People do business with people they like sooner than with people they don’t like. You must first be likable, then trustworthy. Establishing your credentials as a qualified vendor is the first step in getting your foot in the door.
Bernie sells insurance, a very competitive business. I knew Bernie because he sold insurance to the two principals at our company back in the day. They were very successful businessmen and did a lot of business with Bernie, so I perceived him as a qualified insurance salesperson. When he came out to the office, Bernie would often stop by my office to say hi.
One day, Bernie called to tell me that my insurance salesperson was going to retire, and he wanted to get an appointment with me to come out and see if I would like to transfer my insurance business over to him. I told him not to bother, send me the paperwork, and I’d happily move my policy over to him. After all, he had the credibility of being my boss’s insurance agent, which was good enough for me. But Bernie insisted, so we set the appointment.
When Bernie showed up for the appointment, we exchanged some pleasantries, and then he opened up his portfolio and presented me with his “professional qualifications”. It was all very conversational. He started by saying he wanted to tell me a little about himself. He handed me a piece of paper that looked much like a Resume, but instead of a job history, it was a description of his training, experiences, and professional certifications. Bernie modestly described how his experience could help me with the many different choices there are in the world of insurance.
Bernie had used some high-quality bonded paper for his presentation. It was well laid out using a word processor. There was lots of white space to accentuate the bullet points. It was all exquisite. But what impressed me most was his effort to “earn” my business. I was all ready to hand it over to him. After all, he worked for the same insurance company as my previous agent. I was impressed that he treated me like an important client when I knew there were more considerable prospects than me.
Bernie was doing more that day than just getting a new customer. He was setting the stage for future meetings that would develop into a relationship that lasts to this day.
But that is only the beginning of this story. I was so impressed with Bernie’s presentation and how he demonstrated his qualifications to be my insurance agent that I told my sales department about the experience. As you would expect, nobody else was very impressed.
One day, one of the younger people in my sales department came to me for help with a challenging prospect. The salesperson was a young man in his mid-twenties. The prospect was in his early sixties. There was a huge age gap that was contributing to a communication problem that was inhibiting the salesperson from getting an appointment.
I reminded the young salesperson about how Bernie “presented” himself to me with his professional qualifications and instructed him to prepare his own one-page presentation. Since the young man was short on experience, some of the bullet points on his Resume related to his academic achievements and college activities, specifically, lettering on the college golf team.
When the young man met with the prospect, he presented his professional qualifications. The prospect was impressed with the effort to demonstrate how much he wanted to earn the business. As the prospect read the list of achievements, a big smile came over his face as he read the part about lettering on the college golf team. It turns out he was an alum of the same college. That little connection bridged the age gap and helped start a very nice business relationship for that salesperson.
If you’re having trouble differentiating yourself from the competition, why not consider creating your own professional qualifications? A reluctant salesperson once told me they felt as if they were ‘applying for a job.’ Hello? Yes, that’s precisely the point. On the first call with that salesperson, the prospect said as much but liked it because they did want the salesperson to ‘work’ for him back at the Radio station.
Another salesperson felt strongly about her faith and youth activities, so she listed the name of her church and the fact that she was a Girl Scout leader. Some huge prospects saw that and started doing business with her because they shared similar interests.
When you create your own professional qualifications, invest some time and money to make something that stands out. Use quality paper. Get professional layout assistance if you’re not that good with a word processor. Watch what garners attention and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to tweak it from time to time. Keep it updated with your latest achievements.
When you meet with the prospect, you are applying for the job of being their preferred vendor. Make the effort to earn the position.
