How to Start Business Conversations with People You Don’t Know

Some Nigerian business owners and sales professionals have started trying Insight Bled selling techniques and that is really commendable. I've noticed because some of the WhatsApp outreach I've been receiving, the quality of the WhatsApp outreach I've been receiving is changing. It's improving and I'm glad that people are trying to sell in a way that is more, how I put it, more valuable to potential customers, more valuable to our audiences, to our potential clients because these are the kinds of things that spawn conversations.

So that's the reason why I'm making today's podcast episode just to explore, to introduce some of you to that different style of selling by using insights to start the conversation. Then we're going to use a case study to show how one particular Nigerian business owner tried the process out with me. And then we'll run a couple of ideas about how he could have done it better. So that if you're going to try to sell using these kinds of techniques, you're going to be able to do it with greater success.

Now before we get to the meet of today's episode, if you would love to connect with me, you can call me, send me a text message or a WhatsApp message on 08064 662140. If you're interested in the 15 minute sale audit or the business audit, then you can WhatsApp me on 08064662140 or join my WhatsApp channel. Just send me a message and I'll hook you up. Please, when you reach out to me, don't try to sell me something because obviously I'm trying to sell you something, so that's rude.

Don't try to sell me something right now. Back to the meat of what we're talking about today. So inside LED selling now in this part of the world, people usually lead the conversation with buy my stuff because I'm the greatest, I'm the fastest, I'm the best, I'm the newest, I'm the brightest, I'm the cheapest. I'm the, you know, whatever people, what they do is product based selling. They're going with the product, they're going with features of the product.

You know, it's all about the product. So if somebody wants to sell your headphones would be buy these headphones. It's from China, it's from America, it's 20 decibels, it's expensive, it's cheap, it's brand new, it is this, it is that at the second hand, it is, you know, whatever it is, they're talking about things about the product in order to sell the thing. So product LED selling is a way that most Nigerians know how to sell.

Take this thing, boast about it, brag about it, try, convince the try, convince the person to buy. So part of the impetus behind this podcast is I'm trying to show my Nigerian brothers and sisters that there are other ways to sell that are much more effective and often can allow you to command a higher price. Because when you're doing a product based pitch, you are going to be put in that category of people who are just peddling.

Because at the end of the day, if you're coming and you say buy this earphone, buy this speaker, buy my insurance, buy my whatever. Because it's the newest, it's the best, it's the brightest, it's the fastest, it's the cheapest, it's the whatever. You're going to be compared to absolutely every single other person who is using that same approach in trying to sell their product or their service. By the way, apologies for the noise in the background because I'm making today's recording at home.

The kids are home, it's a holiday, so expect to hear some noise in the background. So a lot of Nigerians, what we do is product LED selling, product based selling, let me just put it that way please. It's not the same thing as product LED growth. Product LED growth is a different philosophy of selling. I'll talk about that in the In the Future podcast. So that's it. Most people just pitch the product. So this whole thing around Insights or inside LED selling is we're looking for ways to start the conversation with a stranger because at some point we're going to run out of friends and family members and we have to start talking to strangers.

So we need to come up with a strategy for talking to strangers. And now this would be all these approaches about leading with insight is to try and figure out how to start a conversation with a stranger in a way that they will be open or receptive, that they'll want to hear you. Because look, this is Nigeria. Everybody's tired of the product pitch. People are tired of brush, you know, go buy. See, I'm now brand new, this fast, cheap.

It is, is black is but you know, and the whole thing feature, feature, feature, feature product, product, product, product. Nobody wants to hear that. That's the reason why when they see you coming, they said no thank you, I'm not interested. You haven't even opened your mouth, but they see you. No thank you, I'm not interested. So one of the responses is to use insights to start the process. One solution or one way about how you can apply insights is when you approach someone and then you tell them something about them or about their business that is either good or that is bad.

They want to hear what insights you have. Then that will now lead you to start talking about your product or your service, how your product or service can beef up the good things that they have or can get rid of the bad things that they have. So if you're trying to sell skin, I say and I say skin, I sell skin care products. And every same time you walk up to a lady and you say my sister buy this. My bleaching cream is purple cream is is potato cream.

It is carrot cream. It is this cream. It is that cream. It is the newest. It is that other. This is the one that messy Johnson. OK, no Messy Johnson is black who is yellow Now? What's her name? What's her name now? Ty Danjuma's wife, What's her name? Dan. Anyway, you know, Danjuma now that celebrity Lagos housewives. So now the subway Danjuma they use now the one way Bianca or you could they use, you know, blah, blah, blah.

