Have you ever tried to use the wrong charger with your cell phone? We all have, haven’t we?
And the result is always the same.
The phone won’t charge because the charger won’t connect to the phone.
But the right charger will connect seamlessly.
Many of our sales calls are just like using the wrong charger for a phone. We fail to connect with our prospects, and in many cases, lose the business.
And connecting with the client is what the goal is
While there are many things we can do to help us connect better with our prospects, one simple and effective method that is rarely used is to take notes on the personal details of the conversation.
Most of us are pretty good about writing stuff down as we converse with potential clients. But most of us take notes on the business side of things.
We write down the need event dates, the requirements, room block information, and anything else business related. And that is a very good habit indeed. But what we fail to do is write down the personal parts of the conversation.
What do we mean by personal?
In every conversation you have with a client, you’ll inevitably end up talking about something personal. The group planner will mention something like:
“Oh, I can’t do those date, it’s my birthday” or
“I’m waiting for my husbands surgery to be over and then I will know more about blah blah” or
“I need to book next years event right after my vacation to XYZ city”
There are a half a dozen personal things that will mentioned in any conversation. And they are important to the client. If they are mentioning it to you in a phone call, that means it is a top of mind kind of important. So you need to write it down and circle it so you know it is personal and important to the client.
So how does all this personal information help us connect better?
The next time you are about to make a follow up call to this prospect, you need to pull out those notes. Make sure you read them before the call so you know just what to ask about during the call. So if their mother in law was not well, ask them. If they went on vacation, find out how it went. If they had a birthday, ask them what they did.
Bringing up the personal side of things will do two things
It will tell the client that you were listening during the previous conversation, and that will wow them. Don’t start the conversation with it, of course. Spend the initial moments of the call going over event details or any questions you may have about the event. And then bring up the personal part.
Say something like:
“Hey, didn’t you just get back from a cruise with your family?”
Immediately, you’ll notice that you have pleasantly surprised the planner. Doing so will let them know that you were listening during the previous call. And listening is a lost art now. Bringing up the previous conversation will let the planner know that you are different from everyone else. But that is not the only advantage.
You’ll also lower their guard
During any conversation with a salesperson, your guard is up. By bringing up the personal stuff you will shift their thinking from business to personal. The planner will be much less business minded and far more social as a result. And that will help you connect better with the client.
But you can’t fake the connection
If you think writing down a bunch of personal stuff and regurgitating it in a future phone call will make you a great friend, then you are in for a rude surprise. People can spot “fake” from far away so if you can’t be sincere, I suggest you don’t try this. In fact, I suggest that you look for another career because you can’t be a great salesperson without being sincere.
In summary, connecting with a prospect can be very difficult if all we do is discuss the business side of things. In order to create a more personal connection we need to take notes on both the business and the personal aspect. The business side of things will show your competence but the personal details is what we need to connect with the planner.
Without the proper connection, we won’t be able to win any business.
Or charge our phones for that matter.
What should you do next?
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