Recently, I was in Las Vegas. After giving a couple of presentations to attendees of the International Sign Association show, a gaggle of friends and family flew in and we took in a few shows.
The first was a mind reading magician who absolutely blew us away with his ability to make the impossible (no one can read minds) seem possible (he read minds). Sorry, but when a guy guesses the name that my oldest daughter was thinking of, you really want to believe.
The second show we saw was Michael Jackson’s One, a celebration of his music and life. It was worth every penny of the $100 per ticket that we paid ("we" being me ... Daddy).
The third show was another Cirque du Soleil production, as was One, called Ka. Unlike the other two, it was not sold out. While I waited for things to start, and then after it did and I got bored, I started looking around the enormous facility they had built at the MGM Grand and saw more than a few empty seats. Granted, it was the 7 p.m. Sunday night show, but every one of those seats represented lost revenue.
I was prospecting by looking around.
What I find amazing is that after all is said and done about buying lists and finding vertical markets, very often the best prospects are the ones in our everyday life. For example, having gone through the college admissions process with all three of my girls, I believe I could hold my own in a conversation with an Admissions Director. I’ve done a lot of volunteering over the years and think that nonprofits might also be a target of mine. I had a client years ago who got work from Under Armour because she wrote an impassioned letter to the founder about how dedicated she was to the brand.
This kind of thing fascinates me, which I know was weird, but I think the key messages here are twofold: first, be sales-focused and second, pay attention. You might have driven past your next great opportunity or may receive something in the mail from them.
Did you notice?
Are you paying attention?
There is a business side to everything but the first step is to make it your business to notice.
I go into a deeper dive in the video if you’re interested in getting more information on one of these books. This should keep you busy for the summer!
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Bill Farquharson can be reached at (781) 934-7036 or bfarquharson@idealliance.org
Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.