– Guest contribution by Ken Cook (www.howtowho.com)
Confession right up front – I’m a golfer. I’ve played for over 35 years and last year I broke 80 for the first time. I did it only once, but it’s enough to ensure I’ll be back for years to come.
I tell you this so you understand that I have a built-in bias when it comes to golf. However, that bias does not diminish my recommendation – play golf to build relationships. Golf is an uninterrupted 4+ hours of conversation, banter, and opportunities to get to know someone.
I recommend this because relationships are rapidly becoming the only truly sustainable differentiation. Today the solutions-oriented salesperson is the commodity salesperson because everyone is doing it. Customers expect that when a salesperson crosses their threshold, they need to bring more than solutions to the table. The customer expectations are that the solutions are the baseline for consideration.
In my opinion the ROI on a well-planned round of golf is significantly higher than most marketing tactics companies use. It is time well invested. With a round of golf you have an opportunity to connect to someone and really build a relationship with them. You are in an environment where you have someone’s attention without the normal wide array of distractions.
Most importantly, golf is not about business; it is about getting to know the person and building some trust between you. Golf is a social event; it is a competitive event; it can be a team event; it tests character; it tests patience; it can reveal flaws; it can highlight strengths. You have opportunities to get to really know someone and connect to them in ways a business meeting would never afford you.
Fred’s Funnel
Let me finish the ROI discussion with some examples. Fred is a good friend of mine and the Managing Partner of a Financial Services Firm. He plays golf as his primary marketing tactic. Over a 9 month golf season in New England he probably plays 75 rounds of golf.
When Fred plays he usually invites people he knows, yet they don’t know each other. He’s generous with his relationships, connecting people who would benefit from knowing each other.
The result from his golfing efforts – his business grows every year. He never makes a cold call. Every new piece of business comes to him through a warm introduction. His close rate is well over 50%.
What Fred did is turn the typical sales funnel into a sales megaphone. Rather than winnowing down suspects to prospects to deals, Fred focuses on his relationships, and leverages them for more of the same. His relationships warmly connect him to people with whom he builds new relationships, trust, and eventually business.
Relationship Building Zone
Another personal example. I had a good relationship with a Senior VP of a national bank. I arranged a golf outing with my friend and his boss, the Regional President. Within 6 months of the outing we were doing a $25,000 project for the bank. As importantly, my new relationship with the Regional President afforded me introductions to his peers around the country. A local relationship built on trust is evolving into a national account.
The position that there is a stronger ROI through relationships can be substantiated by story after story. The role golf can play in helping build relationships is equally evident. Remember though that golf is a “relationship building zone”, it is not a “selling zone”.
And as sacrilegious as this phrase might be, realize that your investment does not have to be golf. Find activities that become part of your normal schedule and routine. Examples could include:
- Host a dinner once a month and invite three people with whom you want stronger relationships and these three people would benefit from knowing each other.
- Every week set aside one hour to call at least three people whom you haven’t spoken to in a while. Inquire as to how they are doing and look for a way to be generous or to help.
- Once a week make an email connection between two people who you believe should know each other.
- Forward an article of interest or a send an interesting book to someone.
- Use your electronic calendar skills to remember birthdays; be different and remember anniversary dates as well (for anything memorable, not just marriages).
Each of the above activities is about generosity and getting to know someone outside of the strict confines of business. So whether it is golf or something else, build a set of activities that are uniquely you. Choose things that reflect your style and how you connect with people.
The key is making sure you invest the time, today and tomorrow. When you need a relationship to help you, it will already be there. You won’t have to go looking for it or hope to build it.
Ken Cook is the Co-Founder of How To WHO, Inc. a program for building business through relationships. Learn more at www.howtowho.com