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Commission Altoids


Have you ever had coffee with a person and 5 minutes into the meeting you are looking for the nearest exit? It's not because their breath wreaks of garlic or coffee but because of "Commission Breath" and the sale that they are trying to make.

In my previous article, I talked about how sales and marketers need to be careful to not have commission breath. Since January 7th of this year, I have attended 38 networking functions, have met over 140 new people and scheduled over 50 one-on-one meetings. There have been multiple instances of when I meet with people at an event or over coffee and they are so focused on trying to earn a commission that they forget the purpose of networking.

One of my favorite books is Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. In the book, Covey talks about how people do business with people that they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. If the people that I had met with, had taken the time

to have a genuine conversation so that I could KNOW who they are... learn to LIKE them based on commonalities... and learn to TRUST them... I would have been more likely to run to the car for my checkbook rather than for the hills. Or better yet… open up my phone to see who I can connect them with that is within my Sphere of Influence.

Remember, the purpose of networking is to Connect so that we can develop relationships to give and receive referrals.

I have to be very careful of this myself because I can get really excited about what I do for a living. One of the ways that I remember to ask questions and to have the proper FORM. If you are noticing that you need a "Commission Altoid" make sure to check out my next post to learn about my insider tip to selling to an introvert.

I will leave you with this. It is very bad FORM to try and sell the person that you meet with at a networking function. You never want to actively sell the person at a networking function or during a “One-on-One” meeting, unless that person shows genuine interest in your product or services for themselves.

Until next time, Happy Connecting.

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