Know Your Client's Trigger

What is a sales trigger? This is an event that could create an opening or opportunity either with an old or new client/prospect. It can be just a simple hello, a clarifying question, a simple greeting, smile or a professional compliment and this will trigger a series of events that might land you a sale or not.

So, my neighbor has been trying for months unsuccessfully to get me to start trading cryptocurrency, I am what you would call a safe Investor lol and the only Investments I understand are Real Estate and my small money with PiggyVest, I am currently exploring Agrictech.

Having been a Sales Godzilla myself, I can always tell when someone is trying to sell something to me, no matter how you coin it, but this neighbor of mine was not even looking to earn money she just genuinely cared, maybe it was because I had sold property to her in the past and it was a really good idea or the fact that I am an awesome neighbor, who knows?.

I rarely come downstairs as I work from home, so whenever we were chanced to meet, she would always say,

Neighbor: Isabella you never ready do dis crypto?

Me: Mama Dundun I no understand am na

Neighbor: I go teach you na, e no hard I no say u get brain u go quickly learn am

Me: I no sure o

Neighbor: see all the dollars wey I don make, u no like money again?

Me: I like money die, oya no worry wen dem pay my salary I go come make you teach me

Neighbor: Na so u don de talk since o, see how my dollars de increase.

So, we played this game for six months, every time we saw she showed me how much her dollars had increased and wondered why I would pass on such a great opportunity. This my neighbor is very brilliant, she works as an accountant in a nice firm and makes decent money and to her this was an extra source of income, and she was well invested in it. One day I went downstairs to read because I had not left my apartment in a week and wanted to feel the cool breeze, an hour into reading my neighbor comes downstairs and this conversation ensued.

Neighbor: Isabembem (I wonder who coined my beautiful name like this), how far na?

Me: Iya dundun {her daughter’s name is Adedunni} I de fine o

Neighbor: This one u come downstairs today, na dis ur book carry u come down ba?

Me: Yes o, I say make breeze touch me small

Neighbor: Oya shift, I wan tell you something

Me: dem never pay me salary na, lol, abi u go borrow me the money?

Neighbor: ehn no wahala, how much u want?

Me: right there and then I knew I had gotten myself into a trap, so I said, na play I de play na, no worry I go let u know when I ready.

Neighbor: you know say for dis compound, na ur house rent cost pass, u no wan save money wey no be ur salary take pay ya house rent?

Right there and then was my Trigger, no matter how much money you make especially if you pay your rent yearly it is never a happy experience ??????????????   because you are paying a lump sum it seems your whole life savings is being taken away unjustly from you hahaha.

Well, that piqued my interest really quick, she had said something to me that really mattered, all the dollars she was showing me wasn’t of interest to me, the crypto market isn’t a stable one as you will make and lose money but now, I didn’t care all I cared about was growing my dollar to pay my house rent and it did not seem so risky anymore or it was a risk I was willing and ready to take.

When we talk about prospecting and approaching potential clients what exactly do we know about them or their needs? Why do we automatically assume we can add value to their lives with our products or offer? What research or survey did we carry out to find out if people in that demographic or industry will be interested in our products? Information is the new crude oil, find out as much as you can about a client before you start pitching that product.

An elevator pitch will help you master how to read someone in a minute, how so? You could use a piece of jewelry or shoes or even a newspaper to start a conversation, introduce yourself collect or give your business card and seek for an appointment while subtly telling them you have a great opportunity for them. You should actively listen to clients when they speak and pick points from there because 9/10 times clients tell you their problems and how to solve those problems, but you were not paying attention to solve a problem, you were paying attention to make a sale and therefore missed your opportunity.

I can go on and on and on and on, but the truth is some salespeople are born that way and others had to learn how to be great salesmen. It does not matter if you were born a salesman or transformed into one, everybody can be a salesperson as sales itself does not mean to struggle or suffer it means to apply a need where there is a want and supply where there is a demand.

Isabella Ibeji