Focus on what you’re giving, not what you’re getting
I get asked to talk to sales teams and a lot of people that are in sales who ask me what are some of the key points that make up a successful relationship with a client. There are lots of things that you can do, but there is one point in particular that if you can master it in your business relationships with your corporate clients they will be with you forever.
Early on in my sales career, I was taught this principal from my mentor and I am still amazed today how powerful of a principal it is. I can point to it for all my success in corporate sales over the years. It is a principal that a lot of people say they believe and use but don’t. The principal is a well known one in the self help world, we hear it a lot, but it applies to every part of your being including your business relationships. That principal is: The more you give, the more you will get back.
It is a fundamental fact of life that the more you give, the more you get, but I learned that there is a catch, and that is that you need to be genuine in your giving, and really be focused on it in its truest sense. You can’t still be thinking of yourself and be thinking well I will give more because I want more, it needs to be heartfelt to your core. In business and in sponsorship this principal is so true, if you focus on how much you can give the client, over deliver in everyway…you sales and your relationships will skyrocket you to success you never dreamed of.
When you are approaching a corporate partner, always focus on what you can give them, then after they commit, give them more than you have said you are going to give. You will win a corporate partner for life using this principal, don’t be focused on the just the list of deliverables in the contract and that you won’t do anything more, go above and beyond. For a lot of my clients who don’t have the big reputation, I suggest starting out by giving their time and an opportunity to a new corporate partner for free sometimes, Why? So they can get a taste of what its like to work with them, and make the corporate partner want more.
If you are fortunate enough to have them buy in, then go to work on always over delivering what you will do for them, give them extra signage, extra tickets, more of your time, more of your personal services whatever it is. It will be remembered. Because of this principal I have been blessed with having relationships with corporate contacts that go back 14 years where I can call them up and begin conversations like we only did business yesterday, why? Because when we did business, I focused on what I was giving, not what I was getting…