That's product that's a product based selling. You're just pitching the product. But instead, if you come with some insights like our sister, this is your skin is very good. I like this your Sheen. I can see they're using a very beautiful product because see, how's your tone? Just even everything nice, everything is sweet. Of course Uma will say thank you very much my sister. Thank you very much my sister. Then maybe you have some questions about the product that Lady is using.

Of course you'll be willing to talk about what it is that is giving her this correct skin. But I need from there. You now say that our sister, you know all these soap way they use all this cream way they use you know is good. But the problem we say see as you are now, you just they sweat anyhow you they sweat, you sweat. The reason why you're sweating is because this thing is a is a cocoa bottle is a sheer butter kind product.

But some other products the way you know, if you rub this soap, if you rub this cream, you know your natural color will show. But you know what is sweat like this? So you see that scope. If you come at this thing with a product pitch senses that buy my buy my so buy my so buy my cream, buy my cream now sheer bottle and this one pop on this PC people. No, thank you. I'm not interested. But then you try and come to some inside say, ah sister, this your skin is lovely, see her glow looking good, looking smooth.

She blushes it. Thank you very much. And they say this your cream. Which one do you use? Which one do you know? Ask some more about it. Or is this product, it is SPV 45. Is this it is OK these ones are good or it's just that because it is cocoa based or shebutton based. You begin the sweat and you know your skin will now be doing Sheen and it's not good, you know, is you need something that give you that mark look. Then from there you see.

So you use insights. You come as if you're as if you're delivering insight. From there, you begin this, you begin a pitch. So that's the idea. How do you start a conversation with a potential customer? So basically you show up, you give some insights. This is something I've noticed about you. This is something I've noticed about your business. This is something I've noticed about your skin. This is something I've noticed about your website.

This is something I've noticed about your car. This is something I've noticed about your marketing. This is something I've noticed about your branding. This is something I've noticed about your. You know whatever. And you use that to start the conversation. Now, for those of you who are long time listeners for the product and you remember when I I changed over, I changed my last, the last podcast art design over to the one that I

had currently. That is how the conversation with Elizabeth started. That is how it started. Elizabeth started off by saying wonderful podcast, love what you do, really inspirational, blah, blah, blah. But Sir Novak's, I noticed that your podcast that you know, is as if you designed it yourself. You know, is that the case? You know, we laugh about it, we talk about it and before you know it, she's now designing something new for me.

Didn't started with insight. She didn't send me a message saying hello, this is me, my name is Elizabeth. What I do is this I'm the best, I'm the brightest, I'm the fastest. I'm the that wasn't how we went. She came compliments, insight and then from there, this is how my product or service is going to be for what is good or get rid of what it is that is bad. And then of course, after that, you know, ask the person if they are interested in having a meeting or in having a call.

One moment. OK, sorry about that. I'm back. My kids were fighting. I had to go and settle it, you know, because I only have boys. That's the disadvantage of having boys. You know, they get up to all kinds of issues. All right, so where was I? So now the call to action is now are you interested in having a meeting so we can explore specific proposals, you know, blah, blah, blah. So that's the call to action. If people are interested, you know, then you're having a conversation.

Now the advantage is this of trying to use inside LED approaches because it is something that is seemingly valuable. Lots of people are interested and their guard is down because it's value laden. Obvious. I'm obviously telling you something that is good about what you have or I'm telling you something that is basically I'm, I'm coming with good insights. I'm coming with value then this kind of selling. The benefits of doing this is that it gets you into a conversation immediately where the focus is on a solution.

You can transition easily and quickly to focusing on what the main issue is on at hand. Then it also allows you to go easy into need analysis and then it also helps you to explore whether the person has any sense of urgency. So it is cream that you're selling because you take this approach. You can get straight to the matter of whether this woman thinks the oily skin is a problem or not because there's some people who like cream that will bring out their color, but as far as they're concerned, the fact that they're sweating is not a problem.

In fact, they won't like the shine that they're shining bright. And there's some people who prefer the matte look like you're not oily, like your skin is mattered up, is dry. You'll be able to head straight into the meat of the matter if you take this kind of approach. Now, an example is a fellow reached out to me, his name is Jacob, well, not his real name anyway, but let's call him Jacob. Calling him Jacob because anyway it's not important, let's just call him Jacob.

So he reached out to me on WhatsApp and he said he was reaching out to businesses, to people who are in the photography business based in Abuja. He noticed that I have a strong presence and he noticed something about my online presence that if we tweak can help me to attract premium clients. And then he went straight into his sales pages, one page website, three to five days, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then he asked if he wants if I can show up for a short call so that he can show me what it is that he noticed.

So you can see the inside letter approached, which is bro, I've seen your websites, I've seen your online presence, the thing looks correct. However, if we tweak one of you things, we will help get you premium clients. So how far are you interested? So anyway, I responded to him because I want to be polite and I told him I'm not in photography anymore. And I asked him is it photography only or other services? Because who knows, I might want to make a website soon and then I don't want a phone call.

