Some of you might wonder if I actually practice what I preach, so here’s an example about making the connection and not the sale: I got a call not too long ago from Nancy Doyle with the City of Hope in LA. She had found my website and was asking about my video interpretation of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA.” (as sung by my adorable son Rich) for their volunteer banquet. After we chatted a while and connected , I quickly realized that I was not the perfect speaker for their event, but that my friend LeAnn Thieman (www.leannthieman.com) was.

I acted as if I were LeAnn’s Press Agent, and told Nancy about LeAnn’s “Balancing Your Life In the Battle Zone” presentation about her involvement in the orphan airlift during the fall of Saigon. Nancy quickly knew what a wonderful speaker LeAnn was, and she agreed that she would indeed be the perfect choice. Nancy hung up knowing she had a lead for the perfect speaker–LeAnn–plus she knew of an opportunity that would be perfect for me. Win-win for the three of us!

Another example was when I got a phone call from Doris Williams who was looking for a speaker for the National Master Farm Homemakers Guild convention in October. On the day of their convention, I was already speaking to Gloria Willis’ Center For Business Mastery group, so I asked lots of questions about what Doris was looking for. By the end of our conversation, I knew that Julie Piepho’s “Sandwich Generation” presentation would be perfect for Doris’ group. Doris hung up knowing she had the perfect speaker–Julie—plus SHE knew of another opportunity for me. Another win-win!

When you concentrate on the connection rather than the sale, you become a resource and even in partner in making that person’s job easier. You have gained a new friend who appreciated how you helped them, and they will quickly mention your name with they are ready to buy or when they hear someone talking about needing your product!