I’ve been a top producer throughout my career, and I’ve never really had much product knowledge. I think of myself as a matchmaker; I go find the opportunity and I match that Decision Maker with an SME who can handle the deep dive portion of the conversation while I run the lower level conversations, coordination & long-term strategy. Here are my top recommendations for anyone looking to get better at building rapport whether you’re in-person or remote.
1. Leverage their social presence- both the company you’re targeting and the individual decision maker, you should be looking at their online persona regularly. For platforms like LinkedIn that show when you view someone’s profile- I like having my name in front of my prospects more often than my regular call/email cadence. Social is a treasure trove of ingo and gives you an easy way to add an additional touch point based on whatever accomplishments or initiatives the company is highlighting.
a. In my current industry this looks like me sending out a personalized email for being awarded a Grant, promotions, publications, etc. In previous industries this has looked like “Hey X, I saw on [Company’s] social media that you’ve announced a partnership with X. I just can’t contain my excitement around this- what a cool way to serve the market. Can’t wait to see how your team fits into the conversation around this too! Good luck, can’t wait to see more updates come across my newsfeed!”
I’ve never, not one single time, not received a response on a reach out such as this.
2. Network, Network, Network! Especially when selling to IT teams, it’s important that you focus on networking. “But UserNotFound, you’re mistaken because IT peeps aren’t into networking they prefer a dark basement” -You’re right- so that’s why make them do it. At an event and see someone you want to sell to, looking lonely in a corner playing on their phone? Ask them to rescue you because you ‘hate these things- they’re so awkward,” etc Take the time to send a follow up email to every single person you connected with including one personal thing about them. “Hey Steve, it was great to meet ya last week- I couldn’t help but think of your love for the RedSox when I saw this amazing meme!” This silly email should hopefully get you on a safe sender list and now your prospecting emails won’t get sent into the abyss.
3. Follow. Through. Everything you say you’ll do- do it. Build your credibility. Commit to something simple that you know you can follow through on. Whether that’s send them the name of a TV show you think they’ll love or something more technical and related to the job. Whatever it is, never come away from a meeting with a decision maker without a ‘to-do’ that can be completed within 2 business days. This sets you up to be someone they can count on as a human in general as well as their main POC for all future projects in your wheelhouse.
I know this sounds incredibly simple/remedial, yet many of us overlook the power of rapport. If you and your competitors all ‘sell widgets and it’s the service and support that makes the difference’ (a line I hear ad nauseum) then you must set yourself up as the person who will always provide that service and support- no matter what the environment is.
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