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specialists in enhancement and management of human performance |
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Cold calling... Some love it. Most people feel ill at the thought. No one likes rejection, and calling strangers is hard work fraught with all forms of rejection. The average person is bombarded with thousands of sales pitches daily: ads, junk mail, sales calls, etc. If you are like most people, you don't like to be "sold." And you probably don't like doing "sales," or don't feel particularly good at it. Unfortunately, if you are in business, then you are in sales. You must reach out, in some way, to make more sales. This is a dilemma! Now imagine someone bringing a stranger to you, and saying excitedly: "This is Jane Doe, my widget source I told you about! I just know that she can help you with your problem of finding good widgets at the right price when you need them." I'll bet you feel relaxed, happy, and confidant. Heck, you've got an instant relationship with a stranger. You probably like someone your friend or associate likes, knows and respects. This isn't "sales" anymore, this is just doing business with a friend! Building Business Inexpensively One of the highest costs in business is the cost of getting new clients. You could easily double or triple your business without working twice or three times as much. A qualified, referred prospect from a client who trusts you and appreciates your way of doing business is up to 24 times more likely to become a client than a cold call. Getting clients through referrals costs you less money, time and emotional strain. All in all, it makes good business sense to generate steady, quality referrals. To build your business through referrals, you must focus more on building quality relationships with people over time than on what you can do to a prospect to get "a body in the door." It relies on your character, business strengths, and values -- not slick sales techniques that you don't particularly feel comfortable with or use well. You leave impressions in many ways: through your people, your product or service, and so on. Some are tangible, some are not. Make More Friends Keep your attitude right about your new friends and acquaintances. Build valued lifelong relationships with them. Have every part of your business feel friendly. Build trust. Give great customer service, and deliver more than you promise. Reassure them through every phase of doing business, and continue to follow up with your new friend long after the sale. The fundamentals of building a referral-based business are simple. Your challenge is in applying these concepts throughout your business: in every detail of how you operate and of every interaction with everyone. Remember: God is in the details. New thinking and consistent implementation are needed to generate a new way of doing business. Dedicate yourself to this, get friends and clients to help, hire a coach or consultant, and go make some great new friends!
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POBox 9635