Mr. Shmooze E-Book

Richard Abraham

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 134

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Reorient your selling approach Mr. Shmooze is the parable of a man who reveals the secret shared by all superstar salespeople. Selling, in its most exquisite form, is not about "taking," nor is it about "persuading." Selling, believe it or not, is about "giving." Mr. Shmooze gives for a living. He starts by listening and he quickly comes to understand what people really need. His customers love him because he gives more than he takes. They trust him because he is passionate about their interests. And, at the end of the day, they reward him handsomely for bringing joy, humor and wisdom into their lives. Woven into the story are several powerful lessons for salespeople in all industries who attempt to build relationships as the emotional bridge to their clients. * Bring extraordinary passion and energy to personal communications * Generate contagious, positive feelings, lifting spirits because people buy with their emotions * Make the small, positive gestures that can lead to huge, long-term results * Abraham has had a diverse business career that has established him as a well-known expert on what makes high-performing salespeople Mr. Shmooze gives you the new approach you need to sell like you've never sold before!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Breakfast with Mr. Shmooze

Chapter 2 - Telling a Story with Passion

Chapter 3 - Elevation

Chapter 4 - Dinner á la Shmooze

Chapter 5 - Entrepreneurs: A Special Breed with Special Needs

Chapter 6 - “The Legend”

Chapter 7 - Simply Networking Means Nothing

Chapter 8 - Death (Almost) by PowerPoint

Chapter 9 - War Whoops from the Managers

Chapter 10 - The Theater of Life

Postscript

Copyright © 2010 by Richard Abraham. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

ISBN 978-0-470-87436-3 (cloth) ISBN 978-0-470-92300-9 (ebk) ISBN 978-0-470-92301-6 (ebk) ISBN 978-0-470-92302-3 (ebk)

Preface

We all know someone like Mr. Shmooze. He is the gregarious fellow at the office who makes everyone feel better by just showing up. She is the gal at the card party who tells the best stories with the juiciest, funniest anecdotes. They are the couple who we all want at our dinner parties because they electrify the atmosphere.

Mr. Shmooze can be a man or woman, young or old, tall or short; it really doesn’t matter. Mr. Shmooze is not about surface appearances. Mr. Shmooze is about heart and soul, about good vibrations, and emotional connections.

I have spent 20 years studying the art and science of marketing and selling. There are many different theories, many techniques people use to present themselves and their goods and services in a positive light. And I have come to a very simple but powerful conclusion. There is not a selling system in the world that can match the exquisite elegance, the honesty, and the raw power of a great relationship.

My Mr. Shmooze is a composite of characters from all walks of life whom I have had the privilege of engaging and observing. He is Drew, the commercial real estate broker in Chicago, who always seems to be the “lucky” winner of the big tenant transactions. She is Joan, perhaps the most important person I know, who has spent the past 10 years in the cancer ward of our local hospital. Her contribution goes far beyond nursing as she administers comfort and holds the hands of people as they face the ultimate challenge.

But the consummate inspiration for my story, the quintessential Mr. Shmooze, is my good friend Brett Hunsaker, a man based in Atlanta, but welcomed by people from New York to Los Angeles, from Chicago to Miami, who have come to know and love his unique approach to living.

Brett doesn’t sell anything . . . he doesn’t have to. Because if you mention his name to anyone who knows him, you will get a smile, a laugh, and a warm response. The world has a way of rewarding such people handsomely, that is, people who give more than they take while they light up people’s lives. This is a story about how one man does it and how we can all apply some of the magic of Mr. Shmooze to our work and lives.

Introduction

This is the story of a man who makes a phenomenal living by leading an extraordinary life. In fact, maybe I should reverse that sequence. This is the story of a man who leads an extraordinary life and happens to make a phenomenal living while he is at it.

You see, it is hard, perhaps impossible, to categorize a man like Mr. Shmooze because there is no one else quite like him. All I know is that if I have seen it once, I have seen it a hundred times . . . a person can be having a perfectly ordinary day when along comes Mr. Shmooze. Presto! A warm experience, a great memory, a special relationship, often for life. And once that special connection has been made, it is only a matter of time before mutual benefits are exchanged, often in the form of a business transaction.

Chapter 1

Breakfast with Mr. Shmooze

Like any good intern, I was determined to show up at our Atlanta office bright and early on my first day of work. I was quite pleased to find that I had arrived before Mr. Shmooze and was eager to see his surprised expression when he showed up. Suddenly, my phone rang. I wondered who had my new number and who would be calling me at 7 AM.

