Good morning!
Whenever someone tells me that they’ve landed a big account, I ask two questions:
- “How long did it take you to go from start to finish?” And…
- “How did you get in?”
The answer to the first question is always 18 months or longer. Always.
The answer to the second question is always a story.
Contrary to popular belief and mythical tales from sales trainers like me, Big Fish are not reeled in to the boat via the RFQ. It’s rare that I hear someone tell me they bid on a package, had the lowest price, and landed the account. Moreover, it goes like this…
“Well, I sit on the vestry at church and got talking to the guy next to me who, as it turns out, works at Humongous Corporation.”
Or…
“I was watching my daughter play softball and noticed the name on another dad’s golf shirt was a company I’ve been trying to get into for long time. Recently, he played at their golf tournament and was able to make an introduction.”
For all of the talk I do about persistence and diligence and the need to deliver a strong message, very often it comes down to a friendly conversation with a casual acquaintance. In some circles, this might even be known as “luck.”
What about you? You want to get lucky? Start talking. Chances are pretty good that you know someone who knows someone who once worked with the cousin of a guy whose sister got into a fender bender and met the wife of the top decision-maker at Enormous Opportunity, Inc. But you’ll never make that connection until you start a conversation.
Look, Facebook is great for finding long lost high school friends and learning about the political opinions of relatives, but you aren’t really connected with someone until you start talking. You’ll learn the most amazing things and hey, you might even get lucky!
