The Secret Ingredient to Business Success: Prospecting and Relationships

Hello and welcome to the show Today we're going to be looking at what kind of sales or business development training you need if you have some serious problems, especially if the business problems are from a lack of poor lead generation. Now I know that there are lots of technical terms here for those of you who are newbies, but don't worry in a couple of seconds we're going to explain what all these big grammar means you know, sales, business development, lead generation,

you know blah blah blah. Well, basically the reason why we're doing this is because was inspired by a question that was asked by a podcast listener and his name is Alozi. He commented on Spotify asking about where to get sales training for people who are new in their careers. So I figured I'd devote a couple of episodes just trying to flesh that out, not necessarily to answer the question per SE, where you can get the kind of sales and business development training that you need because obviously I'm here.

But to give you a sense of what kind of training would be adequate to whatever situation that you are with. Because in yesterday's episode, we looked at how lots of problems that people get in their businesses, lots of revenue problems as per money is not really coming in. We looked at how your problems could be because you have poor lead generation. So 1 moment. Let me look at my paper. I think I wrote down some stuff from what I recorded yesterday.

Let me see. OK. Uh huh. Yeah. So most of the problems can be because of poor lead generation or because poor inbound activities, poor conversions, or poor customer or client retention. Now, if you're a newbie and you don't know what any of these terms mean, then when you're done listening to this episode, just skip back, listen to yesterday's episode. It wasn't wrong like that kind of 15 minutes. So you should be done with it pretty soon.

So that's basically what it is that we're going to tackle today. Now before I continue, just to let you guys know, obviously today is going to be a noisy episode because the kids are home. I'm not in the audio booth. Then I'd also like to shout out someone who's been listening to the podcast and you know me and her. We chatted a little bit. Her name is Uho Tu Itodo, sorry for mispronouncing your name. She's Abuja based although she's a binary person like me but she's Edoma and her side hustle is in perfumes and body oils.

Her name, again, is Eho Tu. You told her most of her business is done over WhatsApp, so there's no social media handle that I can send you guys to. But it's a perfect example about how people can be involved in business and then forget conventional wisdom and still achieve a certain measure of success. Now, she's only been in the business for 2-3 months, but she has ignored websites, she has ignored Instagram. So she's mostly doing it over one time.

But she has two distributors in Abuja and then a bunch of clients here. And there's some people in the office, you know, all together, not a bad start. And I suspect that there are bright things ahead, you know, since she's willing to put in the level of work that is required to move things forward. So thank you very much, Ihuo to Itoto, thank you for listening to the show and also thanks to Alos here for listening and for commenting and for inspiring the podcast episode yesterday and the ones that are going to come for the next couple of days.

So back to the main question, what kind of sales training do you need if you have serious problems? And those serious problems stem from poor lead generation? First off, we have to define what the lead is so that the newbies will be with us. Let us be, let us be walking in one step. So the lead basically is just anybody who has taken some kind of action, whether online or offline, on the Internet or in the real world, to show that they might be possibly interested in your product or service.

We don't need 100% confirmation that they're good to go. So long as the person has done something to show that they might be interested in your product or your service, then that person is a lead. But of course, that person should have given you some, you know, like some implied permission that you can talk, that you guys can talk later. That person is a lead. So back to that example that I gave in yesterday's episode.

Somebody shows up to my son's school sounding out Flyers. Another parent picks the flyer, calls up the person. They say, well, how far I saw your flyer? Do you guys have Ben Tenberg? Do you guys have Superman bag? Do you guys have Batman bag? So in that kind of case, now the person has done something in the real world because the person picked up the phone and then he buzzed you, he called your business and the person has asked about Ben 10, Spider Man and Batman.

So it shows that he might be possibly interested in buying a bag or something for his kids. And since the person used his phone to call you, you know, he didn't do number blocking and all those things, it's safe to assume that we have permission to call the guy up later on to say hello, Sir, this is the business that I called yesterday. We thought you were interested. We were supposed to have come on Monday, but we didn't see you again, Sir.

So are you still interested how far you know, blah, blah, blah, those kind of phone calls. So in that case, that is a lead because somebody has done something, whether on the Internet by sending you Adm or in the real world, by picking up the phone and calling you or by using their two legs to walk into your store to show that they might be interested in your product or your service and there's some implied permission.

They've given you a phone number or they've given an address or they've given something. That is the definition of a lead. Of course, you're going to run into people who have much more technically precise definitions, but for now that is just focus on this simple definition. Anybody was done something that you can see with your own two eyes that they might be interested and he has given you implied permission that you guys can talk shows that he or she might be interested in your product or service.

