Being the mother of two children under the age of three means you lose things. You lose time. You lose sleep. And you lose posts that you could have sworn you saved right before you fed the baby. That happened earlier this week.
You gains things as well. Things like your two year old's stomach virus that she picked up at parent's day out. That also happened earlier this week. But I'm back to posting now, saving often, and I'm fine now as is, most importantly, my daughter.
All that to say I'm sorry to have made you wait for a link to a great post and one we should all take to heart. My CEO (I promise I'm not brown-nosing), Chris Mercer, had a post on his blog, Mercer on Value, entitled "Make More Calls -- Maintain and Build Revenue."
The post reminds us of the importance of out-bound activity. I know that you're thinking "what else is new?" Please keep reading. As Chris so courageously states (courageous because he knew his SVP of marketing would be reading and then holding his feet to the fire):
... I know that the essence of selling, particularly at the margin, is intentional personal contact.
I talk about it, I do some of it, and quite often, I sputter to a standstill in my efforts. From a personal perspective, the "who to call?" is not difficult. We have many clients, referral sources, and legitimate prospects for our services. My personal problem is "what to talk about?" I fret about this so much that I procrastinate and avoid making many of the calls that I should make.
So, what do you say? Chris gives us a list from Jim Cathcart and then comments on the items listed. They are too good to miss:
1. Praise. We all see favorable mentions of clients, friends, colleagues, and prospects in the news, or the social or financial press. Make a habit of making a short call to them to congratulate them on this publicity.
2. Observations to share. If we think about our clients, referral sources and friends as we go through daily life, we will see or observe things that we think are of particular relevance to them. Take the time to add these people to your call list for a quick call. You'll be surprised at how often your call is the springboard for more in-depth discussions.
3. Insights and observations for others. This might be considered to be a subset of "observations to share," but if we focus our thinking on specific client situations, we may be able to develop specific recommendations for the client to try.
4. Suggestions and referrals. Did you ever see something in your travels or have a thought that particularly related to a friend's business. And thought that you should call him -- and didn't? We often have to refer business to other appraisers or other professionals when a particular assignment does not fit for us or if we are conflicted in some way. I know I remember those calls when they come our way!
5. Call with offers of assistance or resources. Occasionally, situations arise where we can offer direct assistance or resources to others. In July 2003, Memphis experienced a freak wind storm. The power in our office was knocked out for what could have been an indefinite time, perhaps weeks. A friend called me to offer me the use of his office and to suggest that his building might be able to accomodate our staff on a temporary basis. You just don't forget those kinds of calls.
6. Call with requests for assistance. Asking a client for help -- in developing an idea or to talk through a situation -- can be beneficial to the mutual relationship.
7. Call to confirm details and agreements. This is one type of call I make quite often. It is surprising how helpful it can be to call the day before a trip to confirm the details of the upcoming visit. Not only does it focus everyone on the visit, but it insures there are no miscommunications about arrivals, pick-ups, schedules, and more.
8. Call to gather a quote to use. This one may pertain more to speakers than the rest, but if someone has a great saying that you'd like to use, it can start a great relationship-building conversation.
9. Call to explore possibilities. "I just wanted to run something by you" can be a great conversation starter. The something, obviously, should have some relevance based on your relationship.
10. Call to seek guidance or direction. People generally like to be asked for their advice. This is a particularly good kind of call for younger professionals to make to their mentors or to those they would like to mentor them.
11. Call for recommendations. I've been making this kind of call lately. I'm working on a book and I've called the CEOs of a number of client companies to ask for recommendations for what they would like to see as content.
I would suggest an e-mail or a personal note if the thought of actually picking up the phone and dialing is too uncomfortable. The e-mail or note gives an entree to call. But do call or visit. Nothing beats the personal connection.
Comments