CONNECT

Written By Jeffrey Gitomer
@GITOMER

KING OF SALES, The author of seventeen best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His live coaching program, Sales Mastery, is available at gitomer.me.

Excerpt from

Jeffrey Gitomer
‘s
Little Black Book of Connections

Do you know how to make a connection?

Besides your circle of influence (people who can make a connection for you) you must rely on yourself to make connections. Others can help you, but in the end, if they don’t help you, if they can’t help you, if they’re unwilling to help you, then you gotta help yourself.

Most salespeople are taught some form of cold calling in order to make a connection. Don’t get me started, but in my opinion, it’s the single worst way to make a true connection. It is the fastest way to make a temporary connection, but the odds of that connection lasting are one in a thousand.

The modern way is networking. And you can do it anywhere from a business after hours event to a ball game, any where from the theatre to a membership at a civic organization. Anywhere from a kid’s birthday party, to a rock concert. Someplace where other people congregate, where you might make a significant connection assuming that you are both “aware” and “prepared.”

Savvy and confident people begin with casual conversation. Engaging questions and meaningful dialog so that you can “get to know” the other person. Not all connections are powerful nor do they lead to sales. They are just connections. You never know where they will lead. You never know what will happen as a result of one person telling another person that you connected.

The object of connecting and making a connection is to make a good one. And a friendly one. You might call it a solid connection. A connection where you left a favorable impression. One that someone else might talk about after your initial connection is over. Maybe they’ll show your business card to someone else. Maybe they’ll pass along a piece of information that you shared. As you read these pages you will learn strategies and techniques to connect and engage. To be memorable in a positive way.

And in the end, to create positive word-of-mouth advertising about you. Maybe even make a sale.

Jeffrey Gitomer
is the author of The Little Red Book of Selling and The Little Red Book of Sales Answers. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on sales and customer service at www.trainone.com. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com