Banner

Training Trivia

It is wise and acceptable to use a criminal background check to eliminate any candidates with a criminal record prior to getting to final interviews when hiring.
Powered by Grace Hill
 
 
Total votes: 31
Home Insider Blogs Jonathan Saar's Blog Cold Calling, Walking the Vegas Strip and The Bellagio
Enter your email address for weekly access to top multifamily blogs!

Apartment Blogs


Jan 29
2010

Cold Calling, Walking the Vegas Strip and The Bellagio

 Print

Posted by: Jonathan Saar on Jan 29, 2010 03:08

Tagged in: Vendor

fearLast June my wife and I had the privilege of attending NAA in Las Vegas.  We stayed at the Luxor and decided on one of our evenings to take a walk to the famous Bellagio.  We had heard so much about it.  It is known for its beauty inside and out.  There was so much positive feedback about this place coming from friends and coworkers, that we purposely put it in our plans to make the trip.  The destination was wonderful but the path to get there was not.  The entire time we walked we were bombarded with people flicking their little cards trying to set us up with escorts.  I was completely mortified and I am sure the expression on my face was the same.  I was completely uncomfortable until I reached the destination I intended to see in the first place.  The Bellagio had invited me on many levels and I responded.

 

Some recent discussions have inspired the following analogy.  I have been too many trade shows over my career, but NAA was my first national event for the multifamily industry.  I did not know anyone!  The looks on many folks faces was priceless.  It was the look of, who are you, what are you trying to sell me, give me your 1 minute speech so I can get my free pen and tote bag.  I really felt for them.  After my trip down the Vegas strip I wondered if these individuals felt the same way I did.  My focus was on the Bellagio.  Their focus was on perhaps a handful of key booths that they planned in advance to visit.  They knew about the company, heard good reviews and wanted to make a connection and experience.  They had been personally invited and were looking forward to their discussion.  They just needed to wade through the all of us card flickers (in their opinion) to reach their destination. 

 

The same goes for cold calling folks.  There was a plethora of individuals flicking their cards.  Some of the people in front of me at first ignored the cards, but eventually after the consistent harassment they broke down and took a card.  Where did it end up next?...on the ground.  Did the card flickers feel they got their foot in the door?? Perhaps.  They got their job done.  They got those cards out, which is what they were paid to do.  In the end though what really was the relationship between the card flickers and the people walking the strip?  Be honest with me cold callers.  After you have made your 50 calls to one person and they finally pick up the phone to talk, what kind of relationship do you really have?

 

Whether its trade shows or it's making phone calls and emails, in order to make that positive connection a relationship has to be formed!  Turn yourself into the Bellagio.  Get people talking about you, give them something to talk about, talk to them, give them a reason to pick up the phone and stop by your booth.  Your company image should be important to you.  Your professional image should be important to you.  Stop the card flicking.

Written by Jonathan Saar-The Training Factor


Comments (5)Add Comment
2947
written by Andrew Fink, January 29, 2010
I wish Las Vegas would enact some ordinance to keep those card-flippers off The Strip, but I understand the "freedom of speech" bit.

Well written article. The Bellagio is gorgeous, but for all of your friends' recommendations, The Luxor earned your money as you stayed there. Reputation alone appears not to be the only factor. The NAA possibly had discounted rates for staying there, which again would point out the need for good relationships.

Those annoying card-flippers must be a profitable way to get business as they have been there for over ten years and no one would pay to have them out there if they didn't bring in business. Of course, that is on a different level than the sales in this industry as relationships are the key to success, as you said.
679
written by Jonathan Saar, January 29, 2010
Thanks for stopping by Andrew. All the best to you and your company. So much is changing quickly on us with how we do business each day. As long we keep evolving with the times and understand our clients for what they need, success will be the word of the day. Have a good weekend.smilies/smiley.gif
62
written by Brent Williams, February 01, 2010
Interesting perspective, Jonathan. I don't know if I necessarily think that cold calling or cold flicking is a bad tactic, as I've gotten quite a few good meetings through the process. In fact, when thinking back to trade shows, I found it unbelievable that some vendors just sat behind their table and made no effort to engage the audience as it strolled by their booth - what a waste of money!

But I do think that more effort needs to be made to make the cold call experience more memorable with a higher success rate. My brother-in-law is somewhat of an entrepreneur when it comes to pick-up lines. He doesn't just try to think of the cheesiest line, but instead, he actually thinks about the whole process of what will get the woman's attention, what reaction he wants to get from her, and actually getting that response. I've never seen so much critical analysis done to pickup lines! But really, the same concept applies to cold calling since you only have a few seconds to really engage your audience. And I think if that type of analysis was applied to cold calls, they could get a very good response!
679
written by Jonathan Saar, February 01, 2010
Thanks Brent for your thoughts. You bring up a lot of valid points as always. The trade show experience does need to be maximized. I notice the same thing you do with vendors keeping their chair warm as opposed to trying to talk to people. My message was not so much on specifics, but on image, focus and perception. You have had numerous comments from PM staff who have voiced their thoughts on how they enjoy the interaction with vendors. I know I am expressing a personal opinion, but I feel the need to share my viewpoint on cold calling. It may still be a standard business practice for many, but I do not see it lasting much longer as a marketing and sales tool. I guess we will have to see. Thanks for your insight! Always a balanced perspective will keep us from not being too one sided on issues.
62
written by Brent Williams, February 02, 2010
I think you are actually right in the general sense, Jonathan. I guess my point was that cold calling isn't a horrible thing in some circumstances and shouldn't be discarded completely, but I think we agree that different types of relationship building are much more effective.
feedSubscribe to this comment's feed
What Do You Think?


security code
Write the displayed characters


busy

Insider Blogs

Judy Bellack What does the Satisfacts Research survey on “All That Apply: ... written by Judy Bellack
NAA’s UNITS magazine published a Satisfacts Research survey in their April issue titled “All That Apply:  Residents’ Leading Marketing Sources.”  The web-based survey queried 34,000 apartment residents who had m ...   (Read More)

Brent Williams Fair Housing Does Have “Costs” And Should Be Part Of The Dis ... written by Brent Williams
I have a one year old daughter, so when I think about where I want to live, one of the major elements is simply whether there are other families with young children in the area.  So imagine me touring an apartment community and asking if there a ...   (Read More)

Buildium LLC Why Should You Get a Property Manager? written by Buildium LLC
A guest post by Gabriel Knight, Mortgage Fit, Chicago, IL While rental property investment might look like a rewarding and positive venture, managing both tenants and properties can be overwhelming. As such, you may need to hire a professional proper ...   (Read More)

Talisa Lavarry Kids and Pets- A Key piece to your Resident Retention Puzzle written by Talisa Lavarry
Let’s face it. Major media moguls have known for years that the best way to evoke emotions…I’m talking warm and fuzzies is with kids and animals. Children and pets are a universal symbol of pure love. It’s just understood tha ...   (Read More)

Nadeen Green A horse is a horse, of course, of course... written by Nadeen Green
And now you will have that lovely ditty in your head for the day.  (You’re welcome – LOL.) Today’s post is about the use of miniature horses as guide animals for the blind.  I have found when teaching that I often get skep ...   (Read More)

Read More Blog Posts