Celebrating Anniversaries. Such an odd title for a
sales
tip...and yet, since this month contains a
couple of anniversaries that are very special to me, I
figured - why not?
Anniversaries are special times in people's lives.
Just as the sweetest sound to a person is his name,
the most special dates in his life are anniversaries -
his own birthday, those of his spouse and
children, his wedding, etc.
Knowledge of these special dates can also be a tool
in your sales
arsenal. Want to solidify a relationship with a client?
Remember his birthday! One of my clients - the
owner of an insurance agency - marveled at how I
remembered not only his birthday,
but also those of his three employees I had
trained more than six months prior (OK Robert, the
cat's out
of the bag now - they were posted, together with
those of all your other employees, on the wall in your
kitchen area!). Now, care to guess who he turns to
whenever new staff he brings
on needs to be trained? That's right - moi! And
managers, think about
how much motivational mileage you'll get out of
(surprise) birthday gifts for your salespeople, and
how
that will translate into increased sales by them.
ACTION ITEM
Salespeople, next time you're with a customer,
casually inquire when his or her birthday is.
Then put a tickler in your contact management
system, reminding you to send him or her a card.
Then be sure to send it. Managers, start by taking a
walk down to Human Resources and get the
birthdays of all your direct reports. Calendar them
likewise, and then do something to acknowledge the
person's big day when it arrives. Then savor the
surprised and appreciative responses you get, which
will most assuredly result in more business from
customers, and greater enthusiasm and productivity
from your staff!
Good Selling!
