Webster defines propinquity as “nearness of blood (kinship)” and “nearness in place and time”
Aside from us all having a new word we can drop in the sales meeting this week, I believe you need to know this word.
You can create “nearness” and “kinship” by making sure you’re “showing up” regularly with your prospects (clients too).
Are you?
You Don’t Build Relationships When You Show Up Sporadically
It’s real easy for us to justify our lack of hunting activity.
There are fires to put out, deadlines, hand holding, internal/external meetings and;
Because of this, we usually end up by reaching out to potential clients sporadically and that hurts us big time.
Why? Because they never get to really know us enough to commit to an appointment.
This is why your calls (and other touches) have to be scheduled . . . so you stay up on that “nearness” thing!
This is why you have to do the online equivalent of bumping into your prospects and clients on the social networks. Are you or are you just collecting a bunch of names on your computer screen that you do nothing with?
This is why you want to send people regular emails, newsletters, FedEx, direct mail, notes, cards etc.
This is why you want to bring YOU to the party by bringing your personality, humor, charm, expertise etc. Last time I checked, YOU are the only sustainable, non replicable difference.
Propinquity is why many of you have become my clients!
You visit with me several times a week on my blog.
You allow me to ride shotgun when you listen to my podcast in the car.
Perhaps you hang out with me in my LinkedIn sales community or over on Facebook.
Then there’s YouTube, Instagram, Twitter (and I’m only getting started)
I bump into many of you at your company sales meetings and kickoffs
Industry events
Some of you receive my cards and direct mail pieces and;
Yes, I call potential clients but . . .
When I call, it’s part of a well thought out communication plan designed to establish propinquity!
Propinquity . . .
Because when we achieve that “nearness” “closeness and “kinship” thing . . .
We stand out in this noisy world enough . . .
For people to consider us close enough to engage our services!
Would You Like To Learn More About Propinquity?
This Wednesday, we launch our How To Hunt More Effectively online course.
During our time together, we’re going to talk about how you can stand out and create a sense of propinquity with your potential clients (clients too).
Here’s a quick snapshot of the sessions . . .
In Session 1, we’re going to explore 10 ideas to help you hunt for business differently. I promise that in this session alone, there will be several ideas that will make you think differently about your hunting practices!
In Session 2, we’ll discuss how you can master this thing we call “email”! I have tips that will help you with your subject lines, overall message, how to improve your response rates and a few tactics that will forever change the way you approach emails going forward!
In Session 3, I’m going to show you exactly how I use “snail mail” (and FedEx too) to stand out and get mucho responses in the process! And no, we’re not talking about massive direct mail campaigns here gang. We’re talking about simple, inexpensive things you can do on your own without that pesky marketing department getting involved.
In Session 4, we need to have a serious heart to heart on how we can marry social networking into your overall sales efforts. I’m going to show you how to listen for important “clues”, how you can stand out and how you can transition your relationships off your computer screen without the conversation “getting weird”!
In Session 5, I’m going to show you how you can use traditional networking to create some pretty powerful relationships. I’ll share some common mistakes (and how you can avoid them) and I’ll even show you how you can jump start conversations and gracefully end the ones that are going nowhere fast!
In Session 6 we’re going to cannonball into the money pool you can create by learning how to get more referrals from your existing business. I’ll show you a system I use that can double and triple the amount of referrals you’re getting. We’ll talk about when to ask for referrals and how to condition your clients to keep giving you more in the future!
In Session 7 We’re going to talk about how you can use creativity to stand out and capture the attention of your prospects. I’ll share numerous real-life examples of what sales reps are using in the field as well as a technique you can (and really should) use with your top prospects!
In Session 8 I’m going to show you how you can work the phone into this entire process and as a bonus, warm up the “cold calls” quite a bit!
In Session 9 you’ll learn 2 absolutely lethal techniques called “mixing” and “mapping” and how you align all of the various “touches” into an effective communication plan.
Between sessions you’ll get a recap of the session.
The recording from the session (slides and all)
Worksheets
Email access to me during the program to answer any questions, bounce ideas off of etc!
Here’s what your peers are saying about this course . . .
Prior to doing Paul’s online course I thought that hunting was limited to chasing trucks, doing cold walk ins and making cold phone calls. During the course Paul gave me a tool shed full of different approaches that I can combine to make a cold prospect turn in to a hot buyer. As a result of attending this course my confidence and motivation to get results has never been higher. I highly recommend that anyone in sales who has been selling for some time invest in themselves & spend time with Paul.
Anthony Idle, StarTrack
Thank you so much! The How to Hunt course has been so valuable in so many ways. I love all the specific examples you shared – and how you pulled it all together with the communication mapping and time management techniques. I am certainly armed with a whole new slew of tools and techniques to help me hunt and close deals better.
Tanya Ramakers, Jonas Fitness
I am writing to recommend your sales program – How to Hunt More Effectively. First of all, I really enjoyed your style and approach to training. You made the class fun, and I always looked forward to attending. Second, you “kept it real” – not theory but specific tactics to use to grow business.
Since fully implementing your program in November of 2014, I have officially doubled the size of my pipeline – real, measurable results.
Of specific importance to me were:
- 10 ways to Hunt Differently – great examples on where to find potential leads.
- How to Write a Better Email – I’m getting about 50% of emails read (thanks to you, I can track opens and click-throughs).
- How to ROCK Snail Mail – suggestions here were great – especially for warming up potential prospects.
- How to ROCK Phone Calls – great tips for voice mail
- Putting It All Together – I now have a specific, executable strategy.
Lance Carrol, Vanguard Software
To learn more about this program, click HERE before enrollment closes this Tuesday, September 22nd.
Want this program customized for your sales team? Email me paul@yoursalesplaybook.com
