(By Pat Bryson) I was going to the grocery store during one of my infrequent times at home. Two young men were behind me as I carried my groceries to the car. They were headed to a very large industrial truck parked beside my vehicle.
One of the young men got my attention to tell me that I had a low tire. Their truck had an air pump on it, so he offered to air it up for me. He also inspected it and let me know I had picked up a screw in it. I thanked him and prepared to head immediately for the tire store.
But what happened next is why their act of kindness is in this column.
Before I left, one of the young men handed me his business card and invited me to use their tree service should I ever need it.
When was the last time one of our salespeople seized the opportunity to create a new, potential customer while going about their daily life? Of course, I took the card home and shared it with my husband. We did, indeed, have a dead tree in our backyard that needed to come out. We kept his card. Nick’s Tree Service was now on our radar as a business to call because of the initiative of this young man.
Potential prospects are all around us. One of my salespeople in Canada was involved in a wreck (not his fault) but by the time the wrecker had towed his car, he had made an appointment with that wrecker company to talk to them about advertising.
I once knew a real estate salesperson who would get in an elevator, turn to face everyone in the car, and hand out her business cards. She sold a lot of real estate.
We all need a prospecting system to keep the flow of new people into our sales funnel. Sometimes we overlook the opportunities presented by life. Keep your antenna up and your business cards at the ready. You never know when someone might cross your path that has been looking for a way to advertise.
Happy Selling!
Pat Bryson is the CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with sales managers and salespeople to raise revenue. She is the author of two books, A Road Map to Success in High-Dollar Broadcast Sales and Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change available on her website. Read Pat’s Radio Ink archives here.
