Have you ever wondered what others were thinking when they asked you to attend the most unusual events far from the professional style to which you are accustomed?
Not the traditional venue
Earlier this year, I was asked to speak on the topic of Negotiation at a conference in Reno. On the one hand, I was flattered that I was asked to speak on a topic heavily dominated by men. On the other hand, I wondered how well my time would be spent given the event in its entirety wasn’t geared for my traditional audience. Justifying the time, I viewed it as a weekend getaway for which I would be paid.
The good news was I was completely wrong about the value of time spent. Incredible connections were made. In addition, it was the most fun-loving business group I have ever attended.
Given I wasn’t stuffy about my “professionalism” but open to everything and everyone around, I found a unique niche presenting better than ever imagined opportunity.
The attendees at my session were impressed that I was so friendly and over-delivered value on the talk in spite of my credentials. This very apparently distinguished me from those outside of their industry. In their eyes, my demeanor built my brand. Trust built and connections were made.
The importance of the human bond
Whether you read Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” or my book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, you will learn that commonality and the human bond between people is the business development piece of sales. Friendship, caring, sharing stories, and building relationships will convert your prospects to sales better than any advanced formula you might conceive.
My follow-up meeting with “George” took place at a coffee shop where we were both relaxed, happy and thoroughly enjoyed the time together. Instead of launching into a sales campaign, George began by telling me his work history leading up to where he is today. I was awe struck by his connections.
Missing the moment
Had I been a snob about attending the event where we met, I would never have had the opportunity of sitting with this incredible man. George’s background provided insight on how I might speak to common bonds and thought. Upfront I told him my experience is much more limited due to having stayed home many years to raise children. He applauded that effort – we obviously had much in common.
Finally, our discussion centered on all of the advantages of putting video technology to work properly. I described how a client just complained about the waste of “no-show” appointments incurring wasted time traveling and expense of gasoline and parking.
The beauty of the video technology allows users to easily create and post video on most social media sites and in email, blogs and newsletters. The technology also offers video conferencing and webinars thereby eliminating the problem of poor ROI for road trips. George was intrigued.
By the end of our meeting, we both recognized that we will be helping one another in the near future – making for a very Smooth Sale! There will never be a question in my mind again that unusual places bring unexpected opportunity and works beautifully for furthering developing your brand.
Author:
Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results” and “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”. Elinor provides team sales training, private coaching and highly acclaimed keynotes for conferences.
