Hints

Part 1. Fractals.

A good rule to follow when looking for new clients is to understand that you should seek clients not one by one, but in groups.

When you have a good client, the first thing you should look at is their affiliation with specific groups. Accordingly, you should try to dig into those groups. Naturally, it makes sense to leverage this client’s access to such groups. Let’s say you provide… warehouse services. (I just looked out the window for inspiration and saw the old warehouses at the Kyiv-Moscow station.) And a client comes to you who sells… diapers. (Don’t ask where I got the inspiration from, having two kids.) A typical strategy for a warehouse owner is to sit on the platform, dangle their legs, crack sunflower seeds, and wait for a new tenant. An atypical but more effort-intensive approach would involve the following set of actions:

• Find out from the client why they ultimately chose this warehouse. What benefits did they see?
• try to identify universal benefits (for example, this is the cheapest warehouse in the city center, and an online store needs to be centrally located to navigate traffic effectively)
• Search Google for “diapers with home delivery” and find all the diaper suppliers, meet with them, and ask about the little things they would like to improve in their own warehousing solutions.
• Or, more simply, ask the client about their competitor’s friends and even find out their names right away.
• Or, even better, ask the client which of his business friends might also be interested in these warehouses.

I will talk a lot about prompts, but it’s important to understand that the way of thinking should be not linear, but fractal—branching out. Moreover, it’s beneficial to think in clusters of characteristic groups. I focus on this way of thinking before discussing prompts further. Think in clusters. Think fractally.

Let’s assume you’re not so lucky (just kidding) and you sell Oriflame cosmetics. You have a client. Ask her about her life. She is, in one way or another, consciously or unconsciously, a member of some “illegal gangs” (you know, there are legal ones too). She takes her child to the playground along with other moms. She feels alone among the residents of her building. She feels alone among her colleagues at work. She feels alone in her aerobics class. She feels alone in… why not ask her for help in getting to know the other members of these groups, rather than just one of her friends?

Do you sell ventilation systems? Did a tobacco factory purchase ventilation from you? How many other tobacco factories do you know of in the country? Did a mini-bakery buy ventilation from you? Where else are there bakeries? Where is their “nest,” where you can find a complete list of them, or where can you most often find a large concentration of bakery owners? The idea of “nesting” is useful not only in sales. For example, in recruiting, when asked where to find a “nest” of sales managers to lure them to your company, the answer is obvious — at a relevant trade show!

Part 2. Sources.

Fortunately, there aren’t many sources of leads, so I can describe them quickly.
First of allThis is your own “warm circle.” Don’t underestimate this resource, and don’t be shy about using it. However, it would be quite absurd to have a conversation over beer about which of your acquaintances might know someone to talk to about your asphalt pavers. Most likely, your friends are not connected at all to those who need asphalt pavers. However, your friends might be connected to someone who is linked to asphalt pavers. It could go something like this: Friend — foreman — company that lays asphalt. What makes such a chain particularly noteworthy? It flows against the current of obligations. The foreman “owes” your friend and maintains a good relationship with him. This means the foreman will be open to your friend’s request to meet, and your friend doesn’t risk damaging that relationship if the request happens to seem inappropriate or pushy. The same “easy path” applies from the foreman to the asphalt-laying company.

The catch is that people tend to remember their clients better than those who are their own clients. Don’t try to pry this information out too insistently. Any casual conversation that frequently shifts topics will lead you to those who are your friend’s clients.

SecondlyThese are your contacts, your potential clients. You should always approach conversations with potential clients in a way that makes them comfortable sharing who else in their network might be interested in your products/services or whose services they use in their business. Your meeting should always end on a positive note, so that your contact feels open to discussing referrals. There’s also a phenomenon where an unsuccessful meeting can leave the contact with a slight sense of guilt, which they may be willing to “atone” for by providing you with new leads. Don’t hesitate to ask for referrals from prospects who didn’t convert, but make sure you’ve built a relationship with them first.

For example, if you sell animal feed, it’s very easy to ask a farmer about his neighbors and who might be interested in talking to you. Also, you should ask the farmer where he buys, say, parts for his… automatic waterers. It’s worth meeting these people as well, since they know even more farmers. However, following up on these leads might feel a bit awkward, so it’s a good idea to approach it with a light touch.

ThirdlyThese are your existing clients. The best advertisement for your business will be your satisfied customers. It’s important to note that among these satisfied clients, there are so-called “golden” clients. These are the ones who actively empathize with you and your work and have become true fans of your business. You need to go above and beyond to become a part of their lives. Be genuine friends, know everything about them: from their dog’s birthday to why the gate at their summer house has started to creak. You won’t even need to ask these people for referrals; they will offer them to you on their own. It will become their hobby.

