Friendly Aliens
In science fiction stories first contact with an alien race is a favorite subject because it represents the ultimate unknown: Reaching out and interacting with strange beings who may be very unlike ourselves. They may be unfriendly or even dangerous in ways which we cannot predict. For the salesperson making first contact with a prospect, you can assume there is a very good probability that these ‘aliens’ will be friendly. In fact you probably have much in common. All you have to do is identify this common ground and use it to establish a bond.
Because you are both in business you have one bond. Because there is a connection between your business and theirs (or you shouldn’t be calling them!), you have another connection. These basic connections are a start. However common ground can be found in the most unusual places. It is part of the fascination I have with the sales process that you find unusual connections with the most unlikely prospects. Perhaps you grew up near each other, have mutual friends, live in the same kind of house, share unusual hobbies, etc. During an introductory get-together for a writing project I sat in a lunch meeting with an attorney, a venture capitalist and the CEO of a mid-sized company. Somehow we discovered that all of us had played in rock bands at one point or another in our lives! This unusual connection put us all on an equal level for a few minutes and established a bond that made the rest of the meeting a much more relaxed affair.
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