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1. Don’t try to sell. For most people it all ends tragically here. They mistakenly stroll into the industry conference or chamber of commerce meeting with the idea that they need to find someone to sell to. Don’t do it. It gives people the creeps. And it kills your real opportunity at these events–finding strategic partners.
   
2. Give before you get. Don’t go with your hand out empty to your network. Not until you’ve made some deposits in your good will account. Build up your account first, by asking about them before talking about you.
3. Be Remembered. Create a ‘Memory Hook”. This term created by BNI, the largest networking organization in the world. Introduce yourself with an interruption, a cause to make them stop and listen. When someone asks me what I do I say, “I help people STOP Selling”. They say what? Did you say stop? Now I get a few seconds to explain it. (and only a few seconds).
4. Ask questions. Everyone says you need an elevator pitch to use when you meet someone at a networking event. But the way MOST people do it is, frankly boring.

It usually goes like this “Hi, I’m Bob, I’m an accountant…” or “Hi, I’m Bob with Enormicon, we specialize in scalable solutions to strategic problems by finding synergy with customers, suppliers and partners”…Yuck! If you’re doing this, you’re boring and forgettable.

Ask a few questions to get the other person talking. What do you do? How long have you done that? What do you like the most about it? If I met someone that I thought would be a good referral for you, what would that look like?

5. Set goals. Never attend a networking event without deciding how many strategic partners you’re going to meet. If you’re just starting, commit to two. As you get better, increase the number. When you hit the number go home, knowing you succeeded.

Top 6 Changes in Sales You Must Make in 2017!

As much as the world of business has changed, some of the same mistakes are still being made by business development professionals. These 6 things are simple yet a must in creating business today.

• Searching for Customers is Different Today.

Prospecting is the true key to finding and keeping customers but most people do it wrong. Networking is not for direct prospecting, “hey do you guys use promotional products, here’s an example..” NO! Instead I say go to an event and look for Strategic Alliances, people that you can refer business back and forth to as opposed to hitting you prospects hard. We all know building business on referrals is the best way to do business so lets network for good alliances that you can refer business to and that is a good source for your referrals.

• Tell the prospect it’s OK to break up.

Rejection is a result of trying to sell someone your product or service as opposed to tell them you what you are calling about, let them know it seems that because of what they do you could potentially work together, but (pull back) you don’t want to assume that you are a good fit. What you’d like to do is ask a few questions to see if the two of you are a fit and if not, we decide it’s a NO then we only wasted a few minutes? Sound OK?

This allows you to give a NO as an option right upfront. Then you have asked for it as opposed to a prospect pushing you away and that is the rejection.

• Be a Reporter.

An example of the best salespeople today are reporters. Reporters don’t have a specific agenda besides learning as much as they possibly can about a person, subject or situation. They do their research, ask great open-ended questions and always listen in between the lines. They are trying to dig out all of the information they can to recreate it in a great story. Sales people fall short because when they hear something they want to jump n what they heard and try to solve it with their solution. When you stop someone from telling you more about their situation to sell them, it is usually too early to do so and you loose the sale.

• Research is important but not for the reasons you would think.

Research should be used for credibility purposes but most importantly to create good, quality questions to engage your prospect in conversation and truly understand their needs. Additionally research the heck out of an organization or person before you call them. Refer to that information you learned to form a good question, not s ‘salesy’ one.

• Cutting Prices are a Big Problem.

Discounting is almost always a result of one of 2 things. 1) The customer doesn’t truly trust you/your product or service so there is only price to use as a differentiator or 2) You haven’t truly understood the need for the product. I know need seems simple but it isn’t. What are they trying to say, what impression are they trying to leave, how do they want to be seen? What are they using it for? There are lots of questions to not only understand what a prospect needs but the true deep-down ‘whys’. Asking questions will let you also gain credibility and trust but not selling and truly asking and listening…

• Listen and shut up!!

Wow! If I could teach people that are in sales/business

development to ask questions and listen there would be a lot more success in business! Write this down; WAIT (Why Am I Talking)?

Telling isn’t selling…but it comes from a good place. We are excited about what we represent and want other to be excited too but excitement doesn’t sell, questions and true engagement does.

Long ago we were taught to ask a few questions and when you hear a “ buying signal” jump in and tell them you can help with that and how. NO!

When you ask a question, wait for the answer and whatever the answer is, especially if it may be something your product or service can help with, the best next question is, “tell me about that”, then SHUT-UP!!!

My son recently told me a story that I felt was really interesting. I wanted to share it because I think we can all learn some things from this story.

He explained to me that he has a friend who works at an art gallery. This particular gallery hosts art exhibits where people come get cocktails and walk around viewing the art.

Sometimes, artists are there to answer questions or do demonstrations. At times the gallery invites an artist to come, set up and paint while they are at the show so people can actually see them in action.

For one particular show, the artist agreed to come, and he requested a large black canvas that he could paint on. The rest he would supply.

My son’s friend, who was the gallery assistant, pulled the plain black canvas from the back room and set it up on an easel. She had a chair next to the canvas and posted the artist’s name with it.

About 4 p.m. on the day of the event, the artist called, saying he had an emergency and had to cancel. In all the craziness, the assistant forgot to take the canvas down, so it was left there throughout the show that evening.

At the end of the night, they have a service where, if you bought a piece of art, the organization will take the art into the back room, wrap it up, bring it out to your car and put it in for you, or deliver it, if necessary.

My son’s friend, who was outside working the deliveries, and a man were standing there for quite a long time. So, she said, “Can I help you sir?”

He said, “Yes, I’m waiting for my piece of art to come out.”

She replied: “Well, let me help you. Which is it?” He told her it was the black portrait.

She said, “Which one?”

He said it was the all-black modern piece. And the man explained that he paid $700 for that and really liked it.

She scratched her head, walked inside, and had someone wrap it up for him and bring it to the car.

I’m not sure how I feel about the ethics of this, but what I found so interesting about this story is that perception is reality, and what happened was because it was in an upscale art gallery and, nicely displayed, the man perceived the blank canvas to be a piece of modern art.

Perception is such an interesting thing. His perception was that was a piece of modern art. Because it was in an art gallery, presented on an easel and surrounded by other pieces of art, his perception was not only that was a piece of art, but he liked it.

So, what do we learn through this? I think what we learn is that, in most cases, and most things that we do and sell, people really think what they want to think, no matter what you tell them.

What’s important here is to make sure that your brand — in other words, what your company stands for or what you as a salesperson or entrepreneur or professional stand for — should be the best quality it can be.

If you are going to see someone in person, you should be dressed as if that person is the most important person you could ever meet. You need to be researched and prepared, and everything you do has to be professionally done.

When it is, you’re perceived as a professional. You’re perceived to be of a higher quality than your competitors for no other reason than perception.

So, how are you being perceived?