Get personal, says networking expert - by Nathan Mallett

Sales Promotion Magazine - Get personal, says networking expert: "Written by Nathan Mallett

Technology has made it easier to connect with prospects and colleagues instantly, but it has also made it harder to relate to clients and prospects personally. Yet we all know that it’s emotions, not data that drives a business relationship.

According to sales consultant and author Richard Abraham, it’s high time we all re-acquainted ourselves with the dying art of making personal connections, networking, and yes, even schmoozing.
That’s why he wrote the newly-released book Mr. Shmooze: The Art and Science of Selling Through Relationships .
“Schmoozing is all about interacting with people in a way that creates feelings of warmth, goodwill, pleasure,” says Abraham, “Just the facts, ma’am, doesn't go deep enough, emotionally, especially when your product or service is a commodity.”
And if you think schmoozing is manipulative or sleazy, you’ve got it dead wrong, says Abraham.
“It’s not about manipulating or even persuading,” says the author. “It's about giving. When you help others, they want to help you in return.”
Abraham offers the five tips for building more personal relationships with people that matter to your business.

· Learn about their interests. Often someone’s passions will be outside the business at hand. Enter the prospect's emotional world, says Abraham. “By paying close attention, you can figure out what really drives them,” he says. “You'll find clues in the photos in their office or the things he brings up in casual conversation. Be alert.”

· Practice the art of elevation. In every interaction, seek to elevate the prospect's experience to a memorable level that goes above the ordinary. Most sales reps might take a client who’s passionate about golf out for an afternoon on the links. Abraham says to aim higher by inviting the client’s son along, for example, or personalizing a set of golf balls as a gift. Make it even more memorable somehow. Use your imagination and be creative, he says.

· It doesn’t have to be lavish. Strengthening a relationship can be done with a lot of little gestures that won’t cost you much at all. Send a link to a Web site related to a client’s passion. Clip an article of interest and fax it to them. Browse the discount bin at the bookstore for a something they might like. “I have a colleague who called on a prospect who happened to be a huge Chicago Cubs fan,” says Abraham. “After leaving the meeting my colleague passed a store with a Cubs tie in the window. He bought it and overnighted it to the prospect. It's very likely that that $20 expenditure, plus postage, won him the account.”

· Follow up, and fast. Follow up a business meeting with a client immediately with a pleasant gesture. “A lot is forgotten in the first 24 hours after a meeting. But if you send someone a book or a tie the very next day, you go a long way toward overcoming that effect,” says Abraham. “Plus, if you make it standard procedure to do your follow-up right away, you won't forget to do it."

· Everyone matters. Abraham suggests using his tactics on everyone from key decision makers to lowly underlings. Why? Because even seemingly unimportant people on the fringes of a business relationship often carry out those all-important "little details" that matter, he says."

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