My good friend Billy Glos reached out to me last week, just after the blog came out. Here is his email to me:

Next week:

HOW to build great relationships

- Give first without any expectation of receiving anything in return 

- Trust and integrity 

- Over-deliver

You know the rest!

He certainly hit the high points here, didn’t he? Bill is a serious networker and well-respected in his industry and community. When Bill meets good people, he makes it his business to keep in touch, and over time, he gets to know those new business associates personally.

Abe Lincoln said: “And so it is with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend.”

The keyword in this quote is sincere.  We have a tough enough time overcoming sales stereotypes propagated by bad movie characterizations and famous flim-flam sellers like Bernie Madoff or Elizabeth Holmes. Being anything less than sincere reduces you to a bad stereotype and detracts from the brand – it hurts all professional business development people.

The quote from President Lincoln encapsulates why this blog is written for professional salespeople AND non-sellers – because there are none. We all must convince others to do something or give something throughout the day. Dan Pink’s survey of office workers found that non-sales professionals spend 47% of their time “selling”; convincing others to part with time, money, or effort to help them complete their work.

Do you know how they say the three most essential things in real estate are location, location, and location? In business development – in life – it’s Relationships, Relationships, Relationships.

Own Your Sales Gene…