Team Members know how to introduce you – really – they do.
What they don’t have on the tip of their tongue is a way to begin,
to start a conversation
that would end with an introduction to you.
Can’t start with the introduction;
have to start with a question.
And the question is just kindling – beginning – the conversation.
It’s not about you, or your business. Here’s why:
So let’s look at good examples of all three types of questions –
we’ll begin with flamethrower questions – questions that would
ruin the relationship, either between me and my client, if I asked it;
or between me and you, because it feels like I’m cold calling for you,
and I’m not going to do that, even if I love you!
Here is Jamie McDonald’s InfoMinute:
- Last week I cleaned NEW carpet for Sally. She just
closed on her home and insisted on having the NEW
carpet cleaned BEFORE MOVING IN because the smell
nauseated her. I did a little research and found
international experts report that mice have dropped
dead after breathing new carpet fumes. Sally thought
I was going to think she was crazy for wanting to
clean NEW carpet. I asked her how often she wears
NEW underwear and socks without washing them
first…we were instantly on the same page! I told
her after I installed new carpet, I did exactly the
same thing also. The next time you are standing on
new carpet at daycare, AND you can tell because of
the NEW chemically odor, ask them if they would ever
wear new underwear without washing them 1st andtell
themthe same should be true for new carpet that
kids are crawling, playing, and sleeping on.Tell
them Jamie with CitruSolution is ready to help!
Discuss!
Now Holly’s InfoMinute before working on Kindling Questions:
- Refer me to the small business owner who is looking to increase sales.
TellthemI can helpstreamline their marketing efforts and establish
consistent branding so they will net more business.
Holly Neumann Fresh Eggs Web Design and Marketing.
Here’s what she switched to:
- I like to get things done. I use my calendar to track each task every day.
Refer me to your client who is always prepared, maybe even more than you,
for your meetings. She likes to use a checklist to get things done.
Ask her what app she uses for her to-do list. She knows time is money.
Would you say “What app do you use for your to-do list?”
What would you say next in a path that was going to get you to the bonfire of offering an introduction to Holly?
Let’s look at a really good example of bad:
- Kevin Spiegelman, from ASK Exterminators. Holiday parties will be starting
soon and you want to keep your home in tip top shape before guests come to
visit. Your top priority, to make sure your home is clean and decorated. You
might have a maid clean the house after you put up your decorations.
However, you may not think about the fact that your decorations have been
sitting in storage for a year. You do not know what pests maybe lurking in
boxes of those holiday decorations in the attic or basement. In addition to
having the house cleaned, you should also get your home treated for pests.
You do not want your visiting guests to receive a visit from pests during their
stay with you. A good referral is your neighbor, Janet. She is having out of
town guests and they will be staying for a week in her house. Let Janet know
she should have her home exterminated to prevent any embarrassing
moments during the holiday season. Have her give Kevin a call.
Under what circumstances would you say to your neighbor,
“You should have your home exterminated to prevent any embarrassing moments during the holiday season.”
Flamethrower. If I say this, the relationship is over.
Here’s a good example of good from Jamecia Bowers on the 78 Corridor Team.
- Ellen has very fragile, dry and mature skin. In the winter her skin can be so dry that it appears like cracked glass under the magnifying lamp and visibly flakes. Since her skin is so thin and delicate and enzyme or plant-based peel would benefit her in improving her overall skin texture and tone while also removing the outermost damaged layer of the skin making it more receptive to topical product absorption and treatments. A facial peel cost $109.00 and takes about an hour and 15 minutes to perform. Refer the mature woman you know who still keeps her standing hair and nail appointment twice each month.
Ask her what some of her New Year’s resolutions are for 2020.
Who are you thinking of?
What would you say?
Now two good examples of good – first from Dr. Gillian Kucharski on the North Fayetteville Team:
- Food allergies can mean a full spectrum of reactions
ranging from the avoidance of a favored food to
requiring an emergency intervention. I had a patient
come in complaining of a skin rash and abdominal
bloating that she believed to have been caused by
the consumption of a certain adult beverage the
night before…I tested her in the office, without the
use of needles or any other invasive measures, and
cleared her for wheat, barley, and hops…all within
her 15 minute appointment. She called me yesterday
to let me know that she had…thoroughly…enjoyed her
weekend, and that she was thrilled with her glowing
complexion, just in time for the holidays. She said,
“Now if you could do something about my morning
after headache…”. I’m a great referral for Pam.
She’s hosting for the holidays this year, making her
lists, and checking them twice, because there’s
nothing worse than forgetting an uncle at the
airport. Ask her if she’s cooking for any dietary
restrictions. I’m Dr. Gillian with Crane
Chiropractic & Applied Kinesiology.
What would you say?
And from Heather Riggs on the Buckhead Team:
- If a lawyer could just as well have their teenaged neighbor do it, then why should they pay a professional marketer? When it comes to properly creating social media profiles for their firm, those scales simply aren’t balanced. The difference could be the default.
For example, my client Sasha left many of the default setting on her Facebook page as-is, including the “call to action” button at the top. It stated “learn more” which for her practice is much less effective than choosing the option “call now” and linking it to her phone number. That simple shift alone increased
her call volume 10%.
Details aren’t my devil, they’re my dream.
That’s why I’m a referral for
an estate planner
who wants her house to be the preferred hangout for her kids and their friends until back to school.
You’ll see her unloading extra Costco boxes of capri sun from her SUV.
Ask her if she stocks drinks for the parents too.
Who are you thinking of?
My kindling question was “Do you like to watch Jeopardy?”
That is a PERFECT Kindling Question – bravo you!
Thank you, Wendy. Heather did a great job teaching the Kindling Question seminar. Her college classes in theater really comes across in her teaching process. She gets the point across with flare and humor. As I do in all the PowerCore seminars, I left the class with a lot of knowledge and questions to ponder, moving on to a higher level of understanding.