July 18, 2024 | Read online
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This past week/weekend, I was invited to speak at two different events/retreats and attended LinkedIn’s Sales Connect Executive Summit to see some of the new features they’re rolling out in Sales Navigator.
At one of the events, I dressed up in a red leotard, stuffed with balloons and danced around for coins. Yup, you heard that right, check out the post I did about it.
These three events reminded me of how important in-person events are in developing relationships and sales skills, which is what I wanted to discuss in this week’s newsletter.
TACTICAL TIPS:
Become a Problem Solver
I’ve written before about how I think sales reps need to go back to being problem solvers and stop trying so hard to convince clients to buy.
If you’re trying to convince someone in sales, I think you're doing it wrong.
Todd Caponi recently published a great post in which he quotes Arthur Sheldon, the author of The Art of Selling (1911), who says that true salesmanship is “the science of service.”
We need to be in service to our clients, which means sometimes the service they need isn’t what we provide.
But we can still help them, ourselves and others if we take the right approach.
Here’s the tactical flow to make that happen.
- Identify the details of your Ideal Customer Profile
- Identify the primary persona (ideally in a decision-making role) you sell to
- Identify the top 5-10 vendors that complement your solution and sell to the same ICP/Persona
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Find the top rep at each vendor and set up a call with them or send an email saying something like:
- “You sell to the same people I sell to. Sometimes I come across opportunities where the client needs your solution and I need a trusted partner to refer them to. I was wondering if you’d be open to meeting once a month to talk about what we’re both seeing out there and if there’s anything we can do to help each other.”
The best scenario is finding vendors/partners in your area with whom you can meet in person and potentially create your own networking group.
If you don’t want to set up your group, you can check out groups like Business Networking International (BNI). They have chapters in almost every city/town. This is where I was introduced to how to network and build relationships with their “Givers Gain” mantra.
The relationships I developed in groups like BNI and others earlier in my career are still some of my best business relationships. I still give and get referrals from them all the time and have been able to lean on them in tough times when I needed help.
If you’re not developing relationships with partners, you’re missing out on referrals, relationships, skill development, opportunities, and so much more.
SALES RESOURCES:
Vice Card
Staying on the networking thread, when you meet new people, you obviously need to make sure you connect with them and share info.
I used to do this by trading business cards, but I stopped using them a long time ago because business cards tend to get lost in the pile after an event.
I made the switch to poker chip business cards a little while ago to try and stand out from the crowd. People love these and I still use them but you can only fit so many in your pocket before they start weighing down your pants.
Recently I moved to Vice (not a sponsor). It’s a physical credit card type card that has a QR code that people can scan to get all your info and more.
Check out how it looks on your phone when someone scans it.
It includes all my contact info, social channels, website, podcast and more. If you pay for the subscription service (which I don’t) you can track everyone you meet with, sync them with your other database and more.
SALES FROM THE STREETS:
"Make it Happen" Origins
People always ask me when and why I came up with the “Make it Happen” tagline.
I don’t know exactly when, but I’m pretty sure it was when I was at my first start-up, Thrive Networks.
We were self-funded so I was the Sales, Marketing and PR team with zero budget.
As I explained earlier, networking groups were a huge part of how I found new business.
I was part of 3 different networking groups at one point. These groups would typically meet early in the morning (7:30-9:00am) weekly or monthly.
After these group meetings, I would make cold calls and drive all around Massachusetts, meeting with prospects all day.
Then, I would go to as many networking events in the evenings as I could find.
I attended so many events I even put together a Guide To Getting the Most Out of A Networking Event for our team and new hires. It’s a little dated now but most of what I wrote still holds true to this day.
Networking events were a huge part of my lead gen strategy.
When the summer came around, the events dried up. I was told there were limited networking events in the summer because of vacations and the few people who attended, which is why no one hosted them.
I thought to myself - I’m not taking time off. I would attend an event if there was a good one. So why not throw my own?
So, I went down to Tia’s on the Waterfront in Boston, met with the manager and told him I wanted to rent out their outdoor patio and host an event.
The problem was that I didn’t have any money, and I knew I needed food and booze to attract a crowd.
I ended up working a deal with the manager where I didn’t have to pay anything upfront. I planned on collecting $20 in cash from everyone who attended and paying for everything afterward. I told the manager I would make up the difference if there was one.
I posted the event in the local Boston Business Journal, invited everyone I knew, and told them to invite everyone they knew.
I had no idea who was going to show up.
To make a long story short, there was a line around the corner before we even opened the patio and the place was packed all afternoon and into the night.
30 years later, people still tell me it was one of the best events they’ve ever attended.
Needless to say, I’m pretty sure that’s where “Make it Happen” came from.
I was sick of hearing excuses for why these types of events weren’t happening in the summer, so I decided to make one happen myself.
Years later, I found a quote from Michael Jordan that probably had something to do with it too, especially since he was and is my favorite player of all time:
ADDITIONAL WAYS YOU CAN LEVEL UP YOUR SALES GAME
The JB Sales Membership is where you’ll get access to my live training, workshops, AMAs and OnDemand catalog so you can level up your sales skills every day! 3000+ Sales pros have already joined. Are you next?
The industry-leading Make it Happen Monday Podcast where you’ll get insights and inspiration from some of the most interesting and influential people in the world of Sales and business. (this is where you’ll hear the Guy Kawasaki episode on May XYZ)
The JB Sales YouTube channel with practical tips that you can apply immediately to drive results along with interviews and content that is guaranteed to get you to think differently.
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