Cold Calling, Walking the Vegas Strip and The Bellagio

Last June my wife and I had the privilege of attending NAA in Las Vegas.  We stayed at the Luxor and decided on one of our evenings to take a walk to the famous Bellagio.  We had heard so much about it.  It is known for its beauty inside and out.  There was so much positive feedback about this place coming from friends and coworkers, that we purposely put it in our plans to make the trip.  The destination was wonderful but the path to get there was not.  The entire time we walked we were bombarded with people flicking their little cards trying to set us up with escorts.  I was completely mortified and I am sure the expression on my face was the same.  I was completely uncomfortable until I reached the destination I intended to see in the first place.  The Bellagio had invited me on many levels and I responded.

Some recent discussions have inspired the following analogy.  I have been too many trade shows over my career, but NAA was my first national event for the multifamily industry.  I did not know anyone!  The looks on many folks faces was priceless.  It was the look of, who are you, what are you trying to sell me, give me your 1 minute speech so I can get my free pen and tote bag.  I really felt for them.  After my trip down the Vegas strip I wondered if these individuals felt the same way I did.  My focus was on the Bellagio.  Their focus was on perhaps a handful of key booths that they planned in advance to visit.  They knew about the company, heard good reviews and wanted to make a connection and experience.  They had been personally invited and were looking forward to their discussion.  They just needed to wade through the all of us card flickers (in their opinion) to reach their destination.

The same goes for cold calling folks.  There was a plethora of individuals flicking their cards.  Some of the people in front of me at first ignored the cards, but eventually after the consistent harassment they broke down and took a card.  Where did it end up next?…on the ground.  Did the card flickers feel they got their foot in the door?? Perhaps.  They got their job done.  They got those cards out, which is what they were paid to do.  In the end though what really was the relationship between the card flickers and the people walking the strip?  Be honest with me cold callers.  After you have made your 50 calls to one person and they finally pick up the phone to talk, what kind of relationship do you really have?

Whether its trade shows or it’s making phone calls and emails, in order to make that positive connection a relationship has to be formed!  Turn yourself into the Bellagio.  Get people talking about you, give them something to talk about, talk to them, give them a reason to pick up the phone and stop by your booth.  Your company image should be important to you.  Your professional image should be important to you.  Stop the card flicking.

Written by Jonathan Saar

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