Anne Miller | November 2009

Friday, November 20, 2009

The Best Networking Question Ever

Oh, God, yet another networking event. -- and more coming with the holidays!

Elevator speech? Check.

Smile and business cards? Check

Shoes shined? Suit pressed? Look like a million bucks? Check

Objectives set? Check

Up on latest news for smart conversation? Check.

Discussion questions memorized? Check.

With everyone pretty much a networking clone by now, how do you get real interest in you?

Surprise people.

Ask this high pay-off question and watch them light up: “Tell me, what would someone have to say for me to recommend you?”

People LOVE this question. A. They feel I am really interested in helping them (I am). B. It gets them off their canned elevator speech and provides a much richer description of what they do that would really help me help them. C. Best of all, that interest in them sparks a deeper interest in what I do. A win-win all around.

Try it at your next event. Let me know how it works for you.

Recommendation: Congratulations to my pal for celebrating the 21st birthday of her best selling book on networking: "How to Work a Room" by Susan Roane.

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Friday, November 13, 2009

I'll Have What She's Having

I once heard a speaker begin his talk with “As that great philosopher (dramatic pause) Peter Pan said, “I don’t wanna grow up” and then he seamlessly linked that surprise opening to his message about the

need to get serious about the challenges facing his industry. There are many famous lines from movies and plays that you can use to get attention to your public and business presentations, particularly if your message is controversial or dry. Watch this entertaining video with over 100 examples from the movies including “Star Wars,” “The Godfather,” “The Al Jolson Story,” “Dirty Harry” and “When Harry Met Sally,” which is the source of today’s headline. How many do you recognize? Which can you use?

Watch the video.

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Ask, Don't Guess

Imagine you are presenting to three prospects. Suddenly, one starts to check his watch. The other gives attention to her Blackberry. The third just shifts in his chair. What do you do? Some people in my seminars say, "Ask a question. Get them involved." Fair enough. So, you do that and you get only perfunctory responses, no real interest. Some say, "Just keep going and hope they come back to you." Others say, "Speed up, get to the end, and get out!" I suppose that's a plan of sorts, but hardly a profitable one.

My response to the group is a question, "If you are having a conversation in a social situation and suddenly the person across the table becomes quiet, what do you say? Yes, you might ask a question. But suppose that doesn't bring them back to the discussion, then, what? Inevitably, the next answer is, "Ask what's wrong?" YES, my point exactly. That is the human thing to do. Respond to what you see. Similarly, in selling, don't play guessing games. You're dealing with people, flesh and blood people, who just happen to be buyers. When something seems suddenly amiss, you cannot fix it, unless you know what is wrong.

So, ask. In a nice way.

That could be as simple as, "I have a sense that what I'm talking about is not of interest to you now. Is that right?"

Possible answers: 1. "No, this is fascinating. Please continue." 2. "In fact, we are more interested in X" - in which case you can easily jump to that topic and regain their attention. or, 3. "No, it has nothing to do with you. I ate something that is making me ill," in which case you can ask if they wish to reschedule or not.

We live in an age of spin and manipulation. How refreshing to be treated with honesty. Ask. Be authentic. Clients will love you for that quality.

Great Book Recommendations.

Speaking of authenticity, grab this new book by Sharon Drew Morgan, "Dirty LIttle Secrets: Why Sellers Can't Sell and Buyers Can't Buy." It will radically change the way you think about how you deal with clients and how you develop business.

Need to write proposals that sell business? Take a look at Neil Sawers’s new book, How to Write Proposals, Sales Letters, and Reports. Limited time to also receive additional value added material.

Overwhelmed by how to market online? Emarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale by Ardath Albee is the book to read. Ardath is the expert, bar none, on this topic. Take your business to the next level with the wisdom and practical advice in her book.

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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Out of Business

I had a professional wake-up call recently when I met with a client to discuss possible follow-up training to a negotiating seminar we had done for her team. She mentioned her need for presentation skills and when I said I could help her with that, she replied, “Oh, I am working with someone else for presentations training. I didn’t know you did that.” Didn't know? How could that be? I have written books on presenting, consulted on a zillion presentations across many industries, run hundreds of training and coaching sessions for people from groups of junior and seasoned reps to CEOs going out on road shows. And she didn’t know????

Well, shame on me. I reviewed all my materials from my business cards to my website and realized it was easy for her not to know the range of services I provide. I had obviously fallen down on marketing. So I changed everything, even my email signature, to explicitly describe the value I believe I bring to clients. Now, if someone doesn’t hire me, it won’t be because they didn’t know what I do.

Keeping clients aware of what you do is a real challenge. Eileen Sutton took this one step further and recently sent this email to her clients. I love it because it is brief, it is friendly, and it works.

Dear Anne,

Sometimes we don't let our inner circle know of our achievements.

So far this year, I've positioned a private-equity firm, a $20B asset-management firm, a Latin American investment bank, and a cash-management firm representing 300 banks nationally.

If you're aware of a financial firm that's in the market for a clearer, more profitable identity, perhaps I can help. My new brochure is attached, and consultations are complimentary. Thanks so much for your time.

Happy to help in any way in return. Let me know.

Very best,

Eileen

How are you reminding your clients and network about your current services?

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