When you build relationships - and you're authentically being yourself doing so - business comes to you, you don’t have to try for business, however you do have to try for the relationship. In my experience the hardest part about selling is getting the actual meeting or scheduling a time to get to get to know someone. Once I’m in a meeting a business contract follows on from getting along with my prospect. I’ve always said that 90% of the sale happens before your 1st meeting. In fact, if I were to give one piece of advice to a new salesperson I would say that your biggest sale is getting your first meeting. Focus all your efforts on generating good meetings and meeting new people anyway you can - and no matter how bad you are at sales you’ll crush it.
I’ve found that people are much more willing to see past your lack of qualificatio, past your quirks and insecurities once you get them in a meeting and develop rapport. I’ve been in several meetings, especially early on, where albania phone number list people saw that I wasn’t the best salesman or the most qualified recruiter for the job, but they also saw that I was determined and giving it 100%, and that’s what sold them. They looked past my faults and gave me a chance all because of my persistence, authenticity and ability to develop rapport (beginnings of a relationship).
My personal sales philosophy is that continually building solid business relationships and friendships through in-person meetings is the best way to grow your business year after year. You can recession-proof your career and continue to grow when others fail. Focus on building your network of business friends everyday and you will have a prosperous career no matter what field you are in.
This article was written by Quintin Ford, a recruitment entrepreneur located in Playa Vista, CA. Quintin is the Founder of OCEAN | STREET & Co-Founder at knw agency, avid blogger and social media guru. Learn more about Quintin on LinkedIn. - To attend any workshops, speeches or amazing events please check.