Exercise Emotional Control

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I didn’t know what to expect at the expo, nor did I overthink it. I just showed up in my mask ready to mingle. The chamber took all of the necessary precautions. They took temperatures and had masks on hand. The tradeshow/expo booths were socially distanced. The biggest cluster of people were those standing in line at the bar with our free drink tickets. Otherwise, it was pretty sparse in attendance compared to years’ past. And what an amazing opportunity that was in itself, because it allowed for quality one-on-one conversations.

Open More Doors By Being Open With Others
Since the event had low attendance, it was easy to be noticed, especially for someone like me. I barely made it in the door and people were instantly approaching me. It was like returning to summer camp and seeing all of my old friends for the first time in a year!

Despite my comfort in front of people, even I was a uae telegram data little disoriented at first on how to act and carry myself. So, I did what most salespeople at a function do; I got in line at the bar. Before I could walk away, five other salespeople from the same company started interrogating me with probing discovery questions that made me want to run. My fight or flight response was on high alert.

These guys were “ready to party” (sell to any and everyone). I felt myself getting annoyed quickly, thinking to myself, “I just want to ease into the pool here and warm up.” Luckily, my emotional control skills kicked in and I disrupted the conversation by turning it around on them. Be ready to flip the script when other salespeople are trying to sell to you; and instead, leverage them for referrals to decision-makers in their own companies.

Know Your Audience
Right in front of me was my target audience: salespeople! Before I knew it, one of them motioned over to another guy to join us. It was his boss, the sales manager. “You need to meet Gina. She’s a sales trainer.” I walked away with his business card and a verbal agreement to meet in a week. They are building a team of 500 salespeople nationally. Boom! This is why it is critical to know your target audience and where to find them at an event. You should have a game plan and clear goals before you arrive at an event. Who do you want to connect with? How many people do you want to connect with?

By the way, I didn’t have any business cards on me. And when asked for one, I said “I take cards. I don’t give them.” These guys looked at me like I had two heads. Complete silence and then head nods. “Wow. What a great idea,” said Salesman John. Always ask for more business cards than you give away.