Several months ago I was sitting in a seminar when one of the points of the presenter made perfect sense. I immediately sat up and paid close attention as the idea of building long term business relationships where Slower Equals Faster and Faster Equals Slower was explained. It makes such perfect sense and for me the thought was the arrow hitting the bull’s eye!
Technology is advancing at an exponential rate. I once had a computer sales person tell me that computer years are measured like dog years, every year is worth seven years in people years. I think he is right, because it seems that everyday there are new advancements in hardware/software and we seem to be on a mission to find faster more technical ways to deliver information to each other as quickly as possible with the expectation that our message will be returned even faster.
Every day I see advertisements informing us that advancements in technology are made with the intent to make our lives easier, safer, and more efficient. With the additional technology in my home, I can, in fact, make a movie in the morning using my digital camera, download it to my portable laptop, edit and burn my own CD’s all before lunchtime.
So, if we can do everything more efficiently…why are we so busy? Why do we rush from place to place, event to event with cell phones strapped to our ears? Why are people so tired after a few days of work? And what does it mean to a sales person?
A lot of salespeople find themselves caught in the rush and race through their days looking for sales. I have met some at networking events where no sooner have I introduced myself when they are racing to regurgitate as much information about their product as possible in the least amount of time. Unfortunately, some of these sales people will eventually be successful and make a sale which will only reinforce this behavior and propel them towards some other victim at the next event.
But just how successful can this salesperson be? Using this shotgun approach to networking will get results, and with experience will increase those results, but eventually, this salesperson will reach a ceiling. They came out of the gates fast, but their financial reward has limits and takes a lot of effort. In essence, a faster attack equals a slower reward.
Let’s pretend for a moment. Pretend that you own a tire store and decide that you need to go to an event to build your visibility and credibility in the region. As the tire store owner, you understand your target market, you have researched a great event and you arrive early to get the lay of the land. The first person that you meet shakes your hand and smiles and you shove a business card in his hand and begin to puke information about the greatest deal on tires. While you continue to spew, your (smiling on the outside) friend isn’t listening because he doesn’t need tires since he has a brand new car (frowning, conflicted and disturbed on the inside) and he can’t wait to get away from you to clean himself off.
I offer some simple advice; SLOW DOWN. Take time to get to know people and care about the people you meet. You may have the greatest product and the greatest deal in the world, but believe it or not, most people buy from people that they know, like and trust. Okay, you probably read that too quickly, so here it is again…
People buy from people that they know, like and trust.
The secret to becoming what I call a sales magnet is to ask questions and build relationships. It seems many people for some reason quickly move on to the “next victim” when they find out that what they are offering is not a fit for you. The secret to success is to get to know people. If they like you, they’re more likely to remember you and refer business to you. Your contact may live next door to a family that owns 3 cars that all need tires who know 10 people that need tires.
Remember, People don’t care, until they know you care!
What can this mean to you? Slowing down, asking questions and really listening while building relationships can lead to an exponential growth in your business. I know it doesn’t seem logical, but by Slowing Down you will achieve your goals faster.
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