In the fourth place— centers of influence.
A typical example would be the head of the agricultural management in the area if your clients are farmers. The head of the tax office if your clients are accountants. A patron if you sell lighting fixtures and microphones, or a pastor of a Baptist congregation if you sell something for households. This doesn’t mean they should engage in open propaganda or coercion; however, they have influence over people, and those people will respond positively to a subtle request to meet with you.

In fifth place— those whose clients you are. But only if your suppliers provide something useful for both you and your potential clients. Talk to the company that sells you office supplies, for example. Or with the company that services your air conditioners. How exactly to talk — see below.

Did I miss any other category of sources for leads? Let me know. In any case, leads only come from those who know you personally, and quite well at that. Maintain and nurture these connections. Be a “networking” person. Check out the movie “ Sincerely yours “, as a guide for action.

Lemmon: The leads are weak.
Baldwin: The leads are weak. The fuckin’ leads are weak? You’re weak. I’ve been in this business 15 years …
Harris: What’s your name?
Baldwin: Fuck you, that’s my name. You know why mister? Cause you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove an 80,000 dollar BMW. That’s my name. (To Lemmon) And your name is you’re wanting. You can’t play in the man’s game, you can’t close them? Then go home and tell your wife your troubles. Because only one thing counts in this life. Get them to sign on the line which is dotted. You hear me you fuckin’ faggots.

Glengarry Clen Ross

Part Three. Cue Generators.

This will be a slight deviation from the main theme of the series of posts, but it’s worth pausing here, as it presents a significant practical interest due to the “mechanistic” nature of the process.

If we include in the definition of “lead” contacts whose temperature is slightly above room temperature, that is, contacts with whom we should reach out ourselves, having some fabricated reason or knowing that the contact potentially has a need for your services.

The positive aspects of such contacts include:

• The possibility of mass generation — “the hint machine”
• The ability to “assign” a seller. Why waste a seller’s precious time searching for clients when you can provide them with a list and ask for a report?
• The salesperson perceives leads more positively than cold contacts. I experimented and, as “leads,” I simply provided excerpts from the phone directory. The quality of sales was 30-40% higher than with cold calls. This means that the salesperson’s confidence is also worth money. However, such experiments shouldn’t be put into practice, and it’s important to maintain confidence with real leads.
• The ability to assess the effectiveness of the “channel” for obtaining leads and to factor in the cost of leads in the overall sales and marketing expenses.
• The ability to tell new recruits that they won’t have to look for new clients — we have a database.

To the negative

• “They’re ‘closer now, but still just as cold.’”
• They cost money. One way or another.

Now regarding the possible ways of existence of the “machine” for guidance:

First“whatever comes to mind”
Some lists of potential clients share common traits that indicate they may have a need for our product. For example, if you sell children’s vacation packages for camps, you could visit sports clubs and talk to the coaches. Coaches have the addresses and phone numbers of all the parents of the children who attend the classes. You can even spice up a phone conversation by saying, “I heard that your Anton is training in the judo section.”

This category also includes lists of various municipal and government services. For example, diaper manufacturers have long been targeting maternity hospitals. Can you get a list of companies with phone numbers and names of participants from a relevant exhibition? Great. If you need to sell an air filtration system, go to the nearest environmental inspection office for a list of “polluting” enterprises. And so on.

Secondwhich clearly stems from the first — a parallel business.
Is there a business whose clients are the same as yours? Do you sell cement? Who sells bricks? Do you sell super vacuums? Who sells carpets? Do you sell human organs? What about the nearest hospital and the nearest morgue?

Third— cross-selling.
Many companies are trying to implement cross-selling strategies, believing that since customers have purchased product A from them, thenthat’s exactly whyThey need to buy product B as well. Sure, of course. I’ve never seen cross-selling work effectively. Okay, let me rephrase that: I’ve never seen it work the way it was expected to. Why? Because the names of existing customers are a more valuable resource than a list for cold calls. You can easily lose loyalty by entrusting customer relationships to robots and scripts. However, if you understand from the start that your customers are not obligated to buy anything else from you, and treat your list of existing customers as a source of “barely warm” contacts, then everything will go much better.

This works especially well when you’re selling a mass-produced cheap product or a product/service that is sold as an add-on to something else, and it hardly brings you any profit. In other words, you’re not afraid of losing the customer. However, you do have their name and phone number. Just don’t start the call by saying that you’re calling because they bought something from you. The customer will conclude, “I won’t be buying anything more.”

