A Great Sales Story!

I got this from Dale Limes ia email...I love it!

Successful Case History Story of the Week
shoe leather, bold moves, and a little bit of luck


The following story came from a discussion this week with Jim, one of our pros in Denver. I didn't ask Jim for permission to share his story, but I know he won't hate me. Jim has been working hard to get in the door of a large corporate account in one of those big office buildings with limited success. He had a phone relationship with one of the key buyers, but never secured a meeting......yet. He decided to take a bold step, and just go there with the hope personally dropping off some information, and hoping for an informal meeting.

As Jim entered the office building, he knew there would be a security desk, and a visitor pass would be needed. That is where his first stroke of luck came to fruition. He waited at the large desk for a few minutes, but there was no security guard in sight. Some salespeople would leave knowing they shouldn't go further, but not Jim. He decided to go to the elevators, not knowing what floor he needed, and try each one until he either met his destination, or got thrown out. He pushed the button for floor two, but for some reason the elevator went down....next piece of luck. Going the wrong way, the elevator went to the parking garage where he picked up a passenger. Asking this person if they knew where to find his target, she said, "sure fifth floor- we have the whole floor." "Oh, so you work there," Jim said. "Yes in marketing, who is it you are going to see," she said. Jim gave her the name, and she said, "I will take you right to him, I am going to see him too." Pretty good luck so far right?

They hit the fifth floor, and Jim's new friend took him right to the contact who said, "Jim I have been looking forward to meeting you, thanks for coming in." Flabbergasted, Jim thought- great , this is good stuff so far. Remember, Jim has no badge, and is not supposed to be in the building.

He is now standing with his main target who he only knew by phone, a marketing buyer ( new friend ) and what happens next? A young lady walks by and says, "Jim Woodburn! What are you doing here? I was going to call you this week". Turns out she was a buyer who left Jim's largest account, and Jim didn't know where she was. She turns to the other two and says, "Jim is the best promotion person in all of Denver. I was just going to look him up so I could get him to order some items for my department." Wow! Humble Jim just had the call of his life, and it all started by being bold, and taking a risk that many others would not take.

Moral of the story- Phone and email have become a primary, if not semi-exclusive means of communication for many in today's sales world. Getting out of the office, and into the brick and mortar of key businesses can present opportunities that neither of those approaches can. By nature, most salespeople don't like cold ( or in this case warm ) calling in person. However, you may miss out on opportunities to have chance encounters, unexpectedly hit if off with someone in person, and learn more by being there than you ever can on the phone or email.
Question- if you were in Jim's situation, and there was no security guard at the desk, would you have proceeded to the elevator, or left the building? As you plan you work over the coming months, schedule time to be out of the office, and inside the brick and mortar of new opportunities. You never know just how good, and lucky you will be!