Consider the companies that have purchased from you. There are influential individuals in these companies, which are not your primary contacts who have profited from what they bought from you. They are the people you can request referrals or information about upcoming projects or cross-sells.
There are people from associations, consultants as well as within your own company who have benefitted by working alongside you. They can make introductions to executives who are challenging to reach.
There are some people you’ve won over through your sales presentation that appreciate the advantages your sales could bring. These could be the coaches who introduce you and then move you to the top of the decision tree and provide crucial tips on how you can impress their bosses.
They are the members of Your Golden Network who can be employed to increase the value.
Common Situation
Salespeople are hesitant or uneasy asking others to help them make introductions regardless of how close their connection is. In some selling situations, they might even think it’s not needed to make a move to their first contact. The salesperson gets trapped with a gatekeeper or with one of the decision-making. The result is limited information on how to make the deal, loss of control over the person, and no chance to have an impact on the other executives in the decision-making process.
Here are some suggestions to help you change the situation.
Prepare Yourself
1. Make a list of accounts that you’ve sold. Who were the people you collaborated with? Who were the managers who they worked for? What other departments benefitted from your help, and who were their bosses? These are ideal potential candidates to join your Golden Network. Connect with these individuals. They have benefited from your efforts. They’ll assist you in moving to the next level and even out if you are willing to ask.
2. 2. Ask these individuals to introduce you to other people like their boss, colleagues in different divisions, and individuals they have met in various companies. This is the best way to successfully market yourself and avoid cold calls. If you’re working on another cross-sell or sale, you can ask the prospect for details to help you make your sale, i.e., what is required to win the sale and what steps do I need to take to insure it.
3. Be specific with regards to the name or kind of person you’d like to introduce yourself to. Don’t expect to be introduced to any person, and you don’t want to let them choose whom to present you to. Be specific in what you’re looking for. You don’t need just things that are sold to you by a company. You want to know the inside story. Don’t get bashful about asking. You deserve it, and they are aware of it.
4. Contact your contact for details about the business of who you’d love to get to know, i.e., what issues or problems their bosses, managers, etc., are having in relation to your business or sale?
5. After they have agreed to introduce you to them, tell them what they think of you. You can ask them to bring you through the door for a face-to-face exchange. Don’t be a slave to or settle for names. Names are very ineffective. Words aren’t enough to get you via voicemails, nor do they give your recipient a reason to contact you again. Contact your Golden Network contacts to take the extra step on your behalf.
6. Consider the companies you’d like to join that are members of the professional organizations you belong to. Request members of associations you know to introduce you to employees of the companies you’ve chosen to make introductions.
7. Plan your attack. Which companies do you want to get into? Do you ask yourself and the people who are on the Golden Network who you or have a connection with that matches the profile of your ideal contact? Make a practice of what you’ll say when you invite them to introduce you, and practice how you’d like to introduce yourself.
Implement these actions, and you’ll have contacts that aid you in filling your sales funnel with quality leads. Contact those in your Golden Network people for critical information about sales. Your sales will become so effortless that you’ll be convinced it’s magical.
