I knew a sales person who was completely focused on how to open. Whether she was planning a presentation, a meeting, or an email, she wanted to grab her audiences attention. She want to make sure they were on the edge of their seat. She believed that people only respond to flamboyant, extravagant claims ("Company XYZ earned $2million in one week and you can too"). She like loud - volume, colors, ideas, anything.
The trouble was, she was trying to sell a service based on expertise and trust. She was trying to show corporate prospects that her firm would add value, but she was behaving like a huckster.
After a few conversations, I learned she had only recently been moved into a sales role. Further, I realized her entire frame of reference for "marketing" was infomercials and email blasts. In her mind, that's what worked, and that's what marketing was.
The funny (or sad) thing was that when she was actually working with her clients, she was entirely different. She conveyed authority and expertise; she challenged their thinking respectfully and profoundly. She was the elusive "trusted adviser."
She was greatly valued by her clients, so her company wanted to put her in front of potential clients. And to everyone's chagrin, she morphed into a frenetic combination of Ron Popeil, Billy Mays, and Jerry Lewis. Well, perhaps I exaggerate.
But her focus on how to OPEN made it unnecessary to consider how to CLOSE. She never got that far. She did grab their attention - in the worst possible way.
What about you? Do you try to grab the audience by the throat or take them by the hand? Do you get a better response when you shout or when you whisper? What is the right balance of sizzle and steak?
The trouble was, she was trying to sell a service based on expertise and trust. She was trying to show corporate prospects that her firm would add value, but she was behaving like a huckster.
After a few conversations, I learned she had only recently been moved into a sales role. Further, I realized her entire frame of reference for "marketing" was infomercials and email blasts. In her mind, that's what worked, and that's what marketing was.
The funny (or sad) thing was that when she was actually working with her clients, she was entirely different. She conveyed authority and expertise; she challenged their thinking respectfully and profoundly. She was the elusive "trusted adviser."
She was greatly valued by her clients, so her company wanted to put her in front of potential clients. And to everyone's chagrin, she morphed into a frenetic combination of Ron Popeil, Billy Mays, and Jerry Lewis. Well, perhaps I exaggerate.
But her focus on how to OPEN made it unnecessary to consider how to CLOSE. She never got that far. She did grab their attention - in the worst possible way.
What about you? Do you try to grab the audience by the throat or take them by the hand? Do you get a better response when you shout or when you whisper? What is the right balance of sizzle and steak?
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