Networking Group Book Now Available Everywhere (Just About!)
I am VERY pleased to report that my networking book, A Service Provider’s Guide to Starting a Unique Business Networking Group (Intense Publishing 2011), is now available as an eBook on a number of websites! Moreover, we have reduced the price!
If you want more out of your existing networking group, or are considering joining a networking group, or want to stand apart from your competitors and START a networking group of your own, then I invite you to purchase this book NOW!
Click on any of these more popular sites below:
You can also purchase the book on iBooks! Just search for J.B. Brocato or the name of the book in iBooks on your iPhone or iPad. If you choose to purchase this book, I thank you! And I truly hope it helps you take your networking to a brand new, exponentially-higher level!
J.B.
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8th Stage: CR Sales Process Paradigm
The eighth and final stage in Crux Rainmaking’s Sales Process Paradigm is: Client Service and Relationship Development
Promises Kept
If you are honored with a relationship with a new client, customer, or donor, it is absolutely imperative that you deliver on your promise of quality and service to that individual. Without doing so, you risk not only losing that person as a business partner, but also your reputation, an essential attribute of your integrity and future success. Tirelessly work hard to keep all promises made during your pitch.
Getting the Second Sale/Repeat Business (The True Test)
The true test of your success is whether you get the second sale. If someone chooses to do business with you again, then you have earned their trust. In many cases, the decision to initially do business with you is a leap of faith by the client. They have confidence in you. But when they decide to re-engage you, it is not a question of faith. It is a matter of your proven competence. You have proved to your client that you are the real deal—someone who can be trusted with their important business. This is the true test of your ability to maintain success in the business world.
Continuing to Develop and Nurture UBRs
Unique Business Relationships (UBRs) are essential to the longevity of your business relationships. Without them, you run a higher than normal risk of losing business. Why expose yourself to that sort of unnecessary risk? Take precautions. Work to develop UBRs, those relationships which are difficult, if not impossible, to replace. Doing so will exponentially increase the likelihood of not only maintaining a business relationship but substantially growing it over time!
J.B.
Read MoreCrux Quick Tip (CQT) #30: Get Outside Your Comfort Zone
CQT #30: Get outside your comfort zone by stepping into someone else’s world.
Comfort Zones
Comfort zones are comfortable. They are where we operate on a daily basis. There is familiarity. Familiarity is predictable. For example, if you are a real estate broker, joining industry organizations, or the local Chamber of Commerce, or networking with attorneys and other professionals, or attending general networking events are likely some of the things you do to meet new people. But remember: everyone is doing that! Your competitors are wise to these methods as well. So—step out of your comfort zone and into someone else’s world.
Stepping Out and Stepping In
Stepping out of your comfort zone from a sales and marketing perspective is easy. Just identify another world that fascinates you and research ways to step into it. An example here would be helpful: My other world is the music industry. For many years part of my practice was entertainment law, and I have also managed musical artists over the years. As such, I became a member of The Recording Academy, which hosts the Grammy Awards. For years now, I have attending the Grammys (included this year) and have met people from around the world through my participation in Recording Academy events. These contacts have provided a brand new sub-set of contacts for me, some of which have yielded excellent business in my core areas of practice. This is a completely different world for me. It is an exciting world with exciting people. I am way out of my comfort zone, but I like it!
Be Creative
When considering another world, be creative. Think about those things you are intrigued by. Are you passionate about something? Have you always wanted to try something, but never made the time? Do you know someone in another world that can be your guide? These are just some of the questions you can ask yourself to help step into someone else’s world, and radically grow your base of contacts.
J.B.
Read More4th Stage: CR Sales Process Paradigm
The fourth stage in Crux Rainmaking’s Sales Process Paradigm is:
Initial Contact with Prospects, either in the form of Cold Calling or The Warm Introduction
The Goal of Initial Contact
By far the primary goal of initial contact with a prospect is to set up a face-to-face meeting. Once a lead has been identified and you have initially qualified that lead with pre-meeting research, then it is time to contact that individual. But the idea of initial contact is not to wrap up the entire relationship in one conversation with a tidy bow. It is to introduce yourself and invite the other person to sit down with you to further discuss a relationship. If you are not able to get together in person due to geography, then the use of Skype or a similar technological solution might be appropriate. Otherwise, a scheduled future telephone conversation would be fine. But remember, a face-to-face meeting is much preferred and must remain the ultimate goal of the initial contact.