Fourth— BTL.
If you work with individuals, especially as a local supplier, BTL promotions would be a great fit for you.
For example, you photograph people strolling in the city park on a holiday and promise to give them the photo for free at your office the next evening. It would also be a good idea to provide a motivational questionnaire for them to fill out. This way, as they answer the questions, they start to think about the benefits they could gain from purchasing your product or service.

Walk around the trade show, handing out beautiful helium balloons in exchange for business cards.
Distribute discount coupons for new adult diapers in the neurosurgery department of the hospital. I hope the readers will forgive my dark humor.

Fifth.— contact center
This could be either an external contact center, where you simply pay for leads. Moreover, you can specify the level of warmth of these leads—ranging from a cold list to a list that has already been called and where potential interest in a meeting has been established. “Mechanical” scripts are ineffective, but what does it matter to you how many calls were made if you are paying for ready contacts, and the staff at the contact center are just working in their free time?

This could be your own contact center that calls using VERY WELL PREPARED scripts and is VERY WELL TRAINED to talk to existing clients about who else in their circle might benefit from your services. This is very convenient, for example, for internet service providers.

Please, enhance this post, show your creativity and initiative, and suggest some additional “generators” of leads. People will find it interesting. Share with your experience! it’s worth it It stands. !

Categories of prompts.
Now a bit of “botany.”

I category “Cutlet, steak”
Your referrer personally calls the future client and arranges for you to meet. This is a golden recommendation, and you should always strive to get one. You likely have people who are rooting for you and occasionally help you with leads and more. Don’t hesitate to explain to them the difference between you calling yourself and being in the position of the recommended person. They will understand and will try to make the call themselves, at the very least saying something nice about you and asking the client to listen or help. However, there is an unpleasant side to this type of recommendation. Over time, you may find yourself rejecting any other forms of recommendations, considering them less acceptable. “It’s not good to ask for it.” However, this is a false inconvenience, which can be summed up as “the money counting machine is broken.”

Category II “Shoulder, Hip”
Your referee will call the future client and inform them about your call. Often, such a good recommendation can come from a “third-rate” source, where the referee is hesitant to mention themselves as a recommender and tends to leave you with just a name and phone number. This transformation can be easily achieved through the following dialogue:

- I understand you; you don't want your name mentioned, do you?
- Yes, exactly. I don't know how this person will react to your proposals.
- Maybe it's worth calling this person now or later and asking for their permission? This way, you'll show them that you value them and aren't just passing their contact information around, and on the other hand, you'll be acting with integrity?
- Maybe...
- What did you say his name is?
-Sergey Petrovich.
- Do you think it would be appropriate to call him right now and just hear his response?
- Why not!

Of course, your referee will be involved in such a conversation.to justify…and therefore, his request won’t sound like this: “Hey, you don’t need any vacuum cleaners, right? Well, I’m thinking the same.” Most likely, it will be something like: “Sergey Petrovich, I’m talking to an interesting young man. He’s asking me to recommend someone else he could talk to… oh, he sells vacuum cleaners… yeah, not bad, I bought one for myself… seems decent. So, will you help him out? He’ll call you himself.” Additionally, recommendations of the second category work when looking for those who are “in the know,” meaning those who owe something to the recommender or those whose client the recommender is.

Category III “Shin, calf”
The client allows for a reference to be made to him. The broth is certainly rich, but the meat is tough. A reference to an acquaintance is a great way to keep the “thread” of a phone call and avoid a quick refusal for a meeting over the phone. Sometimes, however, there are mishaps when the person being recommended remembers the referrer “not too kindly,” while the referrer is completely unaware of it.

Category IV: “By-products”
Name and phone number. What generosity! To ensure that this isn’t just “a name and a number,” but at least something more substantial, it’s worth learning a bit more about the person or business they represent. If your referee doesn’t allow you to mention them, then absolutely do not do so. Don’t let down those who have placed their trust in you. By the way, a general note—keep your referee updated about your contacts. Thank them, involve them in the process, and make them root for you. This will lead you to new recommendations. The best option would be to elevate your referees to the first category—people who always think of you. Casually. Just at the right moment, your name will ring a bell in their minds.
By the way, the fifth category is problematic because when you call a potential client, you might easily get the question, “Who gave you my phone number?” And what will you do then? It’s better to work with the next category instead.

