I would like to share with you an experience I had whilst running a business development workshop.
During the workshop I presented examples of scripts that can be used when phoning or writing to prospects for the first time
The scripts start off recognizing the role of the person that is being approached, for example, you might say something like “I understand that you are responsible for Marketing at the Commonwealth Bank” or “I understand that you are Head of Marketing at the Commonwealth Bank”
Before I had finished reading the script to the group, one of the participants expressed their dislike of this approach and crossed out this line on their copy of the script
After the workshop, when I was debriefing my experience in terms of ‘What went well? What didn’t go so well? What would I do differently next time?’ the experience reminded me that…….
If we are too quick to discount an idea, we don’t give ourselves the chance to find the merit in the idea and apply it to our advantage
In this instance the merit is as follows:
The reason for recognizing a person’s position when approaching them is that it addresses a basic human need that we all have; the need to be recognised and valued
As Dale Carnegie states in his classic How to Win Friends and Influence People “Always make the other person feel important”
If you are a business coach, how would you feel if someone contacted you and said “I understand that you provide coaching to help people gain clarity in the direction of their business”
If you are a Business Development Manager at an institution such as the National Gallery, how would you feel if someone contacted you and said, “I understand that you are responsible for business development at the National Gallery”
You would feel the same as I would if someone said to me “I understand that you help people become more effective at attracting sponsors and clients”
You would feel recognised and valued and you would feel good about the person that has approached you
So next time you approach a prospect, try a little recognition. What might appear to be a throwaway line will add value to your communication
Leave a Reply