Now, since we know what a lead is, then obviously lead generation is just answering the question, how do I get more people to raise their hands to say that they might be interested in my product or service? Because the more people raise their hands, the more I know who I'm going to pursue. Simple as that. Of course, like I said, you're looking for a technically precise definition of lead generation. Some people will say this is inadequate.

But for now, to know enough to start chasing after people, this is all we need to know. Lead generation just means, how would I get more people to signal to raise their hands? So that's it. Now, if lead generation is your problem, you don't know how to get people to raise their hands, to show, to signify to whatever that they're interested in your product or your service. Then what you need is training around three things #1

prospecting #2 lead generation #3 relationship building. So let me repeat, if lead generation is your problem, then you need training around prospecting, lead generation and relationship building. Obviously we've, we've already defined what lead generation is. So let's just read that one. Number two is prospecting. Prospecting is any process or is any activity or is any strategy where you are asking yourself the following questions.

Who might be interested in my product or my service? Where do these people hang out in the Internet or in the real life? Now that I've found these people, how am I going to start this conversation with the people? And then prospecting includes the process of going out to execute. Because if we sit down with our GPT or sit down with your brother, or sit down with your wife or your husband, or sit down with Popsy or Momsy, or sit down with your business mentor,

and you do all this brainstorming, who might be interested? Where can I find them? Which social media do they hang out? Do they attend the ECOE club? Do they attend the Christ Embassy Church? When I find these people, how am I going to start the conversation? If you do all this beautiful brainstorming, but you don't go out and see somebody, you don't pick up the phone, you don't send advertisements, you don't do nothing, then you're just wasted everything.

So prospecting is not just the strategy, but prospecting is also the execution. The reason why I'm stressing this strategy and execution is because there are some people who assume that prospecting is mindless activity. Because you see people walking up and down, you know, you're at the mall, you're chilling there with your family, somebody comes and meet you with Flyers and stuff like that. You look at them as if they are daft.

You know, they're not really daft. They sat down, they thought at home, what is the best strategy this one might work? And then they head out into the market and nothing is 100%. So they're not daft. So some people think that when you see marketers walking on the street in traffic, you know, hunting our Flyers, just as OK, these people are illiterates. And because of that you don't want to get involved in the activity because you don't want people to look at you as somebody who is illiterate.

You don't have anything better to do. So you're in traffic, you're handing out Flyers. So there's strategy involved, there's brain work and then there's also execution. So that is what prospecting is. Figure out who might be interested, figure out where they hang out. The main reason why we need to know whether they hang out is because we now need to know where to reach them. If you think that the people that you're chasing after, the profitable customers, they go to Christ Embassy Church, then you better find a way how to target people who attend Christ Embassy either online or you better buy your bus ticket and head to Benin and attend one of the church services.

You know, whatever it is that I need to do to move the business world. By the way, I don't know if Christ numbers, if they have branches in Abuja, Lagos and all over the place. So I'm just asking, Oh, sorry, I haven't mixed it up. That is, that is Oyaki Lome who is in Benin, right. And let me stop here before I offend some people. So that is what where was I? That's what prospecting is now really defined lead generation.

Next is relationship building. If lead generation is your problem, you're going to learn prospecting. You're also going to learn relationship building. Now, relationship building has different meanings, especially for people who are in the relationship space. If you're finding boyfriend or you're finding girlfriend, relationship building means something altogether different. But for the purpose of sales and for the purpose of marketing,

relationship building just means trying to figure out other people's priorities because that is the only way you are going to close the deal by getting people to buy what they actually want, what they actually need, what they actually desire, and what they can actually afford. So for the level of toasting, relationship building might be I go to a house, I pay higher, visit, I crack some jokes and I buy some gifts. That is relationship building on the level of toasting.

But for the level of business, for the level of marketing, for the purpose of sales, relationship building is me. I'm sitting in front of someone, I'm having a conversation with someone, and while we're doing all these chit chat, it looks like casual chat to everybody. I'm actually trying to figure out who is this person? What do they need? What are their priorities? What vision are they trying to achieve? Because if I know that information, I now know how I'm going to be able to align with whatever it is.

I'm going to be able to align my product or my service to whatever it is that they're trying to achieve. That's the only way that I'm going to be able to seal the deal. Now, it's important for me to stress this definition of relationship building and how when it comes to business, you're focused on the other person. In fact, when it comes to toasting as well, you actually should be focused on the other person, not on you.