So I told him send a voice note to say what it is that you saw. Now this is the mistake he made. He responded through a voice note, but he responded by saying no, it's not just photography services, we do. And then he went into his sales speech again and he ended the sales speech with no call to action. He didn't say what it is that he wanted next. So me, I listened to the audio and then I just ignored because honestly speaking, it's not as if he asked for anything.

I said send a voice note And the voice note was basically just buy from me because I'm the best, I'm the fastest three to five days is that blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He didn't give me the the insight that he promised. Now, if you want to use insight LED selling strategies, what you should do is actually deliver that insight because that's the whole point why somebody said yes, they don't want to listen to you or talk to you.

So what he should have done was he should have lead into the conversation. I said I'm no longer into photography. He should have said, oh, sorry about that. Can you tell me more about what you do now? You're leading somebody into a conversation and you're building rapport. He could have asked, OK, for the new business, do I have a website? We could have engaged in conversation. You could have asked me what my goals were around having a website.

We could have had that as a conversation. So he should have leaned in. Whenever somebody say something, don't just gloss over. Engage with that thing that they've said. In my own case, I said I'm not in photography anymore. He should have engaged with that and then tried to push forward for a conversation. Then another mistake he made is the guy just wanted to do his sales pitch anyhow, shot the guy on pitch. So opening message, the guy pitch, voice note the guy pitch.

Look, sales pitch not be by force. It's not by force, by force. And even if you must do sales pitch, sales pitch is not at the beginning. You do it at the end. At the end of the process. That's when you try to pitch and try and get somebody to buy. So sales pitch not be by force. Stop doing it at the beginning. Know who you're talking to, know what the problem is. Then do it at the end. Then another big mistake that the fellow made.

He didn't put any call to action. He just dropped the voice note by from me. I'm the fastest three to five days. Something, something, something and full stop, that was it. How will somebody reply if you do not end with a call to action? A call to action is when you ask the person to do something or if you don't end with a question. A question begs the response. You could have entered this message with a question. You could have asked if I'm willing to take a meeting.

You could have asked if I'm still interested in the call. You could have asked if I wanted to learn more about his product. You could have asked if I want to see some samples, You could have asked me to show him samples of websites I like. In fact, that's a good one. OK bro, you know, I'd like to have a chat with you more, but you know, before we schedule a call, can you show me examples of what you would like your website to looks like or websites that you admire?

He could have done anything to try and stay in the conversation, but he didn't do that. So if you want to do inside lead selling, it's good. Just make sure that you actually deliver the insights that you promised. And Please remember that selling is a conversation. It's not about the pitch. Pitching not be by force, by force. But if you must deliver a sales pitch, you don't do it at the beginning, you do it at the end.

Let's look to relationships. You don't show up when you see a fine babe and you say why I marry me. It's not like that. Eventually you will tell her marry me, but you tell her at the end. You won't tell her at the beginning. It's the same thing. If you're a man and you know you're like a guy, you know you won't tell him at the beginning be my boyfriend. You start off by saying you're fine boy you, and then you will start laughing and gigging.

Eventually you get to the point of you know where you're asking him that look, what are we? You see, that's how it is. Eventually you make your pitch, you make your move, but you know you don't move from the beginning. When you move from the beginning, you're pushing people away in relationships. If you move from the beginning, you're pushing people away. If you say I'm fine here, be my wife, you're pushing her away. If you say bye from me, I'm the greatest, I'm the brightest.

You're pushing people away. This whole speech is at the end. Get to know her first. Later on you now say babe. If not be you, nobody else. You must marry me. Then you will sound dramatic. You put that stunt in the beginning. You sound like a creep. You pull it at the end. You're a romantic fellow. The same thing with babes. You put that stunt at the beginning. You're desperate. You put that stunt at the end. Say Kai this babe, love me, die.

And you know what? Truly, she'll make a Good Wife. That's how it is in business. The pitch is not by force. It doesn't always have to be in the beginning. So applying these principles can be tricky. If you need me to help you to look at it in your particular business circumstances, then call me. Send me a text message or a WhatsApp message on 08064662140. If you're interested in the 15 minute sales audit or business audit, WhatsApp me on the same number 08064662140.

Or if you'd like to join my WhatsApp channel, send me a message on the same number and I'll hook you up. So that's all for today pretty much. And if you got value from today's episode, please share with someone else, get them to subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, or any player of their choice. Let's help the podcast grow. I'm making progress, and I like the fact that I'm making progress. Since you're not giving me any money, that's the least you can do.

Help me grow the podcast. All right, so that's it. But anyway, seriously, reach out to me 08064662140. I'll catch you all some other time.