Sales, Networking Strategies: Building Strong Relationships
Sometimes, we have to visit our past to anticipate our business future. Is it your experience, too?
When doing some cleaning, I came across some treasures from my high school years. That included a carbon copy of a thank you letter I wrote to the publisher of The Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs. He had given me a scholarship to attend a 10-day workshop at USC with 14 other high school journalists from throughout southern California. It brought back some very fond memories.
The letter also reminded me how business processes have evolved over the years. In my talks before college students, audience members chuckle when hearing about how we first used manual typewriters, then electric typewriters followed by self-correcting machines, word processors, fax machines and computers.
Now, watch sales are down in young demographics as the focus for many students is handheld devices for nearly everything they do, including checking the time. But it is a surprise they’re discovering vinyl records, but they laugh when I describe the process of playing 45 rpm records as a DJ in “working my way” through college. However, I did manage to win scholarships in my misspent youth.
One of the lessons I learned in those days was “It isn’t what you know. It’s whom you know.” Knowledge has always been essential. But the ability to sustain strong relationships was and is both gratifying and important for success.
Jobs were obtained and business profits were earned by old-fashioned networking. Building relationships gave companies on entre to customers. They made money by outperforming their competitors and by creating new niches.
That’s still true.
Branding and benefit statements, or value propositions, build a strong image. Most customers prefer to buy from companies they respect and trust. Ironically, customers buy more products when they feel comfortable – not necessarily by the lowest prices.
First impressions count. It’s all about trust. Only 18 percent of consumers buy on price, alone. Endless sales will condition and numb your customers. The urgency to buy disappears. Focus on the 82 percent of customers who buy for value. There are five motivating perceptions for customers to buy from you. Price is only one small consideration. More on that later.
Consistency is vital. Many sales have been lost because the salesperson gave up or failed to continue to deliver valuable information. Customers feel comfortable in sales situations when the salesperson listens during 80 percent of the discussions. That’s when customers start revealing their needs and requirements. Ironically, when customers actually do most of the talking, they believe the salespeople are good communicators when they get straight answers from their questions.
For a simple gauge of your sales opportunities, evaluate the sales aptitude of your employees and you, personally.
There is some overlap, but to be certain about being thorough, ask yourself these five questions:
- Are we showing empathy about the customer’s problems or requests?
- Are we taking the right steps to help the customer feel significant?
- Are we giving the customer enough attention?
- If there’s a disagreement, do we use diplomacy?
- Do we act as if the customer is the reason for our business?
If any of the answers are “no”, the place to start is to ask open-ended questions to avoid close-ended answers. Then, find a need and fill it. Don’t forget to show gratitude and prevent buyer’s remorse.
Networking strategies
Here are seven tips for networking at meetings:
- Rehearse your approach the day before. Know your elevator speech with differentiating benefit statements. Visualize having a good time.
- At the meeting, smile.
- Appear to be more approachable by continuing to stand.
- Be assertive. Don’t wait for people to approach you. Shake hands firmly. Be enthusiastic and quietly confident.
- Ask open-ended questions. Show interest. Don’t give away your power. The more you know about them, the better your chances for success. And the people you meet will conclude you’re a brilliant conversationalist.
- End the chat by showing gratitude and appreciation. Shake hands. Exchange business cards. Get an agreement on what you’ll do next as a follow-up.
- As you soon as you discretely can, make notes on the back of the person’s card. If appropriate, send a thoughtful, handwritten note. In it, remind the person of your value propositions – based on their concerns. Include a thank you for their consideration, a buyer’s remorse statement, and reiterate your next step.
The ability to build and sustain relationships remains paramount for success.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are The Seven Steps to Higher Sales – the secrets for sales success – seven steps to higher sales, five value perceptions that motivate customers to buy, and the three-step process for overcoming sales objections.
“Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect.”
– William Clement Stone
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Terry Corbell is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services (many are available online). For a complementary chat about your business situation or to schedule Terry Corbell as a speaker, why don’t you contact him today?
WA Entrepreneurs Celebrate 16 Years of Commerce Networking
Today, the world of commerce is buzzing over Bing’s proposal to pay the Fox media Web sites to de-list from Google. It was prompted by basically two reasons – Fox’s visionary founder Rupert Murdoch and newspaper publishers who have been frustrated about how they are treated by Google, and the goal of Microsoft’s Bing to overtake Google in the search.
Yes, this event illustrates the complexity of commerce and how it has evolved in the last 16 years.
If my memory is accurate since 1993, consider these developments:
- Fox Broadcasting Company launched programs seven nights a week. That was also the year Fox acquired the rights to broadcast the National Football League games previously owned by CBS. The network has certainly succeeded. It has delivered No. 1 ratings for 18-49 demographic ratings since 2004.
