Is there a need to develop rapport when you meet a potential client?

Of course there is, but are you doing it properly?

I remember a sales course years ago that said when you go into someone’s office you should find something interesting to talk about. Years later I walked into a business executive’s office (frankly unprepared) and noticed a particular picture on the wall, so I decided to ask about the picture. It was then that I realized how tough that this appointment was going to be. The man I was talking to me called me out on my fake interest in his life.

I know that every interview should begin with an icebreaker, but are we choosing the right type?

Do you ask about the local sports team? What if they are not interested in that?

Do you talk about the weather? Is this too boring?

What if you asked them a question about something of personal interest (for example their business or their industry)? This will work if you are prepared in advance for any answer they might give.

Doesn’t this make sense?

Are you missing a piece of the puzzle? ‏

I hope you found my subject line intriguing? This is because what I am going to address today is very important to each and every business. It is the difference between mechanical marketing and expressive marketing.

Mechanical marketing uses tricks, bribes and schemes to attract the quick sale and is very easy to execute. Expressive marketing is all about getting your potential clients to understand how your products and services will make a significant difference in their lives. It is all about how your offering is different than what your competition offers. Due to this you might also find it intriguing to discover that expressive marketing will jet-propel you to success you’ve never experienced before.

Why can I state that? It is because ‘Expressive Marketing’ is based on proven truths that we have uncovered in our research. Mechanical marketing is like throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping that some of it will stick.

All of the benefits of ‘Expressive Marketing’ can be yours by contacting me, so that we can explore the possibilities. My number is 519-539-2267.

Who are you trying to appeal to with your marketing?

This is a very important question you need to answer. This is because there are in my opinion 4 types of idea adapters or buyers. Depending on your product or service you really need to know who these idea buyers are.

The 4 types of buyers are: early adopters, the practical, the unadventurous and the stragglers.

The early adopters and the stragglers each combine for about 50% of buyers. The practical and unadventurous are the other 50%.

The early adopters love to be positively differentiated by what they purchase. The stragglers are the 'lazy bones' people who may or may not get around to purchasing.

The practical and the unadventurous are the average people that occupy the center if you were looking at a bell curve. The challenge with these people is that they are the price checkers and they will try to get ‘blood out of a stone’.

Now you have to choose who you want to work with. I know whom I choose.

Is what you are doing remarkable?

Over the years I’ve come across what I consider interesting questions. I call them interesting questions because they caused me to think about the way I do business. What follows are 9 questions that should help you grow as a business. I came up with some of these and would like to give credit to the other questions but I am not sure who created them.

Is what you are doing remarkable? To answer this I will give you some questions to ask yourself;

• Have you abandoned yesterday’s tactics?
• Are all your clients excited about what you are doing?
• Do you do all you can in your pursuit of being remark-able.
• Are your products or services ‘marketing to the edge’?
• Are you absolutely sure that you can’t please everyone?
• Have you been first in anything in your industry or business sector?
• Are you pleased that you don’t follow the followers?
• Do you continually re-invent the processes and tactics of your business?
• Are a few people amazed at how unique your business is?

If you have answered yes to every one of those questions, how come you haven’t gone public with an Initial Public Offering? The reason is, is that you think you are remark-able and your customers don’t.

If you want to take your business to the next level – call me at 519-539-2267.

Do your clients have a number?

If you run a top-notch company you probably do have client numbers. The key question though is – do you treat your client’s like numbers?

How much do you know about your client’s? Do you know their hobbies? Do you know their spouse’s name? Do they have any children?

Why do I think getting to know your clients on a personal level is important? I want you to consider this story. I man purchased a small and failing company that made envelopes in 1959. He has grown this business to a $100 million business employing approximately 600 people. This company is now one of the U.S.’s major envelope manufacturers. One of the chairman’s business philosophies is practiced everyday by the staff. That is to deliver more than you promise. This is achieved by getting to know your clients.

The company’s chairman is Harvey McKay and he believes strongly in really knowing his clients. If it has worked for him you may be interested to see the questionnaire that he developed for their clients.

Here is the link maybe you can use it in your company.

http://www.harveymackay.com/pdfs/mackay66.pdf