“Kid, I am pulling into the Ritz-Carlton for breakfast. Just a minute. . . .” Mr. Shmooze spoke to someone away from the phone. I would later come to know the man he was speaking to: Rudy, the carhop at the Ritz. “Hey, Rudy, how’s your wife’s cold? Better? Good. Listen, my client will be showing up in a silver Lexus. Would you have someone send it through a wash and have it parked in front when we come out? Thanks, buddy. Oh, here’s a couple of those new Macanudos. Yeah, try these. They’re great!” His voice became louder and I knew he was speaking to me again. “Kid, run over to a newsstand, pick up a new Forbes, and bring it to the Ritz. My client’s biggest customer is featured. Meet me in the dining room. Hey! Glad you’re on board! We’re going to have some fun!” As I hung up I could feel my adrenaline pumping. I was already in motion and, in just 60 seconds, had gotten a glimpse of the summer ahead: a summer with Mr. Shmooze.

Running toward the door, I happened to glance into Mr. Shmooze’s office and noticed something peculiar. Whereas everybody else’s desks were covered with in and out boxes, neat and not-so-neat piles of important-looking documents, and computers with impressive-looking screen savers, Mr. Shmooze’s office was different. While by no means neat or organized, paper was replaced by books and magazines, boxes of cigars, pictures from golf outings and ball games. The pictures all had one thing in common: Everyone was smiling, hugging, and laughing!

I arrived at the Ritz around 7:45. As I pulled up, the attendant opened my door and said, “Hi, Robert! Mr. Shmooze is in the main dining room. Your car will be right over here when you come out!” I started walking toward the door and the attendant called back to me. “Hey, kid. You’re working for a great guy! You’re going to have a heck of a summer!”

The Ritz-Carlton is a nucleus of business in Atlanta. It is elegant, sophisticated, and an epicenter for business networking. As I worked my way through the bustling lobby and waiting area, I spotted the restaurant hostess standing in front of a magnificent, multilevel dining room. Before I could introduce myself, she looked at me and said, “You must be looking for Mr. Shmooze. Follow me.” Before I knew it we were at his table, in the corner—and there he was—the one and only Mr. Shmooze, holding court.

Naturally, Mr. Shmooze was sitting in the most prominent position in the room, a place from which he could easily see everyone else coming and going and, of course, where everyone could see him. His client sat next to him but the table was large enough to seat several more people, which I was to find out later often became the case. The table was full of various foods, juice, coffee, and the morning news—the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It was organized chaos. The energy was incredible.

“Here he is, Mr. Shmooze,” announced the hostess, as I self-consciously approached the table. “Thank you,” said Mr. Shmooze. “Didn’t I say he was good-looking?” Both the hostess and I laughed and blushed. “You’re going to be seeing a lot of him this summer, so take good care of him!”

“Kid, I want you to meet John Smith, VP of marketing for U.S. Paper. John, this young man is studying at Georgia Tech and has the dubious distinction of being my intern this summer.” I shook Mr. Smith’s hand and took a seat, as Mr. Smith laughed heartily at my boss’s self-deprecation and the vision of my summer ahead.

“Young man, I can guarantee that what you will learn this summer you would not learn at the Harvard Business School. You may not know it yet, but you just won the lottery!”

“Hey, speaking of the lottery, I’ve got six instant games here,” Mr. Shmooze said. “C’mon, let’s go through them. We’ll split any winnings among the three of us!” Suddenly, we were scratching the cards with quarters, when I saw I had won $5.

“Hey, I won five bucks!”

“Me too,” said Smith. He laughed and tossed it back to Mr. Shmooze. “Too bad I can’t retire on this.”

“I know—let’s just leave them with the waiter.”

“Great idea!” said Smith.

“Kid, sit down for a minute. Have you had breakfast?” I shook my head. Turning to the waiter, Mr. Shmooze called out. “George! Bring my friend a bowl of fruit and a croissant. Coffee?” he asked me, as he was already filling my cup.

“John, this young man is on a full basketball ride at Georgia Tech. Kid, John has two sons, ages 12 and 14, who are both playing ball in junior high. We were just discussing basketball camps. What do you think?”

“Well,” I said, “I like Georgia Tech’s camp because it really stresses fundamentals and teaches the kids about proper conditioning techniques. Lots of people do not understand how to relate weight training to basketball.”

