YOU HAVE A FRIEND ON THE FRONT LINE

Here's a great article for getting "in the door".

YOU HAVE A FRIEND ON THE FRONT LINE
by Joe Bonura

In this issue:
--> Devil or Angel
--> Angel at the Gate
--> Shake and Make
--> A Living Example
--> Tough as Nails
--> Meet Mike
--> I Need Your Help
--> Here’s Johnny
--> No Warning
--> In a Nutshell
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DEVIL OR ANGEL

You can only make the sale if you get through the receptionist
to get to the buyer. The response you get from a receptionist
is in direct proportion to your attitude toward her. Most
salespeople approach the busy executive’s front line of defense
as the enemy – a devil in disguise. Salespeople are usually
disappointed with the receptionist’s reaction because they often
get the icy greeting they subconsciously create. Her response
to you is a mirror image of your attitude toward her.

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ANGEL AT THE GATE

Success begins and ends in your own mind. Thinking of the
person at the front desk as a gatekeeper negatively impacts your
facial expression, body language, and demeanor; and conversely,
it also changes the demeanor of the gatekeeper towards you.
She now puts you in the same category as the hundreds of other
peddlers she is faced with day-in and day-out. To change her
negative reception to a positive reception, you must change your
negative perception of her position. If she allowed everyone
entrance to her boss, she would lose her job. Since what you
think is what you get, stop thinking of her as the gatekeeper,
and begin thinking of her as the gate angel. You can approach
her with a different attitude because she is there to help you
to get to Oz, where the client is.

One salesperson called the receptionist, The Window Witch. It
is no wonder that they were ending up on the wrong side of Oz.
They now call her The Window Angel.

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SHAKE AND MAKE

Always smile when you approach the gate angel, greet her with a
gentle handshake, and say, “Hi, my name is ____________. What
is your name?” She will be forced to stop what she is doing and
focus on you. At this point, you have made both facial and
physical contact with her, and you have also differentiated
yourself from all the other visitors whom she encountered that
day.

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ORDER YOUR COPY OF JOE BONURA'S NEW BOOK
'Throw the Rabbit - The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional
Selling' at (if link is not clickable, please copy and paste
into your Address bar): http://www.bonura.com
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A LIVING EXAMPLE

Recently, I went on a sales call with a salesperson who took me
to one of his, as he called it, “tough ones.” He told me that
he had been unsuccessful in getting past the receptionist.

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TOUGH AS NAILS

I walked up to her desk, reached out and shook her hand. I
said, “Hi, my name is Joe, what is your name?” She said,
“Mary.” I glanced down and saw that her fingernails were
painted like individual works of art. I said, “Wow! Your nails
are beautiful, and who did them for you?” With obvious pride,
she answered, “I used to be a nail tech; I did them myself.” I
was curious, “Must have taken all day?” “No.” she said, “It
took only fifteen minutes.” I held out my free hand and showed
her my nails, “What about these?” She chuckled, “You need
help.”

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MEET MIKE

At this point, I introduced her to Mike, the sales
representative. For over a year, he had been calling on her,
and he had never really met her. His usual routine was to throw
his business card at her, and to expect her to fetch the client.
Never lead with your business card. Always lead by first
showing the receptionist that you are more interested in her.

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I NEED YOUR HELP

My next statement to Mary was, “Mary, I need your help.” Notice
that I did not say, “Can you help me?” There is a big
difference in the two statements. “Can you help me?” is a
cliché; she hears it all the time. “I need your help” is a more
powerful statement. People love helping others, and “I need
your help,” sounds more urgent.

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HERE'S JOHNNY

My next question was, “Mary, what do we need to do to see
Johnny?” Her response was, “Let me get him for you.” She left
her desk and headed for his office. It is the same thing that
my secretary would do if she wants me to see someone who has
made a good impression. Mary returned with Johnny and said,
“Here’s Johnny!”

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NO WARNING

Notice that she did not pick up the phone to warn Johnny with
their pre-arranged signal that a salesperson was waiting in the
lobby to see him. Also notice that I used the words “What do WE
have to do?” and not “…I have to do?” When I said, “What do WE
have to do,” she became a member of my team.

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IN A NUTSHELL

1. Approach the gate angel with a smile
2. Reach out and shake hands
3. Introduce yourself with your first name and get her first
name
4. Repeat her name and say, “I need your help.”
5. Ask, “What do we need to do?” to accomplish your objective

Treat the gate angel as the most important person in your sales
career. She can be your devil or angel; it is all up to YOU!


SUGGESTION:

Print this article, three-hole punch it, and keep it
in a binder for a motivational 'pick-me-up' when you need it!

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VISIT JOE BONURA'S WEBSITE at (if link is not clickable, please
copy and paste into your Address bar): http://www.bonura.com
for free articles and information on how Joe can help you grow
your business and your career.

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REPRINT info:
Joe Bonura would be pleased for you to reprint the article text
free of charge (non-exclusively), but asks that you include
his name and contact information:

Joe Bonura
Bonura Business Development Group, Inc.
www.bonura.com
12931 W US Highway 42
Prospect, Kentucky 40059
(800) 444-3340 toll free
(502) 292-2814 phone
sales@bonura.com

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ABOUT JOE BONURA

His background is unique. Joe owned and operated a highly
successful advertising agency for 18 years. During that time,
he found his advertising campaigns were more effective when
he educated his clients in the areas of sales and service. So
he conducted training seminars for his clients as added
value. Word got around that Joe was a quality speaker and
more and more people asked him to speak. The demand
became so high, he sold the agency to three of his associates
to start his own speaking and consulting company, Bonura
Business Development Group, Inc.

Joe is past President of the Kentucky Speakers Association
and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a prestigious
designation earned by only 8% of the 3,600-member National
Speakers Association. Joe presently serves on the board of
directors of NSA.

He is author of the audio learning systems 'Three Dimensional
Selling(TM)' and 'Turning Customer Satisfaction Into Customer
Excitement!(TM).' He is author of the book 'Throw the Rabbit -
The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional Selling.'

TO ENGAGE JOE BONURA FOR A TRAINING SEMINAR
AT YOUR COMPANY, VISIT: http://www.bonura.com/ (if link is not
clickable, please copy and paste into your Address bar)

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