Standing out from the crowd

Grant Leboff: Tony, one of the places that businesses utilize is networking, networking groups and, of course, one of the challenges you have when you go there is there are four accounts and six solicitors, whatever else… What advice could you give someone to sort of stand out from everybody else when in that kind of situation?

Tony Morris: I find with networking when you go up to someone and say, “What do you do?”, you get those responses, “I’m an accountant,” “I’m an IFA,” “I’m an architect,” but if you actually think about that, is that what they do? Because it’s not. If someone asks me, “What do you do?” I used to say, “Sales training,” but that’s not what I do or, “Sales trainer.” That’s not what I do, it’s what I am. When I think about what is it that I do, I would actually change that question to, “How can you help me?”

Now, when I’m in networking, we say, “What do you do?” In my head, they’ve asked me, “How could you help me?” My answer is, “Well, I help sales people sell more.” Immediately, that engages them and say, “How do go about that?” So I actually now have a conversation. If there are other sales trainers or coaches in the room, very likely they’ll say, “I run a sales training company” or something quite boring, and I immediately stand out.

Grant Leboff: I understand how that initiates the conversation, how do you then move away? Because sales training, I think, it’s slightly more unusual than being a solicitor or something like that. So let’s say you say, “Well, I help people get their tax done,” or whatever it is. How do you then sort of maintain that differentiation through the conversation? Are there any other tips or ideas that you have?

Tony Morris: There are. I think it depends on what your USPs are. If I’m an accountant, I must know what my Unique Selling Point is amongst other accountants and I’m sure there will be one and I must make sure I communicate that in the networking. Also, there’s probably a success story that I can talk about. Once I understand an individual approaches me in networking and I know what they do, what they’re involved with, I might share a very impressive success story that will be, hopefully, relevant to that individual that they’ll go away and remember. Again, it’s just saying something that is going to create some curiosity where they’re going to want to know more and therefore, you’ll be remembered and you stand out from the crowd.

Grant Leboff: That’s really interesting because what you’re really sort of moving on to is having a narrative. So telling someone how you can help them and then, coming to perhaps a narrative or story because people remember stories, don’t they?

Tony Morris: Very much so.

Grant Leboff: Is that something you’d advise your clients to do, for sales meetings as well, is have some stories to tell?

Tony Morris: Definitely. I think that you’re right actually. Have it planned. I think people do remember stories a lot more than maybe facts, so, I think, whatever you want to communicate in a meeting or a networking event, put a story into that so you can have an interesting spin on it. Maybe, if you can make it quite humorous, people will enjoy that. They’ll remember what you said more. Again, then you stand out and get remember which is what it’s about, really.

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