Grow Your Business

To get a prospect’s attention you need to grab their attention. To grab their attention in the age of information and overwhelming sales pitches, you need to deliver a Shock and Awe approach they will immediately identify with. Here is how.

I had the opportunity to meet with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to pitch a project I wanted to do for them. In his spacious office John Wayne was everywhere: posters, autographed pictures, and even a life-sized cardboard cutout of the Duke himself standing in one corner of the office.

I commented on the memorabilia and he mentioned to me everyone who comes to his office wants to add to his collection, and the way he said it, I got the feeling his interest became more the passion of others with their gifts.

As I was leaving after my presentation I noticed one thing framed that had nothing to do with John Wayne. It was a certificate from Star Fleet Command. He was a closet Trekkie! When I asked about that particular framed certificate his eyes lit up and he told me all about his week at Star Trek camp! You never know do you?

In the thank you note to him for giving me his time I included two inexpensive items I found on ebay. One was a Star Trek communicator the actors would hit on their chest to communicate with others on board. The second was a red enamel Klingon war pin.

In the note I told him he could use these as indicators when he walked into meetings. If the communicator pin was on it was open communication. If he was wearing the Klingon war pin – the warrior was loose.

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