In the world of sales and business development, finding innovative ways to connect with your ideal prospects can often mean the difference between mediocrity and monumental success. It has been a long time since I’ve written a blog like this, but we’re taking it back to my roots because I’m going to give you five things that I have done as a producer that has absolutely changed the game and how I get in front of the ideal prospects I want to represent. Come on, let’s go talk.
You know there’s been a lot of things that I’ve done along the way that have helped me get in front of the ideal prospects, and certainly you can do things to intentionally get in front of individual accounts through prospecting. But I’m also going to make the argument. There are habits that I have and things I’ve become accustomed to that will put me in the right place at the right time.
One of the first things that I’ve done since I started in my career is I’ve always used and Invest in a tailor and bought custom suits. Now, I understand if you’re a new producer. This might not quite be in the cards yet, but that’s okay. It’s something to aspire to. I always used to buy myself a new suit when I wrote an account. That was $10,000 or more in revenue and that gave me extra motivation, in addition to the commission, to get that deal across the finish line. Not only does it make you look good, it makes you feel good, and it helps you when you’re out on the streets, but, more importantly, that tailor that you’re buying your suits from talks to other people with the money and the status to buy custom clothing, and that’s the magic. That’s who I want to be in front of. So, build yourself a relationship with a good custom clothier and then you can refer your accounts to them and vice versa, and you would be amazed at how many relationships you can build just from building your wardrobe from nothing into something spectacular.Â
The other thing that I do, and number two, is I always fly first class. If I’m going to fly somewhere, I want to be able to plug in, I want to be able to access the internet and I want to be able to keep my computer running so that I can get work done while I’m in the air. But, more importantly, I can’t tell you the number of times that I have an absolute captive audience for two to three hours on a flight because I’m next to a business owner or another salesperson that meets with business owners, and it’s helped me get in front of some of the very best accounts that I have in my book of business. It’s crazy to think that it’s that simple, but it really is, and I view it as an investment. People give me a hard time about why I fly first class, but at the end of the day, if I’m spending $1,200 on a ticket and I write $50,000, how is that a bad business decision?Â
Another one that I’m going to talk to you about is concert tickets and athletic event tickets. If you’ve ever seen the pictures that I put out on social, you’re going to know that I don’t go cheap in that area. I’m always going to buy floor seats or luxury box seats or be in the club level, and it goes back to the exact same premise. I’m going to be in a room with people I might not otherwise be in a room with, and that is going to help me build relationships with referral partners, business owners and decision makers from the types of accounts that I want to write.
The other thing that I do and I think this is really, really important this is number four. I attend fundraising events for charitable causes that mean something to me. I don’t post about it a lot on LinkedIn, but if you follow me on Facebook, you definitely know that I have a special guy in the form of my youngest son. He’s got significant special needs and we embrace that, and because my wife also works in an area that caters to people who have special needs, we are often invited to either speak or participate at local fundraisers. When I find one that resonates with our own moral compass and belief structure, I’ll typically buy a table and bring clients or invite prospects. But, more importantly, if I don’t and I only have tickets many times I’m placed at a table with who? Other business owners that are pouring back into the community. Some of the best relationships that I’ve made over the years started with complete strangers and a fundraiser with a live auction where everybody gets ramped up and we’re also competitive. We’re talking trash to each other and everything else, but we build the friendship first, and I can’t stress how important that is, I put myself in the position to make friends with people for a living.
The fifth one and I know that you may have your own brand preference, but if you’ve ever noticed, I stay a lot at the Ritz-Carlton. There’s a reason for that. Like everything else in my life, there’s a method to the madness, and what I can tell you is I know for a fact that there are at least a half dozen or more $50,000 plus revenue accounts from my book of business that have started as a quick talk in the pool or laying in the chair next to somebody at the Ritz-Carlton who asks what do you do for a living? I’ve always been of the mindset that if you ask me what I do for a living, you deserve to hear the answer, and so I give it to them. And by staying in the Ritz Carlton again, I’m with people who have the ability to afford that and stay there. But if I spend $1,500 for three nights and it’s $4,500 to close, 50,000 plus, how is that a difficult business decision?Â
Sometimes it’s as simple as you putting faith in your own ability to open opportunities, start relationships and then nurture them over time, ultimately leading to revenue. But you can’t do it if you’re just sitting at the computer doing lead research. I understand and fully subscribe to cold call marketing drops and know everything you can about a list of prospects. But I also believe if you’re successful there, you can only multiply your ability to get in front of those people if you put yourself where they’re at.Thanks for paying attention and do me a favor. Leave some comments down below. Tell me if you think I’m nuts. Tell me if you think I’m onto something. I know my bank account says I am, but I want to hear what you have to say.
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