Category V: “Dog meat, chopped together with the kennel”
You are given not specific leads, but ideas. Where to go, what to ask, whom to inquire, and which category of people to pay attention to. Such leads often come from those “golden” recommenders. They simply refresh your creative stagnation. Don’t dismiss them. Yes, for you, they are essentially a source of cold contacts. However, consider the potential of entering a new group for yourself. Inside the group, they look at each other, check in, and consult one another. They recommend each other. You might find a niche for yourself where you can thrive for the rest of your days.

Did I miss anything in the categories of hints?

Then, ahead of us awaits:

• general recommendations,
• techniques,
• working with objections.

General Recommendations The most important thing to understand is that in order to be recommended, you should behave in a way that makes people want to recommend you. There are many general recommendations, and one post won’t be enough to cover them all. Let’s start in order.

The most important thing to understand is that people don’t necessarily have to recommend you. It’s enough for them to recommend you to others.

The key question is, “Would you recommend…”me.For someone, it will raise suspicion and an internal assessment, among which discomfort arises from the fact that your recommender is, in a way, taking on responsibility for something. Moreover, you are essentially asking someone to promote your product. Very few people feel comfortable in sales. Hardly anyone would feel at ease delivering a monologue over a bottle of beer like, “By the way, I bought this _____. It’s great. Do you want me to recommend where to get it?”

The question “А не порекомендуете ли вы” can be translated as “Would you recommend…”me.“Who else can I turn to?” brings both the feelings of the recommender and the essence of the conversation to a completely different level.

2. Imagine a proctologist.He sits down with his phone, opens the contacts list, and starts calling everyone, offering hemorrhoid treatment. How many new clients do you think he will find in a day of work? And does the proctologist look good when he bluntly asks a patient if any of their acquaintances also have hemorrhoids?

It is precisely such considerations, less picturesque, of course, that lead to the fact that sellers simply…are shyto get recommendations. They rely on grateful patients to share everywhere how well they cured their hemorrhoids with Dr. Ivanov. An even more naive hope, it seems to me. Therefore, all the methods of obtaining recommendations will be mentally assessed “on the proctologist” to evaluate how “shameful” a particular method of getting recommendations is.

To truly receive recommendations and take them correctly, behave like a doctor, not like a peddler at a market.

3. The last general recommendation) When following the advice, you need to be an absolutely perfect salesperson.You must never cause discomfort to the client with your presence. However, it is certainly worth causing discomfort due to the absence of a product. It would be a disaster if your prospective client calls the referrer and asks, “Who did you send to me?” Therefore, it is also important to maintain constant communication with the referrer and keep them informed about the status of the prospective client, their reactions, the progress you have made, and so on. The way your referrer reflects on the situation will determine whether they will provide new recommendations and whether your next client will also give you referrals. They communicate, and surely, they talk about you as well.

I will deviate from the topic of “general recommendations” to gradually start discussing specific techniques. I will alternate between “general recommendations” and “techniques.” As long as these two topics are not exhausted, I will not move on to the question of “handling objections.”

Techniques for Obtaining Recommendations

The very first technique I want to talk about is called“Payment in advance.”Why is that? Well, I named it that way, and now that’s what it’s called 🙂

The essence of the technique is that at the beginning of the meeting, during the rapport-building phase, you immediately offer the client an explanation of your role and your goals: “Ivan Ivanovich, before we start our conversation, I would like to clarify how I work. The essence of my job is to find new clients and earn a commission for the deals. If we come to an agreement and what I offer suits you, I will receive a commission from the deal. The consultations I provide for you are free of charge. However, I would like to propose a deal. If you like what we discuss, I will ask for your help in finding new clients, agreed?”

On one hand:

• We kind of “reveal our cards” — we let the client understand that we are being honest with them, even though, in fact, we aren’t sharing anything new or groundbreaking.
• We address the client’s “internal objection,” which sounds like, “I’ll buy it, and he’ll profit from it,” by explicitly acknowledging this fact.
• We engage the client’s conscience by mentioning the free consultations. For a good service, the client will be willing to pay, even if it is free. How to pay? By purchasing or providing a reciprocal service.

On the other hand, we “drop an anchor” that we can hold onto at the end of the meeting. After we ensure that the client is satisfied with their purchase or the meeting itself, has gained clear benefits from it, and understands that their time was well spent (and we will confirm this by asking direct questions like “Did you enjoy it?”), we will say the following: “Ivan Ivanovich, as I mentioned, my job is to find new clients. Do you think someone you know would benefit from the information you received during our meeting?”

