|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Monday, 19 May 2008 20:11 |
|
By Mike Marchev ...Why are the most meaningful messages the most personal? And painful? Because they are. - So as not to bore you with the specifics, let it suffice to say that I gave myself another
- personal wake-up call last week. I hate when that happens but if there is any truth that
- life is a journey and not a destination, I am having one hell-of-va joy ride. (Yes, I did type "hell-of-va")
-
- Last week a Speaker's Bureau I do business with put me on to a hot lead and asked me to
- call the would-be clients for a quick phone interview. I did. In haste. I reacted. I was wrong.
-
- You have all heard me recite my favorite mantra that "speed wins" and to practice what I preach
- I figured the faster I get to these ladies the better the position I would be in come speaker selection time.
- I called on my cell phone on route to the St. Louis Airport. They told me what they had in mind. And again,
- without gong into specifics, it was a heavy load. I responded to their request to tell them a little about me ... and what I thought.
-
- And here is today's message. I told them what I thought BEFORE getting a firm and clear understanding of who
- they were, and what they had in mind. I PULLED THE TRIGGER too quickly and shot myself in the foot. Ouch!
-
- If you have anything to do with sales, I want you to memorize, practice and adopt the following "no exceptions"
- protocol the next time you find yourself speaking to a potential client:
-
- "DO NOT SPEAK YOUR MIND UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE ASKED 12 QUESTIONS."
-
- If the number twelve rocks your boat, then you can insert ten. No fewer than ten questions will be accepted.
- You see, there was one piece of the puzzle I did not know before I began to talk and this small error put a nice
- little nail in my coffin. (I hate it when I still realize I have so much to learn.)
-
- Remember, a Doctor who prescribes a medication before thoroughly understanding the
- situation is ripe for a malpractice suit. The same holds true for sales professionals.
-
- PS. Hey Mike! If you are the marketing guru, why do you still screw up?
- Because I still live in New Jersey. "Yu gotta problem wid-dat?"
-
- Seriously. You too will mess up now and then and this tells me that you are extending beyond your comfort zone.
- This is good. Just don't repeat the same mistake more than five times. (Twice is plenty)
- This will earmark you as a certified screw up. This is not good.
I like to think I learned (remembered) a very important lesson last week. Time will tell. Now get out there and have some fun doing some good this week. Summer School: I am just about to kick-off another sales & marketing group summer session. Send me an email if you are interested in learning more.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 06 June 2008 08:47 )
|
