New Jersey Entrepreneur

Jonathan I hear that question often so don’t feel like you are alone. By the way, I agree with you, you probably are leaving a lot of money on the table. There are many opportunities to develop relationships and build our client base from coaching teams, to being on town boards, commuting on the bus and train or even while we are waiting to pick our child up at a birthday party. This can be a delicate situation so we must approach these opportunities in a nurturing manner, as we do all sales opportunities. Come across like a traditional salesperson and you will be treated as one. And that is not a reputation that is in our best interest.

In our program we suggest our clients practice the 3 ft. Rule which means, if someone is within 3 feet of you, you have an obligation to speak with them. Don’t try to sell them anything, just have a conversation. Of course you need to be prepared with a well crafted 30-second commercial, but use it in a very conversational manner which will come if you practice it enough times so it becomes second nature. Be sure your 30-second commercial has “pain” bullets in it. These are unpleasant situations you know your prospect would be experiencing if your company didn’t exist or if they used a competitor. It is not your job to sell them anything, it is your job to help them discover they have challenges and issues that need changing.

I was attending a local event last year and I arrived a little late because of a previous meeting. There were not many spaces in the parking lot left but I found one way in the back. As I was getting out of my car another gentleman got out of his and we started to take the long trek to the event. I thought to myself, practice what you preach Danny, and remember the 3 ft. Rule. So I struck up a conversation with him about the drizzle that had just begun and very casually asked what he did for a living. He informed me that he was a CEO of a very well known insurance company.  Now if I were in TRADITIONAL sales mode, I would have said, “Well we should speak, as I’ve helped many producers in insurance increase their business and blah, blah, blah”. But it wouldn’t make sense to do that because I did not earn his trust.  So instead I waited for him to ask me what I did for a living and replied using my 30-second commercial followed by a hook question in a very non- threatening manner.

“Well, I specialize in sales and management training for entrepreneurial driven companies and professional firms. Typically the CEO, president or managing partner come to me because they are frustrated everyone looks busy but they are not growing revenue, they are concerned their clients aren’t buying as much as they used to and their salespeople are not prospecting enough to fill the pipeline and make up the difference. Or maybe they find that they are experiencing price pressure and in this economy their prospects are asking for 3 bids to compare. But your industry probably isn’t experiencing any of that?”

So what do you think he said?  He went on and on about how relevant those issues are in his world until we reached our destination and then I asked, “This sounds pretty important to you, would it make sense for me to give you a call so you can invite me to your office and we can talk about it? I’m not sure I can help but we can decide together at the end of our meeting.  Would that be fair?” And there you have it, a well qualified appointment where I was invited in by the prospect as opposed to pushing my way in and having the prospect push me back.

So Jonathan, the next time you find yourself in a situation where you can practice the 3-ft. Rule, make sure you are prepared. You will be glad you did, and more importantly, so will your prospect or better yet, your new client!

Danny Wood, an affiliate of the Sandler Training, is one of New Jersey’s most respected sales force development experts. His work has been recognized by business leaders and corporate managers for providing their people with the aptitude to realize millions of dollars in additional business that would otherwise have never materialized or would have been lost to competitors.

If you have a question about an issue facing your company's sales development for Danny Wood to answer, email dwood@sandler.com or call 201-842-0055.