How Do You Get Your Business?

Effective marketers strike a balance between being too smart and too dumb, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, sales, service & success coach, and best-selling author of 12 books and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. According to this popular keynote speaker and radio and TV commentator, sometimes asking one quality question can reap amazing rewards!

There is a sweet spot between being smart and dumb that is just right for marketers. For instance, it?s well known that salespeople can be too smart for their own good, over-talking, wearing out their welcome, putting feet in their mouths, and not listening enough, or allowing prospects to sell themselves. At the same time, if you can figure out a way of putting more customers on the books, and keeping them there, as frequent flyer and awards programs have, then you can see the payoff for being clever.

I?ve found there is a single question that can help you to find a perfect middle ground, while learning a lot, as well:

?Where do you get your business??

Yesterday, for example, I caught up with a client who has his own hypnotism practice. He does a nifty stage act and he counsels individuals, helping them to get more sales and to turn their lives around in various ways.

I asked him how he?s doing, he said ?Great!? and then I asked the magical question about his source of business.

?Whenever I want business, I stand in front of a 7-11, walk up to smokers and say, ?I see you smoke? and they say ?Yup,? and I ask ?Have you ever thought of quitting?? and they say ?I?d love to? and then I hand them my card, and it?s as simple as that!?

Wow, that?s great, isn?t it?

His prospects are qualified, he makes direct contact with them, they disclose a need, and he says he?s there to help.

What can be simpler or smarter?

By the way, how do YOU get your business?

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone?, You Can Sell Anything By Telephone! and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, ?The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,? published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC''s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at [phone] or at: [e-mail]