It's a match - Let's get hitched…
I remember sitting in my Grandparents lounge as a young boy, listening to the stories of how they would go to a local dance to find their dates.
Grandad would tell me that at the dance, all the boys would stand on one side of the room, the girls the other. The music would be playing and the dance floor would be empty. The boys eyes would be focused on the floor, giggles from the girls could be heard across the room. Then, that first brave boy would get up and cross the floor, walking slowly, sweat forming on his brow, determination in his mind "I will ask that girl to dance". All the other boys would hold their breath in anticipation - would he be humiliated, rejected and left looking foolish OR would this brave soul be rewarded and get the opportunity to dance with the prettiest girl at the party....
This was how my Grandparents met, my Grandad would always proudly tell the story of his ability to confidently cross the floor. There were times he was met with rejection, but he wouldn't let that stop him, he simply moved on to the next girl. He always said that each rejection just kept moving him closer to meeting my Grandmother (they have been married for over 60 years). Besides he would say, "I didn't want to be the last boy left, otherwise I would be left with the girl who couldn't dance!"
I compare this to how I met my wife, she was only 14 years old, I was 15. We were neighbours and she was kind enough to not laugh at me (out loud)when I drove up my driveway and crashed into the fence (distracted by seeing her on a ladder helping her family build their home). It took me four years of courting, becoming friends with her friends, getting to know what made her smile (and what made her mad!) until finally I got to marry her!
Friends of mine met their partners through referrals from others, some met their partners at the pub. But more and more people are meeting their partners online these days! Something my Grandparents certainly don't understand!
How does this compare to the way we sell today?
Well, Grandad was a real estate agent for many years. He was always proud of the fact that he didn't just sell a house once, but he would often buy and sell homes for the same family over many, many years! He would put in the effort to build relationships with his customers that would go beyond the sale. To find his customers, it was often done by referral only. They would be referred to him with a need, and he would find the solution. He would sit with them, understand what they were looking for, ask plenty of questions and not rush to match them with an inferior product. He was also willing to put in the hard work. He would attend social gatherings to network, help in the local community and worked really hard to ensure he was well known and represented.
Today, I see more and more people working hard trying to find leads online. There is a lot of noise online and for the consumer this can be both a good and bad thing. We can get many varying opinions to what does and what does not suit us (Just think about what happened the last time you googled for information about that small pimple on your arm, did you get all the funeral arrangements in place before you saw the doctor?), we can also see a lot of different options that may suit us.
For the salesperson or company, fishing for leads online can become time consuming and expensive. Attracting in-bound leads is a great way find ready buyers BUT, what are we doing once we have found them?
Imagine for a moment finding your perfect match online. She/He is everything you have been looking for, you have both been matched as compatible and you both have pushed the button to say you are interested and have agreed to meet up. Now, what is your next move? Your match online is looking for what you may offer - otherwise why did we match? They have agreed to meet - They must want what we have? So again, what is your next move...
If you were to meet up at a local bar to share a drink, and your expectation of that meeting was a quick sale i.e.
"Hey so thanks for meeting, it is great we are compatible online, so, how about we get married?" how do you think that may go? (Yes for those out there who believe in love at first sight, you may strike it lucky...)
It is no different when we are trying to sell our products or services. We can spend a lot of money finding those compatible clients, attracting them with fancy websites, online ads, social media posts etc. However, we have to remember that just because your client has clicked through your online baits, and has presented with a need that you may be able to solve, this doesn't mean we can afford to skip the most important steps.
All they have done so far by matching with us is simply 'turned up at the dance'.
When you catch that online or inbound lead remember you need to take the following steps:
- We need to cross the dance floor and ask them to dance - Meet with them
- We need to dance - Get to know them, uncover their needs, build trust and rapport
- We need to follow up - Build a relationship
- Once we have established the relationship, then we can close.
We can't forget that selling is still a critical part to the buying process.
In a world where technology is being used to find our perfect match for everything from potential buyers to our true love, We can't afford to replace the courting part of the sale, the building a relationship with our buyer, otherwise we risk losing the opportunity all together.
In every part of the process, we need to consider what our actions - Body Language, tonality, presentation, etc are doing to make connection and how we are building a relationship that will be more than a quick spin around the floor.
Always Be Connecting with your clients and bring that relationship from online into the real world.
If you require help courting your clients, get in touch and let's dance.
Sharn Piper - Sales Coach
027 733 4333
Sales Systems Development Programme
This programme delivers a systematic sales process that has been proven to increase sales for frontline salespeople and business owners.
Target Audience: Frontline salespeople, business owners who need to sell their product and/or services, self-employed professionals who need to market and sell their professional services.
The programme covers the five key areas of professional selling:
- Goal setting and Planning
- Time Management
- Prospecting for business growth
- Presentations & Sales Interviews
- Client Management
If our process is followed and managed, we can guarantee that you will see changes including:
- Improved productivity
- Positive habit formation
- Increased qualified referrals
- Reduced costs of sales
- Increased sales