Relationships sell. I know, I know... great service is important, but we do business with people we like. So what's out there to do to help solidify those relationships...
One: Baseball game (but you better have good seats). 2+ hours with a client in a relaxed atmosphere.
Two: Golfing - hint... if you are both weak golfers then - skip it. If you are the weak golfer (very weak) - skip it. Other than that... play...
Three: Dinner with the Spouses - this can work really well or really bad. The spouse's will need to like each other, if not, then its crash and burn time.
Four: Conference - Sponsor your client to go to the conference on the technology that you provide.... this really could be a win-win. The clients learns and hopefully you get a big project out of it.
Pick one... try it... and report back.
If you have already tried one - let me know your thoughts....
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2 comments:
I like the spouse thing but I think you are correct that if they dont get along it will make for a bad eventing. I had an experience where I received an invite to a "couples" dinner that turned into an AMWAY pitch during the second course. You never can tell where the next wack job will come from so I stick to dinner solo with the client/prospect in a neutral public place until I get familiar with who they are.
As the guy that actually does the implementation and support after the sale, I like number four. In todays economy and general IT budget sensitive world it's a pain to get dollars for conferences or education. Start educating me and provide me with a significant knowledge of the product (not a sales speel disguised as a "technical luncheon") and I'm going to start talking with the decision makers about your product.
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