ACTION 1: GREET

The first words spoken set the tone for the rest of the conversation. In the Three-Step Start, Greet is the first Action and it sets a positive, collaborative tone for your conversation. It’s a short Action that addresses one of the unstated questions buyers have upon contact: “Who are you?”

Tell Them Who You Are

Clearly introduce yourself with these specifics:

• A salutation. Begin your conversations with a positive, sincere greeting; for example, “Hello.” “Good morning/afternoon.” “Great to see you.” “Hola!” Address them by name when possible. For first contacts, be more formal by using their proper names; don’t shorten someone’s name unless they have given you permission.

• Your name. Adapt this for your buyer’s familiarity with you, your personal style, and comfort level. Some sellers just use their first name while others always use both their first and last names. Your company may have a preference. State your name clearly and add an interesting connection if possible. For instance, if your name was Joann Sleight you could say your name and then make it memorable by saying “Sleight, like Santa’s sleigh with a T added.” If you have an unusual or hard-to-pronounce first or last name, you may find that is a great conversation opener.

• Company name. Identify your company by name and by your solution, if needed. Buyers don’t want to rack their brain trying to make the connection. You could say, Nancy Bleeke with Sales Pro Insider and Genuine Sales. Or Matt Michaels with Rexnord, maker of the Thomas Coupling.

Adjust your greeting to your Type, the situation, and the buyer. Don’t assume they know or remember you or your company.

Make the First Moments Count

Purposeful first moments in every conversation are invaluable. They demonstrate you are prepared, organized, focused on Them, and most importantly, that you won’t waste their time. A sincere greeting immediately connects them to you as a person and begins that important dynamic called buyer engagement.

How much time do you have to engage your buyer? While it varies, their first impression of you affects the level and speed of the engagement. And this impression is formed quickly. When you are face to face, first impressions are formed by your overall approach, including how you look, whether your face is smiling or stern, and the items you have with you.

Research by Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov of Princeton University in 2005 found that first impressions are made in between 100 and 500 milliseconds. They discovered that it only takes a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face and that longer exposures don’t significantly alter those impressions, although the longer exposure might boost confidence in their initial judgments.

Five hundred milliseconds is just a brief moment. To make that moment positive, be prepared to engage in a meaningful start to the conversation, as discussed in Chapter 5.