Samurai Business Training – Third Session in the Dojo – Continuing the Hierarchy of Introductions – Alliances, Networking, Direct Mail & Cold Calls

Session #3 in the dojo (ok, conference room) – alliances, networking, direct marketing and telemarketing or cold calling (my favorite). Nothing like making a cold call at 8am to a stranger to get the morning started right!

OK, seriously, we reviewed quality introductions (“take two people out to lunch, this week…”) and introductions or referrals. Dan Kreutzer, Sensei of Samurai Business Group, made one striking point that gave me pause. If you can’t recommend or refer a specific person, they shouldn’t be in your network.

Think about your LinkedIn connections and Facebook “friends.” Can you recommend, or at worse refer all 500+ of LinkedIn connections (all 5000+ of your LinkedIn connections)? Or do you believe all 500+ of your LinkedIn connections or Facebook “friends” would refer or recommend you? Go through your social media contact lists and answer that question. Then ask yourself, why am I connected to this person?

Dan then covered the value of forming alliances and comparing it to marriage. I have found great value in alliances, particularly as a freelancer. Even from a corporate perspective, alliances and allies can add products, services, talents, new perspectives and clients – if done correctly. Dan shared how to do this correctly and grow our businesses geometrically through alliances.

First, find a suitable alliance partner and meet to discuss the opportunity (date). If there are good synergies, work on one or two projects together (engagement). If those work out well for both parties, draft a letter of understanding and begin creating joint opportunities (marriage with a “prenup”). Done correctly with the right person or corporate partner, the results for you and your clients can be amazing.

Networking is the cold calling of the 21^st Century. It can benefit your business and the business of others. Remember, this is an exercise in sharing, not taking. And if done incorrectly, it can be an expensive and frustrating exercise of self delusion. “Over the past month, I attended six networking events, collected 123 business cards, met 43 really interesting people for coffee, have no new business and my hand won’t stop shaking.”)

Dan’s suggestions are to target the events. Look for networking events targeted towards your prospects, not your peers. Evaluate which organizations’ events were valuable and those that were not. Make the obvious changes to itinerary. Follow-up with the “real,” new leads, not just every new person you met.

Direct marketing has always seemed like a pain in the… How many emails do you receive a day inviting you, “for the last chance to register at a huge discount for a webinar to monetize your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, your grandparents…” Or “this is last chance to signup of this amazing meet-up to hook up” for the fifth time this week?

Dan and Bob Lambert are really devious on how to keep your “amazing email offer” from going into spam or being deleted unread. Don’t send an email. There is a much forgotten, little used system called the U.S. Postal Service. Mail! I mean seriously, think about how you react when you get an actual, piece of mail (with the exception of an invitation from the IRS to stop by for coffee, “Bring your attorney if you’d like.”). What is unique to the Samurai Business Group letter is there is no real call to action. The letter shares information that should be valuable to the recipient. Also, the format is very unique, original and short.

Telemarketing (cold calling). Very simply put, don’t do it. Dan had one word of advice if you want to use telemarketing, subcontract.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

Samurai Business Training – First Week in the Dojo

Contributed by Spencer Maus

Monday morning I arrived for the Samurai Business Group training as a willing student; my new notebook, depressing profile and a mind like a sponge (no jokes please).

Nine of us waited for our Sensei to begin transforming us from “grasshopper” to killer, sales Samurais. There were the usual pleasantries of introductions, and then we quickly moved onto discussing our profiles and what it meant. As Dan Kreutzer began explaining what the data meant, I began feeling better about myself, “Yeh, that’s right. That’s me. I’m not so bad.” But I also realized there was much work to do.

Dan and Bob Lambert explained what each quadrant of the analysis meant, the tendencies and examples of known people that fit into a specific pattern In my case I’m three parts Bill Clinton and two parts Bob Knight.

They then explained that the Adapted style was how we acted and reacted in most situations, particularly sales. The Natural style is how we react when things go south, or the pressure dramatically increases.

Then the real “beauty” part of the day’s training began. Together our Sensei detailed how to quickly determine someone’s behavioral type. With each quadrant, they detailed how to quickly identify, move to the meeting’s focus, and know when a meeting is going south or the executive is willing to buy. Further, they discussed the potential problems of one type presenting to another – sixteen different combinations.

However, there is one problem. And this is only day one. It is one thing to learn a technique through listening and observation. It is another to absorb information through experience. If you have ever skied or played golf, think back to the first lesson, “Do this, do that, don’t do this or that. Ok, now go do it.” It is through the experience that true mastery can be achieved. Now was time to experience

We were randomly paired up, with the assignment to determine the behavioral pattern of our partner from our conversation. Everyone nailed it. But like any Samurai in training it must be done over and over a thousand times to become instinctual and to achieve mastery.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

Samurai Business Training – First Week in the Dojo – Preparation

Contributed by Spencer Maus

I have known Dan Kreutzer and Bob Lambert for more than five years. With the number of sales training programs, I was always curious what made the Samurai Business Group program unique. There was only one way to find out. Surrender to the Sensei and begin my training to become a Samurai.

First a little background. I have over 30 years of successful sales experience. In fact, I once taught cold calling and fact finding to insurance agents. But when one has their own business, you are responsible for sales, marketing, accounting, project management and completion and janitorial services, any new idea or edge that will accelerate success and relieve pain needs to be very strongly considered.

Second, I have known and trusted Dan and Bob for more than five years. They carefully explained that the program would dramatically improve my closing rate and alleviate my need to cold call.

Lastly, was the use of the term Mastery. Mastery is defined as “1. Comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject or accomplishment; and 2. The action or process of mastering a subject or accomplishment.” Viewed from my own perspective, Mastery is the ability to react without thinking.

So, to quote a beer commercial, “Here we go!”

The first step was to complete the DISC Behavioral Profile. Having completed a number of behavioral profiles, my first thought was this will be easy. Dan had advised not to think about the answers, just react (aha – Samurai Mastery). Well, it was that easy. I did think. In fact, I thought about “crowd sourcing” the questions to my LinkedIn contacts. “Hey, guys, do I play well with others? Or am I an overbearing jerk?” Don’t answer that.

Upon completing the questionnaire, I anxiously awaited the results. “Spencer, you’re perfect! Why are you taking this class? You could teach it! ‘Love you just the way you are!’” WRONG. As I began reading the profile, I was thinking “That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. The program must be faulty.” Which quickly became “Ok, that is me. Ok, that is me.” Bob, Dan HELP!

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.