I went for a walk recently and this hilarious dog decided I should play ball with him. The thing is I don't do 'ball' especially wet, slobber covered tennis balls. He was very persistent and continued to drop and throw it at me as I walked on. I couldn't help but laugh. This went on and on and on until I found him so cute (he did resemble Lassie) I had no choice but to throw the damn ball.
The moral 'gentle persistence’ in a playful way gets the sale. Make sure your relationship building style is more Lassie than pit bull.
My top 3 tips;
1. Work out your Pareto Principle - 80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients. Do you know who they are? Who is bringing in 80% of your business and what was the last thing you did to recognise them.
2. Statistics show there is a 9-18 month incubation period between when someone first comes into contact with us (or our brand) and when they will contact us (or have a need for your product or service). Be mindful of this and be patient, consistent and tenacious when it comes to staying in touch with clients.
3.Touch points; in the 9-18 months you must be staying in touch and I don’t mean stalking or harassing people. You need to have permission by opening a relationship and genuinely connecting. You might do this by catching up for a coffee, making a phone call that isn't about selling, or connecting online through social networks. The important thing is to build a relationship so when they are ready you’re still around.
Now remember to make sure your relationship building style is more Lassie than pit bull.