When it comes to achieving success in the business world, there are numerous components that you need to give your company a competitive edge.
An outstanding product or service is an absolute must. Memorable advertising, branding and marketing campaigns are crucial. But above all, the ability to create a personal connection with each and every client can be a defining factor in whether a potential customer decides to do business with your company – or go somewhere else.
In fact, according to a recent article in Entrepreneur Magazine, your sales approach matters just as much as what you’re selling. The most successful entrepreneurs create a connection with the customer by bringing their own personal touch to the sales process.
Which is exactly what I attempted to do this week.
As you may know, Ptex Group was a sponsor of the recent NY XPO – a prominent business tradeshow held at The Javits Center in Manhattan. During the show, a woman came over to our booth looking to create a brochure for her company. While talking with Abraham, a Ptex Group associate, she mentioned irately that her purse had just been stolen only a few minutes beforehand when she put it on the floor to take off her coat.
Abraham expressed his empathy and suggested that she call the NYPD to report the missing purse. She simply shrugged in frustration, handed him her business card, and walked off dejectedly. But while she gave up on the situation, Abraham most certainly didn’t – he scrawled a quick note onto the card about how the potential client lost her purse and was very upset about it.
Fast-forward to this week, when we were reviewing all the tradeshow leads in our conference room. Abraham showed me the business card with his handwritten note and suggested that we call the woman and ask her about her purse.
I immediately picked up my telephone and called the lady. After introducing myself as a fellow participant from the tradeshow, I explained that we were concerned about her predicament and asked her whether she ended up finding the missing purse. There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line and I practically heard her jaw drop to the floor.
“You actually remembered about my purse?” she stammered. “Wow, I’m impressed!”
After telling me the good news that her purse was actually recovered with credit cards and all, she gave me another piece of great information: “You guys at Ptex Group are getting my business from now on.”
Why exactly am I sharing this incident with you? It’s not to boast about how we landed a new account or anything of the sort – it’s to illustrate the importance of establishing a powerful, meaningful connection with every customer.
So if the aforementioned article in Entrepreneur Magazine didn’t convince you about the significance of creating genuine relationships with your clients, perhaps my true story that just occurred this week will.
Onwards and upwards,
Meny Hoffman
P.S. Do you want to be featured in a future article of LTB? All you’ve got to do is top my story with a memorable one of your own. Simply share an experience about how you created a unique connection with a client in a remarkable way…and I promise to post the best one in an upcoming email.