It makes it easier to close the deal. But that's a topic for another podcast episode. But the reason why I'm stressing this whole element that it's not about you is because some people think they're doing relationship building by visiting offices, by going here, by going there. You say you're doing relationship building, but every single time you went to all those places, all you did was talk about yourself. If you go to your place and you say, oh, Udogu, blah, blah,

blah, how's the family? This and this, that and that, and then immediately you go into Udogu. We now sell this, we now sell this, we now do this, we now do that. We can also do this. We can also do that. That is not relationship building. You're going around and it's just making yourself a nuisance. But if you show up and sell Udogu, how now, How's the family? OK, Your business. And how is business going? Oh, you don't mean it.

This deal did not pull through. What happened? Now, what about this? What about that? Yeah, Anyway, don't worry, this won't work out. This won't work out. In fact, if you need any support from me in any way, just let me know. If there's something I can do, I'll do my best and no problem. So, Chief, I just said I agree to you. And then you stand up and you go. Now that is relationship building. You didn't come and make a pitch and say my product does this, my service does this.

You came and you spoke to Chief. You find out from Chief what his business is up to. You find out from Chief what problems it is that they are having and things like that. And you've made an offer to be able to be of help later on, in the future, later on during the week. You can now think and say with this problem that Chief is facing and with this problem that Chief is facing, my product or my service or my skill set might be able to help here and here and there and there.

So that in two weeks time or three weeks time or one week's time, you cannot call Chief against a handchief. I think we're discussing when I was at your office when you mentioned this and this and that and that. I am thinking that this and this and this should be able to help. This is how I can come in. Of course, if your product or service cannot help, but still you call Chief because you know somebody else who's going to be helpful.

I mean, that's that's even good, even make you stand in Chief's eyes like you have enhanced credibility because it's not something that will pay you, that will enter your pocket, but you're trying to hook chief up so they can solve a couple of problems. So that's what relationship building is. It's not about you showing up with gifts and fancy conversation and flattery and or whatnot. So that will work on the level of toasting one-on-one.

Besides, if any of you want to build relationships with me, that would work. Show up, flatter me, give me gifts, that's going to work. It will make me very happy. But for the purpose of business, when you're in front of these people and you're trying to build relationship with your customers or your stakeholders, the bubbles are all actually chat and all they're talking back and forth is you're trying to figure out this person, what is their problem?

What is their priority? What is their vision? What is their mission? What is their whatever? Where are they heading to? What are they interested in? Because if we have all this information, then we're going to be able to make a convincing proposal at the end of the day. So I will stop here because we are at 15 minutes currently. So tomorrow or future episodes if I'm unable to make tomorrow's episode, we're going to keep discussing these things in more detail.

But summary, if you have a serious business problems and I think the problems is because of poor lead generation, then the kind of training you need is need to learn prospecting. How do you go and figure out who might be interested in your product or your service? How do you start conversations with them? Then you need to learn relationship building. Now that you're talking to a bunch of people, how do you figure out what it is that is important to them?

What's the thing that choking them? What's the thing that is painting them? What is the thing that they are lost in after the thing that they're desiring after? Because if you know that you're not going to be able to make a good proposal at the end of the day by saying, OK, this thing that you're lost in after my product or my service, this is how it would going to help you achieve this sort of thing. That's what these idiots do.

You know, those idiots that I tell you about that, you know, I'm just chilling somewhere. And because I'm big, you know, they assume that I have erectile dysfunction. And then they show up and say, bro, it's eye healing. And it's oh, you buy this one, your waste. No problem. Your this no problem, sugar, you will go down. You know all that, you know, all the toasting that they normally do. So that's just it. They're trying to figure out what kind of problems does this guy have.

If this guy's problem is weight loss, then they'll say Bros. This is the one that will give you weight loss. If the guy's problem is that Madame is not happy, they'll say Bros. Take this one, This one will satisfy Madame. If the problem is, let's see what else that the guy has. Pile too much sugar, they'll say Bros, This one will solve pile. That essentially is what sales and relationship building is about. By the way, I'm not saying you should become a roadside Hawker,

but I must admit I admire their hustle because every single day they hit the streets, they're playing up and down, and I think they're wrong. The way they go about it, I think it's really wrong because it's kind of an insult to show up to a guy and assume that the guy is having problems with you, understand? But anyway, I admire their hustle. So let me cut it short today. If you'd love to connect with me and explore opportunities, the phone number is 080 64662140.

The country code is +234. If you're not Nigerian, If you want to connect with me on LinkedIn, the name to look for establishing my idea. I'm the host of the show. That's where I spend most of my time. Please do not send me messages on Facebook. I check Facebook maybe like once every three months. Do not send me messages on Instagram. You'll hear from me next year, but LinkedIn, you'll hear back from me tomorrow. So thanks for your time and attention.

I'll catch you guys at the next episode.