I go to meetings because that’s often where people go to learn something new.
When I connect, I want to make an impression. Neither one of us has time for an extended discussion as the value is in meeting the people in the room, and following the discussion.
Rather than trying to make sales, I measure the number of handouts I give out.
What is a good handout? Inexpensive, interesting, providing a clear benefit with a deadline.
Do your handouts do that?
I recently met a Roy Rogers Restaurants franchisee. He had a normal looking business card. On the back was a walk-in coupon for a free chicken sandwich. He had a unique offer and established his authority on the back of his business card.
I have a card that fits into my pocket that offers valuable advice on one side, and our next public presentations on the other. The handout updates every month, so people I know well and see often keep getting new information.
I once got a phone call asking me if I still presented Talk Your Business – How to make more and better sales right away! I said I did and asked him how he had learned about it. He had just been hired and was cleaning out his predecessor’s desk, when he found my handout. That started a multi-year client.
More recently, Phase://Technology, an open source software development company gave me a wine bottle "opener." They made themselves understood and desired before they started talking.
Comments - What’s the best handout you’ve seen?
Please join us for:
Talk Your Business - How to make more and better sales right away! Wednesday, November 10th, 7:15am to 8:30, Intelligent Office, Rockville, and
How to Scale Your Organization - Build, Borrow, or Buy? Thursday, December 9th, 7:15am to 8:30, Intelligent Office, Rockville
http://www.saleslabdc.com/leadership
Dick:
ReplyDeleteUsually you can't eat the handout - great idea though.
Best handout I can recall is a write-up about the person & topic on one side and a wonderful info piece on the back that took the topic to an even deeper level.
Best business card or leave-behind in my opinion is described by Tom Peters - he freely references the on-line location where you can download any of his documents and presentations for free. In the same spirit, provide a hot-sheet with links to useful references for improving sales, leadership, and business efficiency.