Of course, you can do this technique without an anchor at the beginning, and then it will simply be called “Did you like it?” – “Did you like what we just talked about?” – “Yes.”
“May I ask what exactly gives you confidence in the necessity of our service?” – Blah blah blah.
— Who do you think among your acquaintances would also benefit from talking to me?

Let’s continue discussing general recommendations.
Before that, I talked about three:
“Recommend to you.”
“To be a doctor.”
3. “To be the perfect salesperson.”

Let’s move on.

4. By following the recommendations, you will notice thatThere will be clients who are more willing to give you recommendations.There will be those who are reluctant to give them. Of course, clients from the second category need to be transitioned to the first, and the process of transitioning essentially involves establishing sincere, non-business-related relationships with them. You can start simply—by selling a mobile phone to someone, striking up a conversation, asking for their contact information, and then calling them back in a couple of months to check in on how they’re enjoying their new purchase. Just chat a bit more. If you see that your customer is “your” person, and you get along well, don’t hesitate to maintain and develop that relationship. This is the interesting aspect of sales—it’s perhaps the only business that can bring you real friends.

However, one way or another, our “capacity for friendliness” is limited, and we simply can’t be at two picnics at the same time. Therefore, we will always have those friends who bring us new business and those who don’t. I refer to these people as “golden” clients. The most interesting thing is that I have no commercial interest in them at all. Honestly, I don’t care whether they bring me new business or not. They do bring it precisely because I don’t care. It’s because I’m not fighting for superficial results and not chasing obvious benefits. I’m not boring to them, and I help them.

You should also know your “golden clients,” understand everything about their lives, and have a reason to call and chat at least once a week. They remember you. They know what you’re up to, and they drop hints for you just like you toss crumbs to the pigeons in the park. Simply because it makes them happy. And if they know what you’re living for, then you should know what they’re passionate about too. A fisherman should know everything about jigs. A role-player should know about the tactics of Roman legions. A bodybuilder should be well-versed in supplements and training techniques. A fan should know how Celtic differs from Manchester United. And so on. This will, at the very least, enrich your own inner world.

Let’s take a look at another technique for getting recommendations. (Previously, we discussed the “Money Upfront” technique.)

The next technique is called “Informing.”
It’s as simple as three kopecks and is based on the idea that your client is “on your side.” That’s why good sales are different from pushing a product. You’re working with the client, not against them.

So, you just need to tell the client that you find most of your customers through referrals. Surprise, surprise, but this is true even for “creative” spammers and telemarketers. It’s understandable, a referred client is almost already yours.

After you share the “secret” of your business with the client, you ask for their opinion on whether this method of finding is truly the best and if you are right. The client, of course, agrees. Why wouldn’t they? They probably found their dentist and tiler not through the “Avizo” newspaper either.

When the client agrees with you on this matter, a simple question asked a little later, “Who else among your acquaintances might be interested in talking to me?” will no longer provoke resistance.

The technique of “Informing” also includes a tactic where you continuously update your client on how the meeting went based on their recommendation. It’s also important to ask the client to connect with the person they recommended and find out their impressions of the meeting, whether they were positive, etc. In this way, you draw your referrer closer to your side, engage them more in the process, and turn them into a “golden” client.

Be different.

Our world is becoming flat. This means that for the buyer, all sellers are equal, and the customer simply cannot make significant distinctions between sellers. And the most frightening thing for you is that they won’t be able to remember you. You don’t remember what you had for breakfast last Friday, do you? No, you won’t remember. You will construct your memories based on what you…as a ruleEat for breakfast on weekdays.

The same goes here. The best way to get recommended is to be memorable. And the best way to be memorable is to be different from everyone else. After all, every salesperson is primarily selling themselves.

Remember, if you do things “like everyone else,” you’ll get results “like everyone else,” and you need to be better than the rest. Start by being different. Yes, that could mean being different in a worse way, not necessarily a better one. But… if you don’t take the shot, you definitely won’t hit the target. Try, improvise. But don’t do what everyone else does.

Look at the marketers. They constantly do what everyone else does. They, like everyone else, put up billboards. They, like everyone else, care about… press releases They, like everyone else, create “that special, magical” thing. commercial proposal They, like everyone else, produce product brochures and flyers. And then they wonder why the advertising doesn’t work, why they go unnoticed. No, in their defense, they will say: “But, after all…somehow“She works.” But the truth of the matter is—no, she doesn’t.

Don’t write and send out press releases; instead, get to know and befriend a journalist. Don’t send a commercial proposal; schedule a meeting instead. Don’t print and distribute flyers featuring “smiling mom, dad, and two kids”; instead, ask promoters to pinch passersby on the backside, after all 🙂