Last week we attended Daniel Harris’ “Zen and the Art of Selling/Networking” at the Illinois Technology Association sales round-table.  Daniel spent a number of years in Hollywood selling, writing, and producing…he even won a Grammy! It was good to get out and meet a few people in the Chicago tech community and we’re looking forward to more Chicago events this year.

Daniel gave a solid presentation in which he offered a couple very useful tips that we would like to pass on:

Give back to Get – Giving back to get back certainly isn’t a new idea, however, it’s easy to loose focus or to not be genuine in your efforts. One key reminder that Daniel offered was to get involved with a community that you’re passionate about and then identify ways you can contribute. The downstream impact isn’t always immediately apparent but oftentimes will lead to a new contact, opportunity or something totally unexpected experience.  As Daniel aptly pointed out, the Karma of giving tends to find its way back to you in some way, shape or form.

Take the meeting – We’ve all been there before; a friend or business colleague trying to provide a helping hand, refers you to someone that just might be of interest. After a brief email or phone call you realize, for whatever reason, that there’s really no point in meeting in person. Through several real-life examples, Daniel offered a gentle reminder that taking the meeting can oftentimes lead to other interesting opportunities. The next time this happens to you, take a moment to consider the possibilities and remember that the world is a small place…there’s no telling what a few minutes of your time might lead to next.

Here are a few reminders of our own…

Relationships are not built overnight.  Being persistent and having the patients to build solid business relationships has allowed to us to secure many great clients.

Be prepared. Take the time to do research and perform due diligence prior to taking a meeting.  We find the level of conversation is greatly improved and clients/prospects usually recognize the fact you have taken the time to do a little research.

Do what you say you are going to do.  If you say you will follow up, then do so.  If you say you are going to send information, then do so.  This seems basic but a comment we hear from our clients often is that we do what we say we are going to do and that quality is greatly appreciated and helps build strong relationships.

If you have a few sales or networking reminders that you’re focusing on this year, we would love to hear them in the comments below or on Twitter.

Daniel Harris currently works for SKC – Smart Communications a teleconferencing and collaboration solutions provider.

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