Ever have a meeting with a new prospect and find yourself with nothing to say? Completely at a loss for words, so you dive straight into a business conversation, and come across pushy. Whether it’s a blind date or a first call with a new customer, you should never find yourself in this situation. Doing your homework is the key, and spending a few vital minutes preparing for your meeting or date.
Researching someone was a hell of a lot harder when I started my career, but with social media and mankind’s propensity to want to share every little thing or event on the internet, uncovering personal and professional information about the person you’ll be meeting is literally at your fingertips. Today, it’s no excuse for not knowing a few tidbits about the person you’re meeting with:
- Marital status, children, education, former employers
- People you may know in common through work, church, kid’s sports, community associations
- Passions like professional sports teams, athletic pursuits (golf, running, skiing…)
- What does he/she do in their spare time?
I’m a simple guy that likes simple analogies. Thousands of people are set up on blind dates every day. A mutual friend thinks the two of you have a lot in common and your personalities will hit it off. But, is the date truly “blind”? Of course not. Your mutual friend shared some pertinent details and justified the logic behind putting you together. And if you’re intrigued, you’ll ask more questions, dig deeper, check out photos on the internet, and start thinking about ways to make yourself sound more attractive and shed light on your best attributes.
Preparing for the meeting, doing research about the individual and company, and anticipating where the conversation might lead, affords you the best opportunity to make the best impression. After all, as in dating, you want to get to the second date, right?
Once you’ve established some common ground, the next step is to create a connection, build rapport and making the person feel at ease. What better way than getting someone to talk about himself? People generally love to talk about themselves; after all, they’re very familiar with the topic, they have a lot of material to cover, they are not at a loss for words, and if you demonstrate genuine interest and ask open-ended questions, people will share a lot of information.
Recently, my wife and I were in the market to purchase a new SUV for me, and while I had a good idea what I wanted, we still wanted to “kick the tires” on a couple alternatives. I don’t know if I gave off a “do not disturb” signal, but at the BMW dealership, no one approached us for 15 minutes, literally. Not the impression I would ever want to leave. Here I am trying to SPEND MONEY and I’m being ignored? What could I expect if, and when, there was an issue with the service department?
At the Jeep dealership, we met a nice young man, Jeff, who introduced himself with a smile. He asked questions about the car we drove, wanted to know why we were contemplating a change, taking the time to understand the features that were important to us, our timing for a decision, mentioned a 0% lease option and wanted to know what we would be doing with the old car. He was genuinely interested in us. On our test drive, we chatted about the local sports teams, our families and golf (he saw my clubs in my old car!). While I made it clear to Jeff that I didn’t think the Grand Cherokee was going to work for us, he didn’t take offense. With his sunny disposition, he continued to be welcoming, helpful, educational and insightful. As we left, he hugged my wife, shook my hand firmly and wished us well, without any hint of bitterness.
I have since referred three friends to him. My decision was a reflection of the vehicle, not of him. Jeff didn’t get my business, but I made sure his efforts were rewarded. No one appreciates good salesmanship like a good salesman. Jeff also sent me a personal, hand written note after my first referral. Conversely, no one is more critical of a bad experience. I don’t know how much business I cost the BMW dealership, but bad word of mouth is a powerful weapon.
Whenever possible, it is imperative to maintain a level intimacy and a high degree of trust with your customers. When I was a teenager, my dad would always say, “Trust is earned, not given”, and it always stuck with me. Customers have choices of whom they buy from, but if all things are equal, they like to buy from people they like and trust. It takes time, commitment, responsiveness and repetition to earn trust, and once earned, it should be treated as a precious gift, not to be taken for granted.
Finally, I think it is important to be able to separate yourself from your “product”, to give you the proper perspective and let you see things through the customer’s lens. Even when you win, the client’s experience will dictate whether you have a short or long-term customer. In varying degrees, your company has brand recognition, but you have a reputation. Your reputation defines you since it stems from how you interact with people.
OPEN KIMONO 