Greg Bennett Sales Blog

NETWORKING - Forming Your Own Leads Group

I don't know about you, but I've never had a lot of luck with those big, open-to-anyone, networking groups.  You know the ones...through the Chamber of Commerce...or maybe the professional ones that meet in the area.   They work I'm sure for many people, usually smaller, sole proprietors types of things (e.g. Realtors, insurance folks, printers, etc....and that's great.   For me though, with a more specialized service that is for a more specific audience, I always ended up being the "client" for everyone else in the group.

So I've always just formed my own smaller, more personalized, networking groups...and the results have been far more satisfying.  I'd suggest you do the same thing...even if you're still in those bigger, more structured groups.

Some thoughts on forming an effective networking group:

• Give a lot of thought to who you want in the group...not just anyone and everyone you know...but strategic partners who can receive value from your group, and who can bring value to the group.
  • Could their clients be a target for your product or service?
  • Could your clients be a target for their product or service?
  • Is this a quality person (would you refer him to your BEST customer?0
  • Does he or she have good relationships? (their referral won't mean much without a relationship)
• Keep it simple...don't start out with a ton of rules and structure...just keep it as an informal gathering...some thoughts:
  • Meet once a month...either formal or informal gathering..
  • Explain what each person does and what they're looking for...
  • Talk about how you want to share  leads (suggest you make all leads personal introductions, not just swapping lists)

Start small and build your group...maybe you have 5 to begin with, and eventually end up at 10 or 12...too much bigger and it might make sense to start a splinter group.

We'll talk more about this coming up soon...

GB

NET that WORKS: Describe Symptoms vs Solutions

In Creating a NET that Works, the program I do on Effective Networking, I talk about the need to build and sustain a well-functioning network, one that will recognize leads when they come swimming by, and then snag them for you somehow.

To make that process work, we must start with what we tell people in our network about who to look out for as they scan the open seas.

The first mistake people make in this process is they tell those in their netowrk about the solutions they offer vs the symptoms they solve.

The problem is THOSE WE'RE NETWORKING WITH PROBABLY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE SOLUTIONS WELL ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS!

Let's imagine I'm working with a doctor who is trying to expand his business...

Me:  Hey doc...tell me who is a good patient for you and maybe I'll refer some business your way...
Doc:  Thanks Greg...if you'll do that I'll let you skip your prostate exam this year...
Me:   Great!!  Okay, tell me who to look for...
Doc:  Well...look for anyone who should be taking Parmascealescoplimorphide..
Me:    Parma...what?    (sigh...) Might as well give me the exam now....Mooooon River

When we get too "inside" our own business, we forget that most people aren't from "our world" and can't possibly recognize who to look for as potential clients.  Getting people to refer business to us is hard enough, we don't need to make them work for it, or put them in potentially embarassing situations.

Let's try this same situation with the doc describing symptoms to me:

Me:  Hey doc...tell me who is a good patient for you and maybe I'll refer some business your way...
Doc:  Thanks Greg...if you'll do that I'll let you skip your prostate exam this year...
Me:   Great!!  Okay, tell me who to look for...
Doc:  Well...look for anyone who screams uncontrollably and who walks backward..
Me:    That I can do...

Just share with people in your network the symptoms of people who could use your product or service...or perhaps the problems you solve, examples:

• Look for companies who are struggling with office space
• Look for individuals who are complaining about their financial situation
• Look for sales organizations who aren't hitting their numbers

GB

Creating a NET that WORKS

Years ago I wrote a short training program called, Building a NET that WORKS...all about creating an effective, lead-generating net that works to collect leads that could come swimming by.  I frankly haven't done much with the program, but have been dragging many of the concepts back out into the light of day as of late and thought it might make sense to write some short articles on the blog about the concepts involved.

The analogy of catching fish is easy to use -- most of us in sales learn how to be pretty effective fishermen and fisherwomen, but we're usually fishing alone...with maybe one or two lines in the water at all times...

We flail away, working hard to catch all the fish we can...and for thos of us who survive and eat... we end up being pretty effective at catching our personal limit...and that's great.

So what's the big deal, Greg?

Well, I guess the question is...even though we're good at catching fish...how could we improve?  I mean, we're already working hard, flailing at the water, casting and casting and reeling and reeling...what more can we do?  Probably not much.  BUT...if we were to build much larger fishing nets that are flung out across large areas of the ocean and dragged in every month?  How would THAT change our world?