Mr. Shmooze seized the concept. “What a great point! You mean that, if John Jr. and young Jimmy learn some weight-lifting techniques, they will actually be able to jump higher?”

“You bet.”

Mr. Smith was now leaning in and getting very excited. “Really? I thought jumping was something you were born with?”

“That’s true,” I said, “but we have guys who have increased their vertical jumps substantially through proper weight training.”

Mr. Shmooze was now fully energized. “Wow, that’s incredible! Exactly how much is ‘substantial’?”

“Well, I know at least two guys who went from 26 inches to 32 inches.”

“Thirty-two inches!” said Mr. Shmooze. “Holy cow! John, if John Jr. took his jumping to 32 inches, I bet he could dunk the basketball! Can you imagine Johnny cutting through the lane and doing a two-handed, reverse slam in the state tournament next year?”

“Yeah, baby!” yelled Mr. Smith as he reached out and high-fived Mr. Shmooze.

“Kid, take my cell phone, go out to the lobby and call the camp. Let us know what details you can find out before we leave.” I left the table and was able to speak with a marketing person at Tech’s basketball camp. She gave me dates and quotes and promised to send a brochure. When I returned, I noticed that two other people had joined the table.

“Kid, meet Joan Anderson and Helen Ralle. These are corporate services people from Premier Properties, a commercial real estate company. They ‘happened’ to be having breakfast so I asked them to join us for a cup of coffee.”

Ms. Anderson was a no-nonsense type, and she came straight to the point. “So, Mr. Smith, your real estate is managed from your facilities-management group in Atlanta. Is that division run by Bob Nixon, by any chance?”

“Yes, I know him, but not well.”

Mr. Shmooze jumped in. “Hey, John, speaking of real estate, you probably know that Premier is one of the largest property managers in the country. They must buy more paper than anybody.”

“You’re right,” said Smith. “We sell to a lot of the buildings, but I wish I could get to the very top of the big organizations so we could do some real pricing on scale.”

“Joan, wouldn’t that be Eric Taylor at Premier?” said Mr. Shmooze.

“Exactly.”

“Man, this is perfect! Obviously, Premier wants to handle U.S. Paper’s real estate and U.S. Paper wants to sell Premier paper. I know Eric well—with everyone’s permission, I’ll set the whole thing up!” There were enthusiastic nods and smiles all around the table. “Wow, what a breakfast,” continued Mr. Shmooze. “We’re all going to make a boatload of money!” At that, everyone broke out into appreciative laughter, even the somewhat stoic Ms. Anderson. Then, when we were leaving, I watched in awe as Mr. Shmooze reached out and “touched” every player in this extraordinary production, again.

First, he signed the check and thanked our waiter, George, for his “usual outstanding service.” Besides the tip, he also left the two winning lottery tickets for George. No cash changed hands.

Next, he stopped at the front desk, hugged the hostess, and told her that when her father came to town the next week, he would be sure to have his good-looking intern drop off the two tickets to the baseball game he had promised. As we walked outside, Mr. Smith’s car was clean and waiting, engine running, right in front of us. It occurred to me that George must have alerted Rudy we were coming.

“You really are too much!” said Mr. Smith to Mr. Shmooze as they hugged and slapped each other on the back.

“Knock ’em dead,” said Mr. Shmooze. “I will fax you some information on basketball camps this afternoon.”

Mr. Shmooze now turned to Rudy and handed him an envelope. “Rudy, here is a list of some people I will be meeting here for breakfast Wednesday.”

“Okay, Mr. Shmooze! Hey, thanks for that article on night courses for real estate licenses you gave me last week. I think I am going to pursue that this fall, if I can figure out the details.”

“That’s great, Rudy! Robert, hop in the car with me. We’ll pick up your car later!” With a surge of the engine and a slight peeling of the tires, we were off. Before I could say a word, Mr. Shmooze was on the phone and, in rapid fire, dictated points into his assistant’s voicemail.

• “Mary, remember to get the two tickets for Susan, the hostess at the Ritz, to the Braves game next week. Besides the tickets, I want to send them two nice Braves hats. Also, her dad is a Glavin fan, so let’s get an autographed ball as well.

• “I also want you to call the real estate license people and get a schedule and location of classes for this fall. Fax them to Rudy over at the Ritz-Carlton this morning.

• “Call Jimmy Jeffries, my buddy who is the big donor at Georgia Tech. Tell him I would like to stop by and meet the head basketball coach for a minute this week, if possible, regarding his basketball camp.