequence and Assumption Check10:47

    How much time does your broken process waste? Sounds like a discovery question. But you've already supplied three answers: it's broken, the time is waste and a money calculation belongs here. A polite reply can leave you thinking you've discovered a need your wording created. Let's ask better questions. You'll examine what happens, check the consequence and help the prospect decide whether another conversation would be useful. Leave room for an answer that changes your mind.


    I personally designed your Question Sequence and Assumption Check to help you catch that problem before the call. Download the dialogue packet, question planner and worked sequence from this lecture's Resources area.

  • First Conversation Foundation Workshop10:51

    You've researched the prospect and practised your opening. Now let someone answer in a way you didn't expect. Can you still lead a useful conversation? That's the work in this workshop. You'll combine your evidence, opening, questions and invitation into one conversation record. A polished script won't carry you if the reply changes the situation. You'll practise adapting, then recording what actually happened without turning a useful answer into an imaginary booking.


    I personally designed your First Conversation Foundation Workshop Pack so you can practise the whole sequence. Download the starting brief, reply cards, learner conversation record and worked interpretation from this lecture's Resources area.

Requirements

  • No specialist qualification is required. Bring a real or hypothetical business situation and a way to complete the downloadable exercises.

Description

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.


Another generic message is easy to ignore. A relevant business conversation earns attention by connecting to the right person, the right situation and a useful reason to talk. Prospecting starts with that judgment, long before you ask for a meeting.


Sales Prospecting: Start Conversations and Book Meetings helps you move from knowing the terminology to making a better decision in a specific business situation. Practise relevance research, opening conversations, question sequences, objection interpretation and meeting confirmation. You will separate a polite reply from genuine evidence, repair weak assumptions, and choose a next step that respects the prospect and the actual situation.


I’m Dr. Law Payne. My background includes a Doctor of Business Administration specializing in Organizational Leadership and Development, alongside a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing. I bring that business and leadership perspective into the practical choices we examine together.


I created this course for sales development representatives, B2B salespeople, consultants, founders and business development professionals seeking relevant first conversations. You can work with the fictional cases provided and then adapt the tools to a situation from your own work.


Across ten teaching lectures in two sections, you will diagnose the decision, inspect the evidence, compare possible responses and practise an integrated application. The cases are designed to make you think: what do we know, what are we assuming, and what would justify the next step?


I personally designed the downloadable practice materials to help you put the teaching to work. Your tools include First Conversation Relevance Brief, Relevance Response Map, Opening and Evidence Annotator. Open the relevant lesson’s Resources area, complete your own attempt, and use the worked examples to compare your reasoning. The exercises help you identify missing information, explain your choices and turn the lesson into a usable work product.


Bring a willingness to examine your assumptions. You do not need a specialist qualification, expensive software or a perfect real-world case. Pause when prompted, make the decision yourself and revisit your answer as new information appears.


If you want a practical way to approach this subject with more clarity and professional judgment, join me. Let us build a result you can use and explain.

Who this course is for:

  • Sales development representatives, B2B salespeople, consultants, founders and business development professionals seeking relevant first conversations.

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