What's In a Name?

Accompanying a client on her sales meetings this week I noticed a minor mistake she made that could be costing her business; namely, name dropping. It can be very tempting to let people know who you're pitching to or working with to create a higher perception, but be be careful. It can backfire for one major reason. Trust. The prospect in front of you wonders whether you'll be talking about them and divulge confidences about their company.

Walk in their shoes. Most people's concerns when they first meet with you are about how much they can trust you to be reliable, come in on time, on budget, and remain confidential. They're equally concerned about what they could potentially lose as what they have to gain, by working with you. They're looking for as many reasons to exit the deal as they are reasons to work with you. They might have been stung before or been briefed to be on the lookout for this.

So resist the urge to drop a name. Instead say, 'we're working with a major telco right now,' or 'I'm in negotiations with a national data storage business,' and..By all means let the work give you solid, tangible evidence to support the sale, but leave names out for now, and win their confidence with your discretion.

Any questions, thoughts or comments? No names, I promise.

To your sales success
Michael Neaylon

Speaker, coach and author of the book True Brand Toolkit: How to Bring in Big Money for Your Small Business.'