The old saying “different strokes for different folks” is certainly true of your prospects. They all will have their individual interests, hobbies, or passions. Your goal is to learn what those are—fishing, hunting, golf, collecting antiques, woodworking, restoring a house, or building vintage cars. The secret is to know what interests your prospects, so you can become interested in the same things. When you know what flips a prospect's switch, you can look for interesting things you can pass along on that subject.
ACTION ITEM
Keep an inventory of what interests your customers and look for those things every day. It can be anything—from an article in the newspaper to a special television show, from a brochure on a new product to an advertisement about a new service.
When one salesperson learned that her customer had just gotten a new puppy, she zoomed right in on that subject. She stopped by a local pet store and found a free quarterly newspaper chock-full of ideas, stories, ads, and articles on the training, nutrition, and care of puppies. She wrote a quick note to her prospect and sent the materials along in the mail. On the next call to that customer, they had something to talk about. The customer was so impressed that the salesperson had taken that kind of interest in him that he soon became one of her most loyal customers.
TAKEAWAY
Prospects are flattered when you recognize and
share in their interests, hobbies, or passions.
Capitalize on your common ground and
use it to build a personal relationship.