Follow up on trust

A few weeks back I promised to come back with some ideas on building relationships -- building trust -- in a digital world where voice mail, email, caller ID and a host of other gates are keeping the salesperson at bay. Doing it better than any crotchety, old gatekeeper could have done, too (God bless her soul). Here's what I've come up with:

Nothing.

Well, at least nothing new. I have participated these past three weeks in a sales sharing program that FCPNY is sponsoring as a member benefit called the Training Table Forum. Each Friday morning, sales people from our member publications have been joining the call, sharing what is working and not working in the marketplace. And what is working are the basics, applied liberally in a professionally persistent manner. There is nothing new to building relationships and building trust. It takes the same levels of commitment to providing integrity, quality and value in our dealings with others. God bless our souls.

One thing we need to recognize and do more of today, though, is marketing before we try selling. And I'm not talking about huge ad and brand campaigns. Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer (www.gitomer.com) says cold calls are not how we break through to new business today. You do it by treating existing customers right, by networking through them and groups like Chambers of Commerce and putting yourself out there as a market-giver, not a market-taker. (Yeah, I have a man-crush on Gitomer). In The Speed of Trust, author Stephen M. R. Covey writes about the "Principle of Contribution." It has to do with companies being good citizens and giving back to the markets they operate in with programs that fix social ills, address community needs and help others with nothing sought in return. Both make great points, and what Covey talks about in a corporate sense, you can do on a personal level. When you do what is right, when you give of your time and talents and are genuinely interested in what others do, people will find you and business will find you, too.

If you find yourself in need of help with sales, training or any other publishing business matter, give us a shout at FCPNY -- toll-free at 877-275-2726 or by email at tcuskey@fcpny.com.

Thanks...and may God bless your soul.