How To Help Your Sales Reps And Execs Build Rapport with Your Customers At Your Hospitality Event
Even at the hospitality event, prospects know that there’s a sales purpose behind the free drinks and fun.
After all they have one connection with the sales reps at the event - they buy what the sales rep sells. And that means that every interaction they have with the sales rep is governed by the buyer/seller relationship. Subconscious barriers to connection are up. “I’ll take your drink but you won’t take my money…”
To successfully connect your sales person to your customers, these barriers must come down. If they don’t, your clients won’t feel the connection that compels them to answer a follow up call or open an email, much less schedule an appointment.
The good news is there’s an easy, repeatable, and sure-fire way to take those barriers down every time at every event you host.
I call it a “shared experience.”
A “shared experience” changes the relationship by providing a new, non-business point of contact. After participating in a magic trick, for instance, Bob and Fred might react with laughs and applause. They’ll naturally ask “did you see that?” and “can you believe that?” After an incredible card trick, they might talk about other magic tricks they’ve seen or tell a story about gambling in Las Vegas.
Rather than buyer and seller, Bob and Fred are now functional equals. They’re just two guys discussing what they saw and felt. The relationship is no longer governed by business but rather by their shared magic experience. The buyer/seller barriers are down, so they can connect on a friendly, person-to-person level.
Note that group of five or even twenty, surrounding the magician at a hospitality event, are all sharing the same magic experience. A sales person in that group could logically and easily approach any other member if the group and start a conversation based on that shared experience.
There are lots of other ways to facilitate this connection at a hospitality event. Games like darts, billiards, and casino tables; live sporting events on television; and any other activity can be common points of connection. Venues like TopGolf and BowlMor provide great opportunities for shared experiences as well.
When planning your event, pay attention to how each shared experience will begin. A strolling close-up magician approaches each group during a cocktail or buffet event, facilitating connection wherever he goes. He simply walks up and says, “Emerson asked me to do some magic for you tonight” and the experience begins.
Similarly, a sales rep can watch a sporting event with his prospects, bonding and building rapport over the shared interest. He can even join an existing group based on their common interest in the game.
Casino games, backyard games like corn hole and horse shoes, and other activities can help build rapport, too. It’s a little more difficult to approach a group of people who are already playing a game. A sales rep might have to wait for the prospect to suggest they play darts or pool together.
As corporate event planners, we have a responsibility to create events that achieve business connection, and at the hospitality our job is to facilitate connection. As you're planning your event, keep “shared experiences” in mind.
Just released: Mike Duseberg reveals all the “how to” steps to creating events that create sales referrals, and repeat business in his third booklet The Event ROI Revolution: A Planners Guide to Hospitality Events that Create Connections, Build Rapport, and Schedule Sales Appointments. Download your complimentary copy here.