The Chocolate Factor

Companies vary in their approach to turning prospects into clients. Some may use expensive media kits; others use simple business cards. No matter what the medium, marketing materials should achieve one primary goal: to help your sales force build relationships with your prospects.

Finding new prospects is critical. Many companies are competing for the same dollars, and more customers are seeking ways to cut spending. Cold calling is critical to assure continued growth. The only problem is that most good salespeople hate cold calling.

Is it as simple as asking your sales force to dig up new leads? Maybe not. The greatest weakness of most sales people is that they hate to cold call. Admittedly, uninvited sales people can be an intrusion. That, in a nutshell, is why even your top producers hate to cold call in person.

There’s a way to get around this: make your new contact feel compensated for the few minutes you will take from him/her. Give them something.

The power of chocolate.

It always amazes me that a decision-maker, whose hourly worth is can only be estimated, is willing to spend 15 minutes with me for a piece of chocolate. (Dove chocolate is highly recommended). But it’s not the chocolate that wins that few minutes. It's the unusual act of consideration. The chocolate is just a token of thanks. A simple thanks and brief apology for interrupting is nothing more than good manners. Ask if you can drop by next week sometime to talk for a few minutes. Leave your card. It works.

Consideration for the new prospect is paramount - and it’s the first part of relationship building. For good selling, you must meet the buyer where they are emotionally and what matters most to them. At the moment of your first meeting, what matters most to the buyer is time - and you’re taking it. So be brief, and be considerate. It's a great foundation on which to build a long-term business relationship.