{"id":2301,"date":"2023-01-30T22:49:45","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T22:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/?p=2301"},"modified":"2023-01-30T22:49:45","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T22:49:45","slug":"genuine-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/genuine-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Genuine Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your First Step Toward Endless Referrals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Bob Burg, coauthor of The Go-Giver <\/em>author of Endless Referrals<\/em>, and creator of the online video course: Endless Referrals: The Go-Giver Way<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1008 words)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The single biggest challenge for most anyone in business is running out of new people with whom they can share their products and\/or services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And let\u2019s face it: once there are no more qualified prospects to speak with you are effectively out of business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, this no longer needs to be an issue for you. Yes, you can in fact build, develop, and cultivate a network of endless referral business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This leads to significantly more sales, which leads to even more referrals, leading to even more sales and\u2026and\u2026a delightful cycle of success!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Important to Understand This First<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales and referrals is first and foremost about genuine<\/em> connection. Once the connection is made, trust is the natural result. And this trust is what creates the \"benevolent context\" for the sales and referrals to occur and continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this connection might take place during your sales presentation, it typically begins well before then \u2013 during the first time you actually meet, whether via telephone, on Zoom, or in person. This connection is accelerated by a powerful conversation, one in which they feel valued and important right from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the responsibility for ensuring that happens is yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, want to be a great conversationalist? Then let the other person talk, while you genuinely listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember: Nobody ever hangs up the phone on you...while THEY are talking. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Same on Zoom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Same in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let them talk...about themselves, and THEIR interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, of course, their interests\u2026IS themselves. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, let\u2019s pretend that you meet someone at a local business-social event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You introduce yourself and exchange names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You ask what she does and he tells you, asking you the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Please do NOT at this point provide a clever elevator speech or anything else about how your product or service does \u201cthis or that.\u201d Why? Because at this point, that person absolutely does not care\u2026about you or your product\/service. He cares about himself, and his<\/em> product\/service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguish Yourself From All Others Right Here!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you answer, now gently turn the focus back on him, preparing to let him talk about himself 99 percent of the time while you genuinely listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do this you\u2019ll need to ask questions. But not just any questions. I suggest asking what I call, \u201cFeel-Good Questions<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feel-Good Questions are not salesly, they\u2019re not prospecty, they\u2019re not intrusive, they\u2019re not invasive. They\u2019re simply questions that make this person FEEL GOOD (feel GREAT!); about themselves, about the conversation. And about you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They very quickly build a rapport with that person and attract them to you; they immediately see you as a person of value; someone they want to have as part of their sphere of influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Golden Rule of Sales<\/em> is that \u201cAll things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These questions are the first step toward accomplishing those all-important feelings toward you from that person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You'll find a remarkable difference in their response as opposed to others they meet who mostly talk about themselves and their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feel-Good Question #1:<\/strong> \u201cHow did you get started in the {person\u2019s specific} business?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, it\u2019s not a particularly clever or slick question \u2013 and there\u2019s no need for it to be \u2013 it\u2019s actually very mundane. But it\u2019s a question people LOVE to answer. Why? Because you\u2019re asking them to share their story. This is not something they\u2019re typically asked to do, and they appreciate it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feel-Good Question #2:<\/strong> \"What do you enjoy most about what you do?\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a question that elicits that person feeling great! And remember, when they feel great about themselves they, by extension, feel great about you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that a good rapport has been established it\u2019s time to ask the question that will set you apart from practically everyone else they\u2019ve ever met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I call it\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cOne Key<\/em> Question\u201d:<\/strong> \u201c{Name}, How can I know if someone I\u2019m speaking with is a good customer<\/em> for you?\u201d {Or prospect, client, or connection, depending upon their line of work.}<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What have you accomplished by asking that question?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two things. First, you've continued to establish yourself as being different from anyone they've ever<\/em> met; those who only seem to want to sell them their<\/em> product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But not you. Instead, you\u2019re communicating that your interest is in helping them<\/em>. And that is always acceptable, and very welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, the way you\u2019ve framed the question will help them to answer in a way that will actually help you to help them. For example, say you\u2019re speaking with Mary who sells copying machines to businesses. You ask her, \u201cMary, how can I know if someone I\u2019m speaking with is a good client for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She thinks about it for a moment \u2013 she\u2019s never been asked this before \u2013 and finally says, \u201cwell, if you\u2019re ever in an office and notice a copying machine, and next to that copying machine is a wastepaper basket that\u2019s filled to the rim and overflowing with crumpled up pieces of paper, that\u2019s a good sign that copying machine has been breaking down a lot lately, and that would be an excellent prospect for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Mary has just told you \u2013 explained to you \u2013 how to look out for her<\/em> best interests; how to bring value to her<\/em> life; how to make her<\/em> life more productive and profitable. And she appreciates the fact that you asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note: If Mary is not in sales \u2013 thus asking about prospects or customers would hold no value to her \u2013 you\u2019d use the same principle involved in the question but slightly adjust the end to \u201cconnection\u201d or \u201csomeone you\u2019d like to meet.\u201d Thus, \u201cMary, how can I know if someone I\u2019m speaking with would be a good connection for you?\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fantastic conversation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This conversation, of course, is only the beginning of the relationship-building process. But it\u2019s a powerful beginning, creating the earlier-mentioned \u201cbenevolent context for success\u201d whether for your ensuing immediate sales presentation or for your effective follow up and follow through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-------------------------<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob Burg, CPAE is a Hall-of-Fame Speaker and author of the international bestselling business parable, The Go-Giver<\/em>, which has sold well over one million books and been translated into 30 language. You can learn more about Bob, his speaking, and his books, by visiting https:\/\/burg.com\/<\/a>. Subscribe to his popular \u201cDaily Impact\u201d email at https:\/\/burg.com\/daily-impact\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

====================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have 10 Feel-Good Questions<\/a> in my arsenal but you\u2019ll never have time to ask all ten in any one conversation. And, even if you do have time to ask all ten\u2026please don\u2019t. As powerful as these questions are, if you ask any more than two or three at a time you will<\/em> come across like an investigative reporter and you don\u2019t want to do that. If you\u2019d like all ten Feel-Good Questions, however, so that you can learn them and have them at your ready, then visit https:\/\/burg.com\/10Q<\/a> and you can print them out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your First Step Toward Endless Referrals By Bob Burg, coauthor of The Go-Giver author of Endless Referrals, and creator of the online video course: Endless Referrals: The Go-Giver Way (1008 words) The single biggest challenge for most anyone in business is running out of new people with whom they can share their products and\/or services. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duplicationnation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}