This Thought Leadership blog was written by John Fletcher with Fletcher Consulting Public Relations, a CLC member of the Chamber
Always do the first favor!
That was the advice my late father, radio broadcaster Earle Fletcher, offered as a simple strategy whenever meeting a new acquaintance. He told me, “Son, whenever you walk into a room, there will be dozens and perhaps even hundreds of people in that room for a single reason – to do business. More specifically, to even close a deal.” Dad added that these individuals are missing the ultimate purpose: to establish and foster relationships.
“When you walk into that room, you’ll stand out when you ask a single question: What can I do to help you?” He added that others will see that I was genuinely interested in them, and they would remember me beyond others they met. He was right!
Chambers of commerce provide the very best opportunity for doing the first favor because we have the opportunity to make a sizable number of new acquaintances. When I joined a local chamber about 20 years ago, a man named Bill introduced himself and asked two questions:
- What can I do to help you?
- Who would you like me to introduce you to?
My first thought was, “Wow, this guy must have known my father!” It turns out they had never met, yet they shared the same philosophy – of SERVING rather than SELLING.
Dad was putting into action what he had learned from the renowned Dale Carnegie Course. Rule #4 from Carnegie’s best-seller How to Win Friends and Influence People was to “Become genuinely interested in other people.”
There’s no better way than offering to help rather than pushing someone to buy. When I took the Dale Carnegie Course myself, I discovered that establishing relationships is the route to trust that resulted in long-term friendships and lasting business connections. Doing the first favor clearly demonstrated that I cared about the other person. The two basic types of sales are transactional, and relationship driven. The first is usually influenced by price or a specific offer, and there is no goodwill generated beyond that sale. The buyer is likely to move to another seller for better terms or a lower price for the next purchase. Sales driven through relationships are deeper because the buyer feels a connection to the seller or the seller’s company. Think about the car dealership that has taken care of you for years, so you never even consider any other dealer.
As a side note, I accompanied my then-client Allen Samuels (he passed away three years ago) to the National Automobile Dealers Association convention about 20 years ago. He had been preaching to his dealers that the Allen Samuels name was more important than the name of the brands they sold – Chevy, Dodge, Mercedes-Benz, etc. One of the first convention speakers was the CEO of General Motors, who opened with a shocking revelation: “Through our research, we’ve learned that the most powerful part of your brand is the dealer’s name rather than the nameplate on the car. Your dealer’s name earns the trust, and we are the vehicles that you sell.”
Relationships are much the same. You and I benefit – or suffer from – the amount of trust our name has earned with our prospects and customers.
When you want to earn trust and respect, start with being unselfish and caring.
Offer to do the first favor!
To contact John Fletcher, email him at john@thefletch.org