Cold Calling
Some professionals cold call. Others don’t. You need to determine whether cold calling is allowed, encouraged, or not in your profession. I much prefer the warm introduction, and rely almost exclusively on that sort of introduction in meeting new leads. But if you do cold call, then there is a method to the madness in doing so. Frankly, I believe that professionals who do not cold call can learn a lot about sales from people who do cold call. In fact, I have put together a presentation on that topic. Cold callers must capture in a few minutes what most other professionals capture over many conversations, over months, and sometimes years. But the take away here is that cold calling is not preferred. Avoid it if possible. If you must, then stay tuned, because I will roll-out another series on cold calling in the future for further tips and recommendations regarding this method of making initial contact. In any event, remember that the goal of the cold call is to get a personal meeting. Use your time wisely in that call to invite the lead to join you in the near future, in person.
The Warm Introduction
By far, the most effective way to meet and establish a relationship with a prospect is by having been introduced to that prospect by someone else who already has a close personal relationship with that person. Barriers to trust are immediately and significantly reduced using this method. Making initial contact with someone after such a warm introduction is easier and more productive. You and the prospect have a common bond—the referring person. This can create an automatic feeling of comfort. This level of comfort is not easy to obtain with a cold call or by meeting someone at a networking event. Try to use this method of making initial contact as much as possible. Ask your network of contacts to think about people they can introduce you to for business purposes. Again, when making a call to a warm prospect, invite the prospect to sit down with you to further discuss a potential relationship.
Method of Making the Initial Contact
Above, I have casually referred to “making initial contact.” While a phone call is preferred, email can also be used prudently to make initial contact. Emails tend to allow the prospect to consider you in a more relaxed setting. They do not put the prospect in an uncomfortable spot. An initial email requesting and initial call is more than appropriate, and likely will be greatly valued by the prospect, as this demonstrates that you fully respect his or her time. Use your judgment depending on the nature of the prospect and means by which you became aware of that person.
J.B.
Read More3rd Stage: CR Sales Process Paradigm
The third stage in Crux Rainmaking’s Sales Process Paradigm is:
Qualification, which requires both pre-meeting research and in-meeting questions.
What is Qualification?
Qualification is the process by which you maximize the likelihood that you are pitching to an appropriate buyer. If a buyer cannot afford what it is you are selling, or if there is no need, or you cannot deliver within the buyer’s time requirement, or you are not dealing with the person within an organization who has the authority to buy on behalf of that organization, you have just wasted your time and energy trying to sell to that buyer. Even some of the best salespeople run the risk of getting in the middle of the pitch and only then finding out that they are barking up the wrong tree. With Crux Rainmaking, one of the keys to success is efficiency throughout every part of the sales process, so properly qualifying prospects is critical to insuring efficiency.
Pre-Meeting Qualification
The very first thing you need to do when starting down the road of following up on a new lead is to research that lead as much as possible before further communication with that prospect. Use the Internet, public records and reports, and your network of contacts to determine the following, if possible: Who is responsible for making purchasing decisions? What are the company’s current priorities? Who are their biggest competitors? Who are their current vendors? Are there indications that your product simply would not be appropriate or too costly or otherwise unacceptable to them? The answers to these questions will give you valuable insight into whether the prospect is right for you.
In-Meeting Qualification
Your qualification does not end with your research before that first meeting with a prospect to discuss a possible relationship. Your meeting with a prospect is also an opportunity to qualify that prospect. Probably the most important bit of advice I can give with respect to in-meeting qualification is as follows: Before even getting into what you can do for a prospect, ask a few direct questions. For example, ask about what they need, how they currently handle a particular buying situation, what their greatest challenge is when trying to market themselves, or establish themselves as a reputable company in the marketplace, who their biggest competitor is, and how they try to distinguish themselves from that competitor? As for the authority question, you need to be very tactful in confirming that person’s authority or limits thereof. It is sometimes best to ask something like this: “Other than you, who else in the company would be involved in making the decision to buy?” By asking questions like this, you can better frame your pitch when the conversation transitions into how you can help them.
So, do your research beforehand and ask the right questions during your first meeting to maximize the likelihood that you are, in fact, talking to a realistic prospect that is poised to buy from you. Avoid inefficient prospect meetings. Focus on mastering the art of qualifying and watch you meetings become more efficient and productive, leading to more business over a shorter period of time.
J.B.
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