The ABCDEs of Sales and Marketing: Bonding

In the continuing series on The A.B.C.D.E. Sales & Marketing System™, let's look at step two: Bonding.

(Go here to review A: Attract.)

Sidebar: Yes, the AI image above is supposed to show "bonding" in the form of a happy customer hugging the salesman, which is very non-PC, but I don't care. What I do care about is how AI gives her weird arms along her back...but I digress.)

Speaking of images, here's a better one that provides an overview of the five steps.

When you get the "Attract" part dialed in, it becomes much easier to bond with your prospects, so make sure you go back and read the points on that.

But now that someone has raised their hand, opted-in, stopped by your booth, etc., it's time to...

Bond via multi-media, multi-step nurturing & follow-up

In my training and consulting, I bang the drum and push my clients to internalize these key points until they can say them in their sleep:

• The #1 job of a salesperson is to prospect.
• You prospect to DIS-qualify
• The oldest profession in the world is sales.
• To make any sale, you must make every sale.
• When two or more people meet...a sale is made.
• The #1 sin of marketing is being boring.
• We must meet our prospects where they are and bring them along the journey we have mapped for them.
• We must adjust how we sell to match how our prospect buys.
• "We must enter the conversation going on in the mind of the prospect." ~Robert Collier
• "The customer is not a moron. She is your wife." ~David Ogilvey

These are core concepts...foundational concepts...concepts that must be top of mind, on the tip of your tongue, and never more than an arm's length away in every interaction with every prospect, via every medium, every time.

But here's the

Dirty little sales secret #1

that nobody wants to tell you: 

Consistency & Congruency > Cute or Creative or Complex

And here's the

Dirty little sales secret #2

that nobody wants to tell you: 

"People buy from people they know, like, and trust" is a lie.

Okay, "a lie" might be a bit much, but it is totally miscontrued and only tells a partial truth.

The reality is people buy from people they trust, i.e.,

Trust > 10 x (Know + Like)

The overemphasis on being known and liked has created generations of salespeople who are little more than professional visitors.

So, in order to Bond with your prospects, you must build trust with them.

How do you build trust?

Follow the New ABCs of Selling:

• Always Be Consistent
• Always Be Congruent
• Always Be Courteous
• Always Be Concise
• Always Be Curious
• Action Begets Confidence
• Always Be Composed
• Always Be In Control
• Always Be Conscious
• Always Be Conscientious
• Always Be Certain/Confident (in your process)
• Always Be (not) Comfortable
• Always Be Calling
• Always Be Compassionate
• Always Be Conscripting (get others to join your cause and support you)
• Always Be Compelling
• Always Be Craving (excellence, success, growth)
• Always Break Crutches
• Always Break the China (Always Bull China) (i.e., be that bull in a China shop. Get stuff done. Be bold. Move fast. Break things. Ask for forgiveness instead of permission.)
• Always Be Caring
• Always Build Callouses
• Always Be Calloused (i.e., get thick skin)
• Always Be Compassionate
• Always Be Comfortable (in your skin, create a conducive environment)
• Always Be Clean (nobody likes a stinky salesperson)
• Always Be Crass (with anything that distracts you)
• Always Be Crushing (fear, competition)
• Always Be Competitive/Competing
• Always Be Championing (others)
• Always Be Critical (of yourself, your systems, your processes)
• Always Build Clarity
• Always Be Controlling (your mind, emotions)
• Always Be Creating (your reality, content, your environment)
• Always Be Calm
• Authority Becomes Clarity
• Always Be Convicting (yourself to your cause)
• Assassinate (your procrastination and fear) Before Calling
• Always Be Championing
• Always Be Clear
• Always Be Communicating
• Always Be Careful
• Always Be Crazy
• Always Be Careless
• Always Be Convicted
• Always Be Conversational
• Always Be Commanding (attention, respect).

You don't have to

• write the next great novel or poem or love song.
• send the greatest white papers and case studies and testimonials.
• prattle on for hours and days on end.
• answer every question they could ever think of.
• be available 24/7.
• sharpen your pencil.
• be the lowcost provider.
• have the most experience.

You do have to

• ask questions they haven't thought of.
• ask questions they can't answer.
• get them to admit they have pain.
• get them to quantify their pain.
• show up consistently.
• under-promise.
• over-deliver.

Want to discuss this in more detail? Hit me up.

Market like you mean it.
Now go sell something.