Mr. Shmooze: The Art and Science of Selling Through Relationships

Chapter 3. Elevation

Once the obligatory phone call to Mary was behind us, Mr. Shmooze proceeded to explain to me our next meeting.

"Kid, we are on our way to the Failsafe Security Company. Failsafe is one of the three largest commercial security firms in town and they are trying to increase their market share against a couple of national powerhouses. I am on retainer with them as marketing and new business development consultant." We soon found ourselves in a conference room with five Failsafe executives and salespeople.

"This week," Mr. Shmooze began, "I want to spend some time focusing on what I call 'elevating your game.' You have probably heard that expression before in a sports context: a professional athlete who suddenly emerges from the pack as a star, winning a streak of golf tournaments, or raising his scoring average to the top of the NBA. If you break down what is happening in these cases, inevitably the person is doing many things well. In fact, as success breeds confidence, every part of the athlete's game—driving, chipping, putting—improves simultaneously. The athlete elevates, mentally and physically, to the next level. But it all starts with the little things.

"This phenomenon happens in sales as well. What I want to talk about today is how each and every part of relationship building and selling can be improved and 'elevated,' time after time, eventually elevating your entire game, lifting you to the next level of productivity and success! Let's get started. David, ...