Jive Talking

I was talking with a friend the other day about sales and how much I have always enjoyed talking with clients, friends and new acquaintances.  His response to me was, “Sure, Tom, it’s easy for you because you like to Bull S*** all the time.”  It got me to thinking about whether or not talking with clients as you make a sale is really just Bull S***ing.  I really don’t think so but it makes me think about what it is I really am doing when working with clients.  As a young man I spent hours with my father when he was working and I watched as he talked to his clients.  Most of the time I thought they were just “shooting the breeze”, as we say down south.  As it turns out my dad was making a sale each and every time.  I now understand it was the forging of the relationship with the client that was the true context of the talking.  Also as a young man, I promised myself I wasn’t going to be like my dad.  Over the years, of course, I know I have become very much like him in many ways.  I certainly share his love of the “gift of the gab” and how it works so well in sales.  We, as professional interior designers, use interaction with our clients on so many levels.  Our sales pitch is often geared to what the design is all about and often I know it is more technical than mere chat.  What is important, however, is how we use the context to move the sale forward.  Being able to talk on a variety of subjects is very important and within our own businesses we should also keep abreast with what is going on in the world. 

Meeting people when we’re out and about is also a great way to foster new clients.  Have you worked on your “cocktail chatter” lately?  It’s very important to your persona and your image in the public eye.  Making sure to ask about their life and what they are interested in also makes it easier for you to engage them in a little chat about aspects of your life you might want to share.  Being glib and at ease with people also encourages them to ask questions about you and your business.  That, in turn, should bring you more clients.  Talking easily can be learned and as professionals we benefit from the ability to talk about our business and make people aware of all that we do every single day.  So, I still don’t think my conversations are Bull S*** and I know it has helped me foster clients and relationships.  Like everything else in life and business it may not bring instant returns but will, over time, produce a more varied and interesting clientele.    

 

Comments

[James]

This posts reminds me of my sales man brother. He got all his hobbies from being a salesman. He learned to play golf because a dealer loves playing golf, he bought a road bicycle to be with a cyclist client, took up off-road biking for another, etc. You really need some common ground to be able to talk to client and earn his trust.
Currently, I expressed the idea of including in his sales talk some of my interior design work including German hip furniture from http://www.siekaup.com.au/>siekaup.

[Interior Designers Chicago]

very nice an interesting post.