Photo Credit: Houston Chronicle
This morning was a tough one. I struggled to get out of bed with a major head cold/ Nyquil hangover. Did I mention my wife is out of town this week? So, I did the best I could in getting the kids ready for school, which includes attempting to wake up two sleep-deprived teenagers, making breakfast and lunches, making sure each is dressed for success, and then getting ready to attack my day. I REALLY miss my wife!
Speaking of wives, while preparing lunches this morning I turned on ESPN to learn the Houston Astros won the World Series. Congratulations Houston – the city deserves this one more than any one I can think of. While watching the highlights – the reporter shared a story about Houston shortstop Carlos Correa, who made an on-air proposal to his girlfriend. That certainly took some guts.
Imagine if she said no! What a bummer that would have been for young Carlos. However, the more I learned about the story, the more I realized he put himself in position to know she would say yes.
First, my crack team of researches tell me the two have been dating for over a year (never thought we would be doing celebrity research). From a commercial real estate perspective, you too must go on a lot of “dates” and build a trusting relationship before asking the prospect to become a client – the proverbial marriage proposal.
Second, when you are ready to “pop the question”, you better be sure you have given them every reason to say yes. Besides building trust and showing value, is the prospect ready to be asked for their business? Have you appropriately shared with them the opportunities and challenges of not doing business, and more importantly – the benefits of doing business with you?
Finally, are you prepared for any obstacles that may come with your proposal. Have you thought of every possible objection and how you will address your prospect’s concerns? It seems Mr. Correa was not going to propose if Houston had lost, the timing simply would not have been right. However, he had a specific plan in place should the Astros win. And they did, and so did he. And so can you, if you just plan accordingly when asking for business.
Want to start winning more presentations (or dare I say ‘pitches’) and securing more clients? Visit www.crecoach.com to schedule your free strategy session today!