- Throughout the globe, pocket- size telephones started becoming quite the rage.
- Intel announced its 3.1 million-transistor Pentium microchip about the time Microsoft introduced Windows NT.
- Linux was launched as a free operating system and Apple Computer introduced us to its hand-held computer.
- President Bill Clinton signed NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, into law.
Meantime, a group pioneering as a leads-generation organization in Federal Way, WA has created its own buzz, and is preparing to celebrate its 16th anniversary as Referrals Unlimited.
As a leads group, Referrals Unlimited (www.referralsunlimited.org) helps its small-business members attain their entrepreneurial goals. They keep track of the commerce the group generates – the dollar amount is impressive. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a meeting as a guest to discuss the planned Biz Coach radio program, and met several of the charming members who are proud of their products and services.
Let’s meet some of the members:
“I offer a weight loss program for busy women who want to eat well and lose weight easily,” says Kristina Brown of Heart of Nutrition. “There is no deprivation, just yummy foods that bring your body back into balance so that the weight comes off naturally and without starving yourself.”
Ms. Brown says she’s been in business 10 years: “I bought my first health/cook book when I was just 19 and have been reading, cooking, and sharing this ever since.”
David Sobie represents a security firm, Global Technology Solutions, Inc. (www.globalts.net).
“Global Security, founded in 1988 and with offices in Oregon, Washington, and the greater Kansas City area is a full service security, fire, access control and low voltage home technology provider, “says Mr. Sobie, who boasts of more than 10,000 business and residential customers in Washington, Oregon and metropolitan Kansas City.
Richard Day specializes in identity theft mitigation and prepaid legal services. He doesn’t waste any time in succinctly explaining his services.
“My name is Richard Day protecting your assets against identity theft and giving affordable access to the justice system,” says Mr. Day (http://www.linkedin.com/in/richardday7).
Simone Perry aesthetically preserves what she calls sentimental assets at Sentimental Preservation by Simone (www.sentimentalpreservation.com).
“Whether it is something past down to you from ancestors or from a special event in your life, I can put it in a protective display for you to enjoy,” Ms. Perry says. “I also have unique textile preservation boxes for storing wedding gown, uniforms, christening gown or quilts. Call me today to preserve those treasures before they are lost.”
Isabel Tessier has marketed vitamins for more than three decades.
“Golden Neo-Life Diamite vitamin company has been in business since 1958, and I have been a consultant with GNLD for 31 years,” says Ms Tessier. She says her products deal with fatigue, stress, digestive problems, diabetes, allergies and cholesterol (www.healthplus-vitamins.com).
Renae McGregor owns Legacy Boutique Gift Baskets.
“From Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, our gourmet gift baskets contain the most mouth-watering foods” Ms. McGregor proudly states. “Our baskets are filled with Northwest Coffee, Chocolates, Salmon, Mustard, Cookies, Summer Sausage, Nuts, Died Fruit, Popcorn and Oh! I can’t forget Tim’s Chips! Even our Beer and Wine are from the Pacific Northwest.”
With the exception of the month of December, she guarantees next-day shipping.
“Our web site www.legacyboutique.com, displays a variety of categories, for example, baby, bath body-spa, beer, birthday, chocolates, student, corporate, custom, get well-sympathy, as well as gifts for women and men, housewarming and wine to name a few.”
Referrals Unlimited’s treasurer is a banker, Marty Markey, who introduced me to the group. She is the branch manager at Rainier Pacific Bank (www.rainierpac.com) at its Twin Lakes branch. (Disclosure: I’ve known her as a businessperson, and I’ve observed her outstanding customer service skills for a few years.)
“Rainier Pacific Bank builds profitable relationships by providing valuable financial solutions for its customers,” says Ms. Markey. “We have served the diverse financial needs of our customers in the Tacoma-Pierce County market area of Washington State for over 75 years with consumer and business banking services, income property lending, investment and insurance services.”
As you might expect of a banker with unusually good customer service skills, she is very enthusiastic.
“We strive to be the choice for financial services in the markets we serve, and enjoy a deep level of community involvement throughout our history as a financial institution. Come see us in the local markets of Federal Way, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Spanaway, and Puyallup!”
Amen. As a kid growing up, a family friend and employer, Andy Andrews at the Palm Springs Tennis Club used to reward me with tickets to the spring training games of the then-California Angels. That’s where I had the thrill of watching baseball stars, such as Willie Mays, play in the desert sun.
As I thanked him for the tickets, Mr. Andrews once told me: “It isn’t what you know, it’s who you know.”
So, to the Referrals Unlimited members, happy anniversary, kids!
From the Coach’s Corner, SCORE (www.score.org) has a site providing numerous business-management tips: http://www.score.org/business_tips.html.
