Some days sponsorship selling can be challenging. You may be avoiding making introductory calls. You may be unsure how to proceed in a negotiation. You still may be learning the art and science of relationship building.
A big part of sponsorship work is about the relationship you cultivate with your sponsors. Ideally you both approach your collaboration as partners. However, even if you don't experience the level of partnership with the other that you desire, you must build trust at every turn. That means you must:
- Be trustworthy.
- Be reliable by doing what you say you're going to do.
- Always look out for the other's best interests, even when it may be inconvenient to do so.
- Stick your neck out, even when it's uncomfortable to feel vulnerable.
- Guide and educate.
- Be proactive in your recommendations and suggestions.
- Focus on your partner's business outcomes.
- Be enjoyable to work with.
Remember there is a human being on the other side of your relationship
How smiling more can help.
Check out this 6-minute video, a TED Talk on smiling.
Even on days when you may not be feeling up to the tasks at hand, something as simple as smiling can serve you well. Speaker Ron Gutman says not only will smiling allow you to seem "more likeable and courteous, but you will also appear to be more confident."
Here's an extra reward.
"Researchers found that one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate," Gutman says. "Wait. The same study found that smiling is as stimulating as receiving up to £16,000 sterling in cash. That’s like $25,000 grand a smile."
Smile when you call or interact with your sponsors. And on those challenging days, experiment with smiling. See if the simple act of smiling – triggered by thinking about a child or a pet, something funny you heard, or a warm memory – can get you in a more positive frame of mind.
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