Beyond the Elevator Speech–Expert Tips on Sales Relationships

Can I just tell you how happy I am when somebody says something I’ve already said it’s considered AN EXPERT OPINION?! If you want to see what I mean, reread my post on Elevator Speeches before you read on.

Part of the issue that prompted these posts is my discomfort with people who, upon introducing me say, “Mimi, tell Bob here what you do.”

I don’t want to tell any one I meet about me within seconds of the introduction. I want to get to know them.Visiting with people and creating connections is what I love. It’s jarring to think to “do business” I am supposed to behave differently. I know I have to be my own best salesperson, I am my own boss, my own sales force and I’m also the product.

I decided to ask some successful sales people how they go about selling. I asked my friends Carl Reyes and David Ziton a few questions about how they generate amazing results in sales. Their answers have me feeling better equipped already!

How do you prepare for an initial client meeting?

David: Take the time to understand your audience and their business issue.  Why did the prospective client want to meet?
Then address that topic and listen and then listen some more.  I am focused on developing a relationship and therefore focus my initial meeting preparation on learning about the audience (background, experience, and do they value and currently maintain long-term relationships based on performance, honesty, and mutual success).

Carl: Know who’s going to be in the meeting. Where does your contact fit within the organization and who else will be in the meeting. Be sure you have mutual buy in to an agenda and are aware of their goals—nobody likes to be surprised in front of their boss.

But before the agenda takes shape, pre-power point production you have to understand some basic things. You have to know what you have in common, you have to understand their process and what they’ve done in the industry. The expression is, “You have to know whether to kiss, bow or shake hands.” It’s not about becoming someone other than who you are it’s about honoring who they are and establishing a sense of common interest. Have the conversations before the meeting that give you a sense of what their values are.

What are some tips you give people who want to succeed in sales?

Carl:

• Don’t sell what you don’t believe in.You have to believe you have a better widget that will offer real solutions.
• Never participate in a transaction where both sides don’t win.You have to serve the customer’s needs first. Success in sales isn’t measured by dollars. My father taught me that. It’s measured by meeting people’s needs. Can you look back and see whose interest was served.
• Engage with people! Jump into conversations and find new ways to help people out. I love talking with people and getting to know them. It’s when we close the 20th transaction with someone that means the most to me, because then I know we’ve created a relationship of real value.
• Do people like you? People need to be able to relate to you—get on the same plain as them and don’t speak at them, speak with them. If you listen well enough and let them talk enough they will tell you what you need to know to win their business. Your job is just to listen, regardless. You are not there to judge.

David:

• Take the time to build a network of colleagues who you help to become more successful. For example, help an individual of strong integrity and ability find a new job if asked for assistance.  Helping people to be successful and asking them to pay it forward in assisting somebody else one day is my foundation to sales.
• Based on my experience and belief, an individual who wants to succeed in sales must have a desire to assist / help people achieve their vision, not just win a deal.
• Succeeding in sales requires one to give and showcase their ability, desire, and capability to learn and understand an individual’s business issues / pains and providie a cost effective and dynamic solution that enables your client to be successful.  And always follow-up after the win and make sure your client’s expectations have been exceeded.

How did you perfect your elevator speech?
David: Present your “elevator speech” to many individuals that are trusted colleagues and/or mentors and let them evaluate your value proposition.  Overall, I believe practice is helpful.  Yet, presenting your elevator speech should come naturally  and honestly.  Success in sales requires the ability to be natural, honest, and have a unique personality backed by a world of experience.

Carl: Your elevator speech is like a preface to a book. You want to tell them enough to get them to turn the page. Conferences are a great place to practice your elevator speech. The only way to hone it is to deliver it. You have to be able to say what is your value proposition—what makes you different—in one sound bite.

And just for fun…have you ever actually met someone on an elevator who became a client?
Carl: I don’t know anybody who has closed a deal in an elevator.

David: I have not met someone on an elevator who became a client.  Maybe I need to spend a day on an elevator and try to originate a new client! Maybe that should be a sales training experience for new executives!

About Business Cards
I wish I had thought to ask David and Carl about business cards, but Chris Brogan offered a great video blog post last week called Business Cards and Little Programs that I think fits into our sales strategy discussion perfectly.

Mimi’s takeaways:
Listen more, talk less.
Know with conviction why my services are of value.
Practice the words I use to describe my business.
Help more, ask for less.
Build lasting relationships.

Through these steps, I do believe business will eventually happen and I know beyond a doubt, that goodness will grow. That’s a sales strategy I can buy into 100 percent!

What do you think?

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