FREDERICK, Md., March 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Many female entrepreneurs are reluctant to identify themselves as salespeople. It is a term that is often considered sleazy or aggressive.
“But let’s face it, we’re all selling something,” says Jean Wright, author of the book Selling Your Confidence: Forging A Successful Sales Career From Mint Cookies To Martinis (2023, Indie Books International).
Wright wants women to know they have the potential to excel in the world of sales. Her career spans four decades of highly successful selling experience with corporations, nonprofits, and media companies.
“Whatever the product or service you’re sharing, you need to be viewed as capable and knowledgeable,” says Wright. “You can be genuinely excited about the work you’ve chosen and become a skilled expert who loves what they’re selling.”
Wright says to be successful and confident, a salesperson must know and follow the basics of Networking 101. Her book offers these six tips:
Don’t be late to the party. Arriving on time or early to a networking event allows you to meet people before they start forming groups or cliques that you can’t break into.
Wear your name badge correctly. Don’t make the prospect feel awkward by forcing them to look all over your chest for your name. Badge placement on the right side provides a direct line of sight to the person you are shaking hands with so they can remember your name.
Be prepared with a 15-second elevator speech. Tell people how you can help them solve their problems and hand them your business card.
Exchange business cards in a meaningful way. Leave the event with one to five quality leads and confirm a date and time and with whom you will be following up.
Follow-up the day after the event. They already told you to call, or you have asked permission to call. Now you have a mutual agreement to reconnect.
Schmooze with confidence. Attending these events is a lot like cold-calling—you meet someone, do a little schmoozing, and start developing a relationship. There are people in this world who excel at the art of schmoozing. Just make sure you show sincere interest. The conversation should lead to clues that are then acted upon for a follow-up meeting.
A good schmoozer should also be a great listener. “We were just awarded a huge grant for marketing,” says the person you just met who can lead you to the decision-maker and some or all of those marketing dollars. This person is worth a follow-up. Pay attention, learn more and be enthusiastic.
The interaction isn’t all about you; it’s about making connections with new people who may have value to you. The last thing someone wants to hear is detail about how you do your job and boring personal stories. Listening carefully for clues about what they care about can provide information that may reveal an opportunity.
Networking cold-call opportunities don’t only happen at chamber of commerce meetings, says Wright.
“When I sold advertising for a local magazine, I was once in a casual conversation with a friend at her retirement luncheon,” recalls wright. “Her friend’s husband, who worked for a well-respected car dealership, was also there. After we were introduced and talking, he mentioned they would soon be celebrating 100 years in business. I made a mental note and followed up with him the next day. My eventual reconnection with him resulted in a large advertising commitment promoting their anniversary in the magazine.”
Wright’s roots are in Pittsburgh, where her father ran a painting company he built as an immigrant and her mother supported him with her business skills. She credits her parents’ example of how to run a successful business for her strong work ethic and confident attitude.
A graduate of Marywood University with a BA in Communication Arts, with a concentration in Radio and TV, Wright found creative ways to effectively use her skills for public speaking and writing.
About Indie Books International
Indie Books International (www.indiebooksintl.com) serves as an independent publishing alternative to help agencies, business coaches and consultants create impact and influence. Indie Books offers no-cost strategy calls to prospective authors and no-cost strategy calls to current authors.
Contact
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SOURCE Jean Wright
Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sales-expert-jean-wright-six-ways-to-network-for-sales-with-confidence-301782558.html
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