Wow Prospecting (part 2 of 2) by Darren Hardy

Last week I shared an audio of 10 CEOs sharing their best WOW prospecting strategies with you.

Let me see if I can be a valuable mentor to you here by packing up all the great ideas we heard last week from all those generous CEOs who shared their best ideas on WOW prospecting with us into a simple and actionable framework.

I put my own notes and ideas on how I will implement what I heard into a four-point plan:

1—Build a WOW PlanFirst of all I think it is important that you have two aspects of your WOW strategy:
1) A constant and recurring plan. Your go-to plan for each important prospect you encounter.
2) An inspired, on the fly, in the spirit of it, WOWing.

Let me explain—let’s start with the go-to strategy. Misty Lown called this her love package. It’s a standard package she uses each time she is bringing on a new client or looking to WOW a new, important relationship.

She already has a bunch of these love packages built and ready. It’s part of her go-to WOWing SYSTEM. Now it happens almost automatic, but this is only possible if you have figured out what is going to be in your love package, gathered the materials, assembled them together and packaged them up real pretty.

When I was prospecting in real estate, mine was called Da-Bomb. It was a big box, hence, Da-Bomb with all sorts of valuable, useful and interesting materials. Materials they will need to prepare, educate and enlighten them about the current real estate market so they could properly position their house. Materials they will need to prepare their home for showings. And that would be immensely useful to them during moving day, suggesting if they listed with me, they’d be moving soon! It was also called Da-Bomb because it helped position me as, well, Da-Bomb.

So think about what your love package, or Da-Bomb package, is going to contain.

Take the tip from Kristen Sargent when she said to include something that touches people’s heart. Not just logical and useful materials, but something that evokes a bit of emotion that will connect them to you on a heart level. Then add the tip from Todd Duncan, which is to give away value—yours or other people’s. As Misty said, she puts a copy of The Compound Effect in every one of her love packages. Hey, now there is a good idea!

Eric Douay said it too, you have to give value first. Without expectation, just give. The sales will follow, but give first.

Also consider how you can integrate your WOWing overtime as John Ruhlin suggested. He’s famous for using the Cutco knives strategy, where he sends the complete set over time, having a new piece show up over a sequenced interval. That’s extending your W…O…W! So plan and prepare a sequenced WOWing strategy that is delivered over time. Brilliant idea.

Now let’s talk about inspired WOWing. This is when you do what Steve Garrott said, pay attention to what people care about. You can find that out by stalking…err, I mean, following them on social media as Stacey Alcorn talked about.

2—EncirclementDon’t just WOW your target prospect—WOW those who surround them. If you really want to WOW someone, WOW those they care about. Pay attention to what’s important to their spouse, kids, parents or other family members.

I learned this through John Ruhlin when he helped another CEO, Scott Fay, WOW me. I mentioned this on the audio when talking with John. This gift was directed more at my wife Georgia than it was to me. Now Georgia loves Scott, so now I’m really forced to… or let’s just say, like in every household, the wife is the real influencer, right?

Look, executives are being flown in private jets, taken to Pebble Beach for thousand-dollar rounds of golf, and given $500 bottles of wine. You have to spend a lot of money to be memorable for more than five minutes with a high-level executive. They have seen all the dog and pony shows. And yet, time and time again, we avoid the person who has the most influence day in and day out on that executive—their spouse. The executive trusts that person and his or her judgment. And if you WOW the spouse, or do something terrific for their kids, well, they will definitely be WOWed.

3—Enroll All Your TroopsAs Richard Harris said, get your entire team on board with a WOWing strategy. Something that is visible, measurable and that you reward and celebrate around. This is an important function to build into your culture. It can’t happen in a vacuum, or just at random, or just by you. It has to be something everyone in the company is involved in, excited about, championing and celebrating. Really great and very key idea.

4—FundingThe question you probably have in your mind right now, where do you get the money to do all this WOWing, right?

We all have travel and entertainment budgets built into our cost of doing business, right? Cut 10-30 percent of what you spend on those lunches and dinners each year that are forgotten within days (add up all the money you spend there, you will lose your appetite) and invest that money in something that creates real WOW where it matters.

How about your trade show budget? Don’t be another stooge in a booth—make it WOW. In talking with John Ruhlin, he mentioned, instead maybe host an event at your local MLB ballpark so you can invite all your clients (and their kids) to take batting practice, get autographed jerseys, and have a professional photographer there to print and frame the lasting memories being created. Now that’s WOW.

Bottom line is, don’t just do what everyone else does. Don’t call on people like everyone else does. Don’t have your direct mailings look like everyone else’s. Don’t advertise where everyone else does. You have to be, as Seth Godin put it, “the purple cow.”

Don’t be normal—be spectacular. Don’t prospect for business—WOW people for business.