in any number of occupations you can name can all help and be helped by your network.
Once you’re in a network remember success depends on mutual cooperation and support. It’s a two-way street in which you give as good as you get. Share the wealth of information, leads and contacts and you will reap the wealth of information, leads and contacts. Here’s a sample scenario between you and Joe, the service technician who maintains your copier.
Joe: “Okay, Mrs. Henning. I’ve given your copier the full once-over, changed the toner and tightened a bolt here and there. It’s good for another hundred thousand copies.”
You: “Thanks, Joe.”
Joe: “I appreciate your business. How are you doing?”
You: “Fine, just fine. But I’m always on the lookout for new clients to serve.”
Joe: “That reminds me. We just got some good news. My sister and her husband are having another baby. I know they’ll be needing more life insurance and I’ll bet they haven’t even thought about a college fund yet. I know they’d be inter -ested in talking to you.”
You: “Would you mind giving me their full names and phone number?”
Joe: “Sure thing and give me one of your cards to pass along to them. I’ll be seeing them later this week.”
There’s one last area that applies not only to “all of the above” topics, but really to all topics, your entire career. It’s the matter of trust. People will not do business with people they do not trust. Yes, people get snookered all the time, but how much repeat business does the dishonest person get? How many referrals does he or she earn? And consider the effect of word-of-mouth on that person’s future transactions, business and livelihood. People talk and word always gets around. When you cheat someone, the biggest victim is yourself. Build trust and you will build business.
You can’t earn trust by being ethical during church or at the synagogue and then breaking the rules at work. Hypocrites do not do well in this business—not for long. Earning trust is more than a process—it’s a lifestyle.
In my book Sales Prospecting for Dummies® I devised an “Ethics 101” test. I’d like you to apply that test whenever you face something that might challenge your trustworthiness. I promise, it will help keep you on the right path.
Would I want someone to do this to me?
What would I do if someone did this to me?
Can anyone get hurt if I do this? Who and to what degree?
Can I look Mom and Dad/the preacher/my mentor/ my kids in the eyes when describing this action?
Would I be proud to see this on tonight’s news program?
When so challenged, think about it, even for a few seconds. Think like a champion and you’ll know what and what not to do.
Target Your Target Market
Often the here, there and everywhere potential clients create a serious and daunting challenge. Narrowing your focus so you can concentrate on a specific, well-defined target market is one way to make sure you’re seeking only the best and most potentially rewarding “turf.” Here’s a simple process to do just that. It works equally well for individuals and organizations.
Begin by listing your top 25 to 30 clients. Look for commonalities among them such as age, income level, education, financial needs, probable needs in the future, ethnicity, hobbies and interests, and so on. Once you’ve completed the exercise, see how well they match up to your own profile. Note any common patterns.
Analyze each client. Write down the size of their investment funds, financial services needs, insurance needs, outstanding loans and financial commitments, property ownership, how they came to use your service, who referred them, if they have provided you with referrals, and so on. Again, note any common patterns.
Next, list your top 25 sources of referrals. Analyze them also. Make note of any common patterns between yourself and your sources. Be careful not to get so deep into this analysis that it takes you all day. You should be able to see the pattern emerge with a quick review.
The patterns that emerge should provide the necessary information for you to narrow the focus of your prospecting. You may discover a valuable niche market that you can readily serve. For example, although you may be concentrating your efforts on approaching one area of business, you may discover a profitable niche in another, such as serving small suburban businesses with net incomes of under $1 million, young families with the breadwinner just moving into middle management and a higher salary and benefits package, or individuals who focus on asset protection rather than building wealth. The needs are limitless. Use your imagination. Where are the people you can best serve?
Again, opportunity is always here, there and everywhere if you are willing to put in the effort to find and profit from it. I highly recommend that you conduct this exercise soon. You’ll quickly discover whether or not your marketing efforts are on target.
Find the people. Provide the service. And you will be astonished at the rewards that will enrich every phase of your life.
“We must not sit down and wait for miracles. UP and be going! “~ John Eliot
CHAPTER 3
Once you start implementing your prospecting efforts, you need to check your level of readiness for actually meeting with someone. To win in sales, you develop a game plan, you practice, hone your skills, apply knowledge, psyche yourself up to deliver your presentation with enthusiasm, and prepare to give each potential client contact the proverbial 110 percent of effort.
You will be preparing yourself to perform all of the people skills we covered in the first chapter, but there are some other skills that are important, too.
Memory. Names, places, dates, facts and figures are important. So are the attitudes and beliefs of our potential clients, their interests, likes and dislikes, wants, needs, goals, hobbies, the names of their kids and grandkids and so on. The better your “memory bank,” the better your own bank account will be.
Of course, no one can remember everything, but everyone can improve his or her memory. Read books on the subject. Buy or rent CDs and DVDs. Train yourself daily by making a game of memorization. Make an effort to remember as much as you can about the events that occur in your everyday life. The payoff will astound you.
Remembering names is especially important in selling situations. Two ways to help remember someone’s name are (1) repeat the name at least four times during your first encounter and (2) associate that name with something so you can “jumpstart” your memory quickly the next time you meet.
“Glad to meet you, Mr. Planner. My name is Victoria Bell.”
“I’m glad to meet you,
