A couple years ago, a woman called me and, cued by my phone greeting, rattled off her scripted sales pitch about her company's accounting services.
In my mind, I was thinking, "Hmm, my accountant no longer takes new clients and I wonder if she's making changes. Maybe I should learn more about other accountants out there."
What I said was, "Thanks. I already have an accountant."
The woman's response? She stammered something like, "Oh. Ok," and hung up. She missed an opportunity to get to know me or educate me on her firm's approach and expertise.
I thought about this mysterious salesperson as I watched this video, forwarded to me by colleague nonprofit attorney Morgen Cheshire. When I picture the accounting firm salesperson, I envision a meek, timid person sitting in a dark space. Guess what? That's not a convincing image. I want an accountant who's confident, bold, trustworthy, and with high integrity.
Your sponsors want bold, trustworthy, creative, reliable partners, too.
What is your image in your calls and in-person meetings with prospective sponsors and active partners? If it's anything less than confident, you may be undermining your success.
Spend 20 minutes with this TED Talk and learn a few tips on how to sublty change your approach.
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