Start a Relationship with this Guide
Written by Dave Lorenzo on August 8, 2016 / Emotional Connection
Start a relationship with this guide:
Hello
I’m Dave.
I like long walks on the beach and romantic dinners.
Want to get married?
No. No. You cannot start a relationship with that as a guide.
That is the WRONG way to start a relationship.
Yet most business people try to start a relationship in exactly that way.
They walk up to you, introduce themselves, and ask you to do business with them.
Some sales professionals are worse.
They walk up to you. Try to make small talk. And then twitch uncontrollably as they launch into their “pitch.”
It would be funny if it didn’t happen so often.
Here is the right way to start a relationship:
First: Identify the Right Person
This sounds basic but most people miss this key point. You should decide who you want to meet based upon what you can do for them.
Wow. Think about that for a moment.
It’s called having an external orientation.
If you can help someone (or better yet put money in his pocket) he will be receptive to your message.
Second: Get Introduced
These days, between social media and email, there are a number of ways to identify people with whom you share a connection.
Walking up to a stranger is difficult because 1). The person doesn’t know you 2). The person doesn’t like you and 3). The person doesn’t trust you.
If you are introduced, you bypass those three hurdles.
This happens because you immediately benefit from the likability and trust your target has invested in the person who is introducing you.
Third: Establish Rapport
Talk about things you have in common with your new friend. Community activities, family activities, sports teams and events in the news are all great topics many of us have in common. You can spend a few minutes doing research in advance and pick a couple of topics or you can let this happen naturally.
Fourth: Introduce Your Opportunity to Help
Now you are ready to become fast friends. Find a person to whom you can introduce your new friend. Ask about this potential introduction in advance (just in case your new friend has an issue with this opportunity).
Make a time certain commitment to make this introduction.
Finally: Follow-Up with the Introduction
Make the introduction between the two parties. This will help you cement your relationship with your new friend. If you really want to establish yourself as a “go-to” person, introduce your new friend to a few people before you ask him for a favor.
This may seem like a great deal of work. In fact, you may not want to go through all of this work just to develop a new relationship.
But that thinking is what is holding you back right now.
Stop thinking about why this won’t work and follow these simple steps.
Your business and your bank account will reap the rewards.
If you want some additional info on how to build your business, check out these articles:
How Sales Pros Get Paid Faster
Everyone likes more money. Did you know you can get it faster? You can.
Want to become the next big thing in sales? This article introduces some great qualities you can adopt in order to grow your business and grow as a sales professional.
Sell More by Letting Go of the Past
Don’t get hung up open what happened yesterday. Focus on your activity and your future will shape up a you desire.