“The ability to make that human connection is the key to personal and career success.” – Paul J. Meyer
What’s the first thing a physician does before they walk into an exam room?
They look at the chart.
It doesn’t matter how many times they have seen that patient.
They start at the chart.
Top sales people do the same thing.
One of the best tactics I’ve learned on how to connect is to create a personal “chart” on each customer.
This simple idea is devastatingly effective.
Your chart will help you generate killer dialogue with tough customers on subjects they care about.
You will build trust, expand your time and increase your access.
Consider this….
You already have your customer’s name, email & cell phone in your contacts (You did have the guts to ask for their cell phone, right???).
Now it’s time to complete your customer chart.
The more we call on a customer, the more information we uncover.
We need a system to capture this info that is instantly accessible.
Document the info you uncover in the notes section of your customer’s profile.
After a few conversations, your chart should look something like this:
So how does this create access?
Picture this…
You are walk into your customer’s office. They are sitting at their desk waiting for you.
Instead of trying to break the ice with an awkward comment about the weather,
- “How about this crazy weather?”
You start with this:
- “So how’s Zoey’s freshman year at Cornell going?”
Or you could ask,
- “What did you think about that 4th down call vs. Ohio State?”
Or,
- “So what’s it like trying to eat Paleo during the holidays?”
Questions like these start emotionally engaging conversations.
They lower the customer’s defenses.
They expand your time.
The customer is more inclined to listen to your ideas.
Your job is to find opportunities to ask these type of questions.
When the customer is done speaking, transition into your OPENING…
“That is awesome. Great to hear. So the reason I stopped by today is…”.
Access is 90% of the game.
Access is created when hustle, value, & trust come together.
When it does, you can chart your own course.
– Joe
The Vibe 