You're Going To Be Great At This!

Networking is important for the success of our business, sales goals, and even personal relationships. Meeting people and building a rapport with them can lead to other introductions and referrals. But what should you do after a networking event to increase the odds of meeting your goals? Years ago, I would go to a networking event and hand out business cards like I was dealing poker. People would be polite and say "thank you" with an occasional "I'll give you a call". Of course, they did not call. Disappointed, I would question why I should bother and ask myself how this was working for other people. A coworker explained that I needed to be more proactive. Instead of handing out my cards (which are not cheap, by the way), I should be collecting cards from others, and following up on my own. This worked and I was soon booking appointments and getting some traction. Recently, I had Dorien Morin-Van Dam, host of the Strategy Talks podcast (a great listen) and we ...

Let me start with saying that there are only two times when someone is okay using profanities. The first is if the "curser" is under 3 years of age. There's something oddly adorable about a toddler dropping f-bombs, especially when the parents of said child feign any knowledge of "where she heard that". Fun and cute at the same time. The other situation would be if the person using blue language is over the age of 85 and female. Hearing grandma threaten to "stomp a mudhole in your ass!" would make every kid laugh because they knew she wasn't that serious. This example is only made better by memories of my Greek grandmother watching professional wrestling and yelling at the TV.  Get your copy of "Nearly Motivated" here  https://tinyurl.com/3tp37psa In other than these two situations, keep the cursing to yourself, or your friend group. And maybe that group of guys from church you hang out with. But definitely keep it away from work and prof...

As an author of a book on sales I am asked to speak to groups of sales people. There are times, however, when I give a presentation to a civic group or some other kind of organization that isn't necessarily a sales group. For those I adapt my talk to let everyone in the audience know that they are, indeed, in sales. I will usually ask the audience who is in sales. A few hands go up. Then I ask who is not in sales and more hands are raised. That's when I break the bad news to them. They are in sales whether they think so or not. As the old adage goes, the first step is admitting you have a problem. It makes me want to put the audience's chairs in a circle and have a "sales intervention".  As discussed previously, we are all in sales in some form or fashion. Luckily,  basic sales techniques are easily transferable to other parts of our lives. Anyone who has tried to convince a coworker to try a different approach to a problem is in sales. Singles bars (are they stil...

Over the years I've worked with, and for, many companies, large and small. And as each of these companies varied in size, structure and philosophy, there was also differences in how they handled the issue of a "holiday" party.  As the Christmas party became a Holiday party (and to be fair, not everyone celebrates Christmas and I can respect that), the parties themselves morphed into several formats, or worse, just disappeared altogether.  One company I worked with left the issue to each location's manager to provide for a small "get together" and a small amount of petty cash could be used for refreshments. Since our location was rather small, the manager would order a few pizzas and provide soft drinks in their home. There was an unofficial "bring your own" policy for alcoholic drinks and we even had a gift exchange.  It was all good and everyone behaved, however each year we would receive some story from the home office about how another location...

How do you deal with your competitors? For some, a little friendly competition is a good thing. On the other hand, our competitors are taking sales away from us, which means a loss of income. And some will try to work with their competitors by forging alliances or even just taking over their business by buying them out. Years ago, I met a gentleman who was established in the insurance field. I was an upstart just getting back into the business after an absence. He and I chatted from time to time and we really didn't cross paths too much when it came to our clientele. Generally speaking we got along.  One day a lady called me and said she wanted to change her insurance. She was going through a divorce and was on her soon to be ex-husband's group plan. She said she had tried to reach her agent but he wouldn't return her phone calls. I obliged her and got her a policy she could afford.  About a month later the other agent approached me in the hallway at a networking function, ...

A couple of years ago, before Covid arrived, I was asked to speak at a breakfast meeting of a local civic organization. I brought a few copies of my book along just in case someone wanted to purchase one. The person who had invited me to speak apparently had a last minute appointment or something and couldn't be there, but he let the rest of the group know who I was and why I would be there. As I walked in a young professional looking man approached me and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Bob. We're looking forward to your talk," he said. "Please feel free to eat something. It's on us." He pointed to a table filled with store bought muffins and Krispy Kreme doughnuts, my favorite. Since I had not eaten breakfast at home (I was told there would be food) I thanked him and treated myself to an assortment of the delicious round treats. In retrospect, I probably had too many, but hey, you only live once, right? The young man was the president of the group and...

