Best question yesterday = worst question today
BY TERRY L. BROCK
Technology/marketing specialist
The other day I had a great Skype video catch-up with Simon Hazeldine, a good buddy of mine who lives in England. Simon is a well-known expert on selling and marketing, not only in the UK but in Europe and other parts of the world.
Simon said something casually that I found amazing. In the sales books of yore (you remember those, right?) it was often advocated that job applicants or salespeople (they are both selling) establish rapport by making small talk. It was often recommended that the job candidate or salesperson ask something like, “So, tell me a little about your business and what you do here. What types of customers do you have?” The idea was to get more information about the company so that you could better tailor your presentation to their needs.
Good question yesterday. Worst question today.
If someone were sitting in front of a hiring manager or buyer in a corporation and heard that type of question today, they would be justified in terminating the interview and encouraging the potential new hire or salesperson to get to know the 21st century.
You can probably guess where this is going, and you would be right — partially. Yes, we need to do our due diligence on Google and other online sources. However, today we have to go even more in-depth. This means that we need to tap into social media, particularly into services such as LinkedIn and Facebook, where you can learn more about someone. You not only want to know about their business, you also really want to know more about the person. Find out about their beliefs, their education, their hobbies, etc. This way you’ll be able to stand out from the crowd by showing that:
• You have taken the time to get to know them and their company
• You have invested time and effort (perhaps money) to go beyond the basics.
In a hotly competitive business climate, you need all the advantages you can get. The question that was admirable years ago is now a sign that you don’t know and/or don’t care about the person. Remember the old adage, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” as it is still true today.
What Simon Hazeldine said in our casual Skype call is profound. Think about how you can go more in-depth in those quality relationships that matter. Develop systems for doing more than just a quick Google search. Something like Harvey Mackay’s “Mackay 66” can assist a lot in getting to know someone.
Get the competitive advantage you need. Go beyond the basics and yes, stop asking questions from yesterday and deepen the relationship and rapport with others. It just makes good business sense today.
Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who works with businesses to generate profitable results. He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: @TerryBrock. Join Terry’s Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/SpeakerTerryBrock.