Business is, has and always will be about people and that means relationships. Many are amazed how much business for example is done over a round of golf. Easy answer. Often it is friends that are playing together who hold a trust and respect of each other. They know their friend will not ” rip them off”, they know that friend has their best interest at heart and they are happy to trust their friends judgement and offer. No long selling interview or contracts, just a word of honour. Their relationship has often been developed over a long period but it did have a starting point. The significant point here is that should any other prospect need a reference or testimonial or in fact just also be a friend of the buyer, then more sales will follow in the same manner.
Relationships however as stated need to start at some point. Certainly they do not start with a selling message the first time of introduction. On an email, on a phone, at a party, at a network event or anywhere else, an immediate sales pitch is the route to a short relationship. Imagine a party where you know no one. The host introduces you to a few people and the conversation is often quite light. You get to know each other through questions and maybe a few interesting stories. There becomes a growing bond of interest and that continues if you meet again. Compare this to someone who on “Linked In” whose first message is about what he sells, OR, maybe your first email to a cold prospect whom you have never met but immediately is expected to trust and believe all you say.
The majority of business marketing is seen as a way of connecting to anyone who will listen to their own story and offers. Taking time to reflect on who might benefit from their offer, defining a precise target and calculating in advance how that person or business might be interested in. Telling that recipient a story that might be of interest to them particularly is surely more likely to achieve results. Who said that is difficult to do? Of course it is, and time consuming but it’s the foundation of low cost, high success and stable marketing that we all desire.
Find the right target, tell him something of interest, be controversial and build a dialogue that develops a relationship based on his needs and success is guaranteed.
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