One of the great things about being an independent contractor is that I, as a "business owner", get to make my own decisions when it comes to marketing. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, I can look at what has worked for others in my industry and put my own spin on that. But every once in a while, I like to see if I can find a way to reach prospective clients in a way my competitors haven't. At the end of last summer I was having a meal at a chain restaurant. Our server, a young woman in her early 20's, was lamenting that people stole her pens when paying with a credit card. "I have to go to the store each day and buy pens," she said with a tired look in her eye. "People just assume that the pens are for the taking." I nearly forgot the conversation until a few weeks back when my own daughter, who had just gotten a job as a server at another chain restaurant, made the same complaint. She had called to ask if we had any extra pens at our hous...

When one is hired as a new sales rep for a company, they may be required to attend a sales training course as part of the onboarding process. Recently some coworkers and I were discussing the various companies we have worked for over the years and how these training sessions differed from one employer to the next.  My first job in sales had a required two week sales class. As I have mentioned in previous posts, this company was so shady that we were in the third day of the training when one of our classmates finally realized that we were hired for door-to-door sales. "When were you going to tell us?" the angry young man screamed at the instructor.  It had been previously suggested to us that we would have clients ready to see and that referrals and leads would be served up on a silver platter. None of these things were true, as were most of the other things they told us while hiring us. This was my first experience dealing with a company being less than truthful with me, but ...

There are those of us in the sales profession who get paid only by commission. If we don't sell, we don't get paid, so there is a bit more pressure to produce. I've worked in various kinds of pay situations, which include commissions and a draw, a salary plus commission, salaries that increase as production numbers go up, and of course, the 100% straight commission scenario. People who work on "full commission" are a bit different than most others. When you speak to these people you notice that there is a totally alternative attitude. It's almost like a financial version of one of the danger acts you see at the circus or carnival. To say they are "all in" in an understatement.  At the same time, they may have a support system in place. Perhaps a spouse who works and can assist with paying the bills when sales are slow. Or they may have some sort of passive income, like rental properties. Those kinds of safety nets provide some stability, as well as t...

As I have mentioned in my book, we all are selling something. Whether you are selling cars, books, workshops, financial services, real estate, or even yourself (see: applying for a job), we are at some point trying to sell something. My definition of sales is trying to get someone to do something, right now, that they could do later or don't want to do at all.  That all sounds pretty opaque, so let me give an example. Let's say that Mary needs a new car, but she's been putting off the purchase for various reasons. She shows up at your lot "just to see what prices are like these days". Mary honestly has no intention of purchasing a vehicle, but thinks she is doing research.  First off, Mary could be doing this on the internet, but Mary is old school. By showing up on the lot, we can assume that she is interested in a car, even though she says that "now isn't a good time." Sorry Mary, but you should know that you have walked into a den full of closers....

A few months back I ran into a nice lady who had purchased a life insurance policy from me many years ago. We had stayed in touch for a few years but I lost touch with her. Needless to say I was a bit surprised when she responded to one of my posts on Facebook regarding some new policies my agency was offering.  After speaking to her for a while I realized that a lot of things in her life had changed since we had last spoken. She had made several career changes and was currently working for a non-profit organization. Her personal situation had changed as well, as she had a new beau who seemed to be a good guy. During our conversation she mentioned that the life insurance policy she had purchased from me years ago had lapsed and now she was in the market for a new policy. Her concerns had also changed a bit over the years. Her parents were now deceased, but before they died she had been one of the principle caregivers in their later years. With that experience she had come to realiz...

Years ago when I worked for a large life insurance company we were encouraged, and sometimes badgered, to buy their products. The manager of the office would say, "I can't tell you how it works, but if you own it, you'll sell more." Apparently there was some magical force in the universe that we were all unaware of. At the same time, there was a huge increase in credibility when I would talk to a client about disability insurance, for example, and they would ask, "Do you have a policy?" Of course I did, but if I had said that I didn't, it could be a deal breaker.  "Why should I buy it if you don't think it's good enough for you to buy?" Awkward. When I left that company and went to another company the new manager said, "We sell on need. If you don't need it, don't buy it." He was right. Of course, he would lie and tell his clients he owned everything. Needless to say, I left that company after a few months.  But does o...

