In one of our class periods, we talked a lot about, well, talking. It seemed kind of like we were preparing for a date. From conversation starters, all the way to a ten-second hook to really reel them in, we’ve got it covered.
Think for a second. When we meet someone new, one of the first questions is always, “what do you do?” We are defining people by what they do when asking this question. Personally, I am a student at the moment which is “what I do,” but I don’t want that to be the only thing that defines me. We learned we should instead try the question, “where are you from?” What a world of difference. The conversation can switch over now to being more open-ended, friendlier and more attuned, and can even start building a relationship. (Now do you see why I think this is related to dating?)
Oh no! Not everyone has taken Sales in the Startup with Professor Sweet. People will still ask the forbidden question, “what do you do?” We must be prepared!
This is where the ten-second hook I was talking about comes in. We can choose to stick to the status quo and be boring… OR we can impress the person we are conversing with and have a more interesting answer. One of my favorite movies is The Little Rascals. Please click the link to this cute video so you can relate to the rest of my post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T97mIbbRBxg
Okay, let’s talk about Waldo… professional boy-man. What an introduction. It isn’t exactly a ten-second hook we would use, but what a difference we can see when sweet Alfalfa sounds so boring with “and I’m Alfalfa.”
Do you want to be a Waldo and impress the ladies (or gentlemen) or an Alfalfa? I’d suggest practicing your conversation skills and your ten-second hook!
BoweryJE22
This is a great post, thank you for sharing! I love the connection between sales and dating, it is all about asking the right questions! Nothing is worse than being in a conversation where you are the only one asking about the other person – whether it is business or relationship. Awesome job!
I also see a world of difference when comparing the idea of asking someone “what do you do” , compared to, “where are you from”. By asking “where are you from” it shows that you really seem to care more about the person and are genuinely interested in who they are and what they have to say. Being more open with people and more attuned to them is something that is essential in the sales process.
This is such a great post! Sales and dating definitely seem to be very similar and your post highlighted the best things about that comparison! Even in relationships in general, we could all stand to ask better questions when meeting people. Your comparison to The Little Rascals was very apropos and funny!
We should all be taking lessons from Waldo because of the expert he is in the ABC concept of Always Be Closing. At the end of his conversation with Darla, he says he hopes to see her soon, which is planting the seed for their next encounter and continuation of their young love. This ABC concept is not about trying to close every deal with every meeting, but closing every meeting with becoming one step closer to the sale. Having the mentality of striving to get one step closer to sealing the deal is what Waldo understands in this video.
I like that this sort of selling is all about building relationship. That is the most engaging way to sell to someone, just like dating. Knowing someone’s needs is the first step to moving them into a position to part from their resources.