Picture Your Prospects

I got a terrific wine rack, made from the staves of a Steenberg Merlot barrel by a Cape Town oak artisan. He spends most weekends in various shopping centres standing with a display of his craft. As I saw with my own eyes, his wares are a chic magnet.

Yet when two women wanted to take photos I realised there was a sales trick going begging.

The first hesitantly asked for permission to take a photo (of his hammock). The second was a touch more upfront, but still laboured to take a pic of an oak-framed mirror.

In both cases he was asked. Why wasn’t there a sign saying please take photos to show at home?

Hammock lady took a second, and for it, he actually stood in the pic and smiled! Unbelievable. Why he isn’t taking these photos for his prospects, with them next to or using his products, is criminal. And imagine if he offered it up as an idea himself. He’d then offer to email it on, so gain their address to follow-up with. What a pleasure. Sales would surely soar.

In the retail environment, this is clearly a winner, and so seldom deployed it hurts.

Yet I sense it also has a role in b2b solution sales. For a long time now I’ve taken to using on the spur of the moment video ‘interviews’ that support my cause (even better when they involve your prospect’s customers by the way). So why not where you can have a bank of useful piccies of your prospects using your products, to cunningly insert into proposals, slides and the like?