Imagine that we had 50 or 100 or 1,000 people in our network, all keeping their collective "eyes" out for the right opportunities for you, and then "snagging" them long enough for you to come by and set the hook...how would your life be different?

The concept of course sounds good...but it doesn't happen naturally.  We've got to purposely set about creating such a net...then work hard at regularly supporting it with value-added elements.  Always checking the rope and the knots to make sure they stay strong.

How to do you do it?  I'll be sharing some of those thoughts off and on over the next few weeks on the blog...check back!

GB

"I Don't Care About Insurance" - How to Form a Relationship With a Client

Here's a concept that, when you really "get it", will be like removing the blinders and being able to see again!! 

Imagine an insurance agent is trying to sell me insurance...we have him pictured here to the left wearing his new suit, sitting up straight and fixed with a set of blinders that give him severe tunnel vision -- which you will see cripple him as he attempts to form a relationship with me...

I'm the buyer...I'm a business consultant and sales strategist (I not only play one on TV, I really AM one).  Let's play this out -- and what you should try and glean from this scintillating story are some lessons for your life in sales -- for many of us are wearing the same blinders as our insurance man here!

• When selling me, the thing the insurance man was most excited about was insurance...how much insurance I should have...insurance actuary tables, charts and graphs all about the power of having insurance...his insurance company's features over other insurance companies...etc etc etc...he never got the fact that I don't like or care about insurance...I just want to protect my family and my business...so I want to talk about my family and my future plans for my business...
• After he called on me once, the only thing he ever sent me was more stuff about insurance! When he called me back (IF he called me), the only thing we talked about was when I was going to look at more insurance.  For the love of all that's good...I DON'T CARE ABOUT INSURANCE!  He never picked up on the vibe that the only time I think about insurance is when he calls to bug me about it...and it's always in a negative light! 

Now you may read this and think, "Yeah, well that's why I don't sell insurance...I would NEVER do that!"   Wrong!   In fact most of us think and act this way in our own worlds...

• We spend 99% of our time studying, learning and thinking about our product, our services, our world...we have blinders on -- thus most of our time spent selling is talking about (or thinking about in our own minds) us and what we do and how we're better than everyone else!!!
• When we think about follow-up after the initial sale, we ask ourselves, "Okay, what can I send him about my product?  What news item about our company?  What new research on how we're still number one?"...we have blinders on -- thus most of our follow-up and repeat calls are a continuation of the same thing...the only action steps we can take with the client have to do with him or her buying our product...if they're not buying, what is my reason for continuing to call?

Now lets remove the blinders and see the truth! (Amen brother, bring it!)

• Relationships start before the first sales appointment -- when the insurance guy finds something of interest about MY world, maybe he sends me an article about consultants, or trainers and says..."Thought you might find this article interesting...you are in a fascinating field, can't wait to find out more at our meeting on Tuesday - Signed, Formerly Annoying Insurance Guy"
• It continues to the first face-to-face meeting -- when the insurance guy spends 90% of the time finding out what I want to protect, why I want to protect it, what are my fears of losing it, where do I want to end up...he knows so much about my family and business, he's able to really make a recommendation that meets my needs
• And it becomes very apparent in the follow-up after that meeting ...when the insurance guy (because he knows so much about my life), can send me things that solve problems in my life, even when they don't have to do with insurance...THAT'S HOW YOU FORM A BOND

I was part of a client symposium we did a few years back where we brought in real world clients and asked them what they liked and didn't like about the way they were generally approached and sold by salespeople.  Out of the 10 or so clients we had up on stage, all of them agreed on the following:

• It all comes down to relationships...9-out-of-10 times good relationships can overcome a mediocre product...and bad relationships, or no relationship, can kill even a great product
• The way you form relationships is TO KNOW THEIR BUSINESS...AND USE THAT KNOWLEDGE TO SEND ME THINGS THAT SOLVE MY PROBLEMS
• The way to solidify a great relationship between buys is TO SEND ME THINGS THAT INTEREST ME, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS NO SALE ATTACHED TO IT...

Sales is an easy thing if we'll remove the blinders and spend the majority of your time inside your client's world!

GB