James Bond Like Marketing Tip

You go through the check list as M asked you back at the HQ. You have the car, the suit and a million dollar dazzling smile, but did you really scope all the vantage points, James?

During the weekend, Q from IT delivered a PowerPoint presentation so peppered with gizmos it would make a Swiss Army knife blush. The question is: Will it hold the audience captive in awe or will they drown in endless bottles of EVIAN? Shaken not stirred.

Prior to adventuring into unknown territories – aka The Big Sales Presentation with the Clients, any agent knows that gathering as much information possible about the target is crucial to his survival.

This includes business needs, strengths & weaknesses, competitive analysis; the target’s likes & dislikes. Only if you could discover some really good information that will give you that unequivocal advantage over all your competitors. The rest of the agents will be so jealous back at the HQ.

Well James – you’re in luck. Today I’ll share with you some information obtained from an old agent guy I used to know. This little gem will make you appear at client meetings as confident as 007 in a room full of bad guys.

Several years ago I was working with a distinguished and polite gentleman – let’s call him – Agent 006. He was the company’s champion, the Quintessential Sales Guru, the Zig Ziegler of the deal closing, the…well – you know what I mean. He was good. He was the best. He not only acquired the most clients in the company but he kept the majority of them even after downsizing, mergers, acquisitions, etc.

I was intrigued, like many others in the office, by his constant success and invited him to lunch hoping he’ll open up and share the secret. I didn’t want to look pushy, so I nudged the conversation little by little towards – “How in the world are you able to build up your portfolio with so many loyal clients?”

Smiling and very nonchalantly he knew were I was going with this and opened up almost immediately:

“The first thing I do when prospecting a new client is to find out who is the decision maker” – he stated.

“OK…makes sense – but that’s what everyone else is doing. What’s so great about that?” – I asked, anxiously wanting to get to the heart of the matter.

“Wait…wait” – he said calmly. “Do you think these people turn their minds off once they walk out of that office? Don’t you think they often share with their wives stuff that’s going on at work? Let me ask you this: What’s the first thing your wife asks you when you sit at the dinner table?”

“Well…she asks how my day was…what’s new at the office…stuff like that” – I replied still not sure what this had to do with anything.

“Exactly!” – he said victoriously. “And doesn’t she always offer some advice; doesn’t she tell you her opinion one way or the other? And don’t you some times take her advice because you trust her judgment? After all she married you, so her thought pattern is not off, is it?”

“Yeah…so?!” – I asked.

“Well – don’t you agree that sometimes the wife can influence the outcome of a sales pitch?” – he concluded folding the napkin.

That was amazing. I never thought of that!

He proceeded to explain that he tries to find out what the clients’ other half likes, what does she enjoy and what are the hot buttons he can push to get to know the client on a personal level; to befriend the client and to sell yourself first before you sell the company’s services or products.

“Maybe I can make a donation to her favorite charity; or buy them dinner at a high class restaurant. I go as far as finding out if their favorite band is in town for a concert and I buy them tickets” – he completed the picture.

Find that hot button and push it intelligently without crossing into non-professional territories, and you got yourself a loyal client who will cherish every phone call you make or any piece of information you send him.

A successful sales or marketing professional will go to the edge to close a deal and if you do your homework, the result will amaze you. Finding the prospect’s need is a talent and requires sometimes a more unorthodox approach, just like the one described above.

Creative marketers will have the keen eye to recognize the need, address it and satisfy it entirely.

 Claudiu Geanta is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Design by Satori Inc. & Satori CG Inc.. He helps businesses promote their presence on and off line. He is also an accomplished web designer, book writer and photographer. You can follow him on Twitter.
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