For the last year I have been trying to maintain my business. Luckily for me, I'm a one-person operation, so I am not on the hook for payroll, much less overhead for a staff. But while in the throes of a pandemic, I have had to look for a whole new clientele that is hunkered down in isolation. Meeting people has been tough to say the least. Sure, people are going places, but everyday events like going to the movies, festivals and other places have been rare. And I'm the first to admit that Zoom meetings are not my forte. In person networking meetings, on the other hand, are right in my wheelhouse.  I love a good networking event, so much so that I even discussed how to get the most out of one in my book . So you can imagine how thrilling it was to actually attend a good luncheon again this week.  This particular group typically meets once a month and always was a great source of clients and referrals for me. It's a very loose knit group with not a lot of structure. No dues ...

"I love people. I wish I had a bucket full of them. Chopped up into little pieces." - Anonymous Like I stated in my last post, not everyone will handle problems the same. And they don't handle other people the same either. As a former manager of people, I have dealt with some people who are on the ball and only need help when there is a serious problem. Then you have the ones who need someone to cut their food for them and show them how to chew with their mouths closed. When I was in college I got a summer job delivering pizzas for a large national chain. The manager of the store had apparently worked his way up from delivery person and was in charge at the ripe old age of 20. Considering his age, he was actually a decent manager. So I thought it was interesting when he convened a staff meeting one afternoon to go over some issues that needed rectifying.  "I don't care what is going on in your personal lives," he said. "When you clock in, leave all that...

In the last post I discussed meeting with a client and keeping everyone focused on the subject at hand. Using some basic leadership skills by setting the tone of the meeting, along with reining in conversations were helpful (I hope) tips that can be implemented immediately, or as soon as your clients allow you back in their homes or offices after the pandemic is done.  The same basic rules apply for larger group meetings. I have led meetings for groups that range from a half dozen people to crowds of over a hundred with no two talks being the same. Some were at networking events where each person stands up and gives a one minute commercial, which sounds easy, but can be much more difficult than you would think. Getting my message to the masses in under 60 seconds with a bit of humor is tough. Then there are the talks that last anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes. To make it harder on myself I go without notes. That takes preparation and a lot of mental organization. There are times when...

Have you ever had an appointment with a client that was scheduled for an hour but lasted for two or three hours? Have you been in a meeting or presentation when someone was asking questions that were either too detailed or off topic? Have you ever sat down with a group of people wondering when you will get home? These are problems that happen much too often and can be avoided if you take control of your meeting from the outset. It doesn't mean you have to be rude or obnoxious, but instead become a leader.  One example of this happens before I the appointment happens. When I call my prospect I let him or her know that I would like to meet for a set amount of time, say 30 minutes. (As a matter of fact, if you go to my website and book an appointment online, it clearly states 30 minutes). This is the first message to the prospect that there is a time limit. I am aware that we may go over the time necessary, but I don't want the prospect to take advantage of my time.  When I meet ...

A few weeks ago a friend and I were talking about all things motivational. We discussed people we knew who needed motivation, including ourselves. Soon we were throwing out names of famous motivational speakers and their speeches, which was interesting since we both mentioned a few that the other had not heard of previously.  Being an NC State graduate, of course my favorite motivational speech is the "Never Give Up" talk given by Jim Valvano at the ESPY awards. At the time, Valvano was in the middle of a battle with cancer and anyone could see that he was physically in bad shape. I learned many years later that he had been violently ill that day and had even considered not attending to accept the Arthur Ashe Award, which was why he was there. As he said in his presentation, his mind was still working. He was on point as he moved the audience to tears and laughter, all the while giving one of the most memorable talks I have ever heard. To this day, I still watch it on YouTube...

One of my old sales managers had been in the insurance business for about 40 years and had probably forgotten more about sales than I will ever know. Every Monday morning during our weekly sales meeting he would open up a discussion on any topic related to our work. If one of us was having a hard time closing a client, we would analyze the situation as a group and try to find ways to help solve the problem.  On those occasions when a new agent was having a hard time presenting a product our manager would say that a story would help. In some parts of the sales community, a good story is needed for every situation. If you are selling a car, you need to have a story about someone who bought that car and was the happiest person ever after. Selling homes? You probably have a story about how someone bought a fixer-upper and flipped it for a nice profit.  One note: Don't make up or embellish a story. Someone may actually want to verify it, so make your story truthful.  In the in...