I am sure that you have heard the phrase “It is never what you know, it is who you know, which will make the greatest difference to how much success you enjoy”
Learn the art of mining your power base of contacts and you will not only be equipped to survive in any economic climate, but you will also be equipped to thrive too. The people you know are an incredible source of information; new business leads and even sources of business themselves.
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As you know, people buy from people they know, like and trust. Selling something, which you really believe offers fantastic value and that you believe will be an asset to a stranger, offers your family, friends, and acquaintances the same value too. You already have a network of people who know you and in most instances already trust you.
Who is Your Powerbase of Contacts?
When looking to mine your power base, start with your inner circle. You will be astounded how often the people right in your space, need what you have to sell or they know someone, who would benefit from your value proposition. Once you have mined this incredible asset, open your mind and look beyond your own immediate circle, where you will include friends and acquaintances.
Making this work for you – Power Base Re-activation
Success in life and in sales is all about activity. The more you focus, prioritize and take inspired action, the greater will be your success. The same is true when mining your power base of contacts. When you combine your relentless and dedicated commitment to mine your power base, with your incredible product or service, which offers the best value to people; you will succeed on a scale, which will astound even you.
Your success in life and sales will depend on how effectively you mine your power base of contacts and how well you inform them about your value proposition.
Focus on Customer Satisfaction
We all know that happy customers are more likely to support you in the long term, but there is an additional benefit of keeping your customers happy, they will also gladly refer you to other people who will benefit from your value proposition too. Your
Your power base of contacts is not stagnant; it grows and expands throughout your life. Each new satisfied customer becomes an integral part of your power base and is an incredible asset to you. Learn the art of mining your satisfied customers, they are an incredible source of leads for new prospects.
Re-Activating your Powerbase of Contacts
When you start the process of re-activating your power base of contacts, there is no need to pre-qualify them. Simply make a list of people you know from family to friends, to acquaintances, to school teachers, mechanics, waiters, neighbors, etc. The people you know are worth their weight in gold, so treat each one as though they are incredibly valuable because they are.
Once you have compiled your list, qualify them. Make contact with the people who know like and trust you the most first and may have a need for what you offer or may know someone who does. Do not try to sell to them the first time you make contact. When you make contact, show a genuine interest in them and what they are doing. If they ask what you are doing, briefly introduce them to what you do, but be very careful not to try to sell them anything at this point. The first time you make contact, it is most definitely not a sales call, it is just an opportunity to catch up and reconnect.
Do not try to sell to them the first time you make contact. When you make contact, show a genuine interest in them and what they are doing. If they ask what you are doing, briefly introduce them to what you do, but be very careful not to try to sell them anything at this point. The first time you make contact, it is most definitely not a sales call, it is just an opportunity to catch up and reconnect.
The best way to connect with these people is via the phone or direct face to face contact. Any electronic medium is a very impersonal way of making the first contact.
It will be Uncomfortable at first
Re-activating your power base of contacts will feel a little like going back to the gym, after a long lay-off. It all feels new and unfamiliar when you first start, but once you have been back at the gym for a while and you have managed to work through the pain, you will be very glad you did. The same is true when you start out re-activating your
The same is true, when you start out re-activating your power base of contacts, it will feel extremely difficult at first, but once you get going, you will really be glad you did. Not only will you reconnect with long lost friends and acquaintances, but you will also improve your sales too.
Making The Call
When making the call to one of the people in your power base of contacts you could start the call off as follows: Hi Peter, Andrew Horton here, how are you doing? How is Cindy and the kids? How are you enjoying your new job etc.? When the question of what you are doing comes up, briefly mention what you do, don’t go into too much detail, remember that this is not a sales call.
Ensure that you sound extremely enthusiastic and passionate about what you do, as you give a brief outline to them. Collect as much data as possible during the call and update your CRM system, with contact details, email address, Facebook address, LinkedIn address etc. Include details on family, employment changes etc.
Follow-up
The level of success you enjoy in life and especially as sales professionals is directly proportional to the quality and quantity of follow-up you offer to the people in your circle of influence. Follow-up your re-activation call with an actual meeting for lunch or a drink, where you can gather further information and build the connection even further. Follow this meeting up with an email or some other contact via electronic media, via social media etc.
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I know you want to be successful this year and achieve and even smash your sales targets this year. Your goal must, therefore, be to use every possible resource at your disposal to get people to know like and trust you. Your power base of contacts is a really powerful resource, which if mined correctly, will serve you and allow you to achieve the results you want.
The more people you know and the better you are able to leverage them, the better your ability to thrive. Don’t wait a second longer, get out a pen and start making your list of contacts and then invest the time to convert these into valuable and supportive allies. Fill your calendar with appointments and invest time to utilize one of your most powerful resources, namely your power base of contacts and this will be your year for incredible success.
