Why Did HP Hire Motivational Sales Speaker Robin Jay 4x in One Year?
It makes sense that most speakers love speaking; that’s why they chose to build a career around it. They love the thrill of being the center of attention … with everyone hanging on their every word. Not me. I love speaking because it gives me the opportunity to share my experience with more than one person at a time. I love being able to tell an audience WHY it’s so important that they work on their personality, that they respect and elevate their clients, and to share my secrets and tips for how they can stand out in a very crowded field. I love to help professionals increase their sales and earn more commission! (After all, that is the fuel that drives most salespeople.) And, I especially enjoy it when a client values what I said to their team, sees an increase in sales and in the quality of the relationships that their people are building, and wants me to share with more of their team members.
Eileen Angel, Partner Business Manager for the HP Solution Partner Organization, discovered me after seeing my book, The Art of the Business Lunch: Building Relationships Between 12 and 2. She understands exactly what it is that I do, the importance of my topic and building solid business relationships to increase sales, and how incredibly important it is to motivate a sales team and give them the tools they need to succeed. She brought me in to speak for the first time a little more than a year ago. She hosted a luncheon for her team and a group of partner resellers. The response was positive. She got great feedback. So, the next time she hosted an event for a different group of partners, she invited me to fly to Southern California and do a similar presentation.
A few months later, Eileen brought me in again, only this time, it was for a group that isn’t allowed to take their clients to lunch. NOTE: One of the slides in my presentation on The Art of the Business Lunch is actually a photo of a business executive in jail. I share that many companies – government agencies and public companies – are so concerned that if they allow their buyers to have lunch with their vendors it will create such a prejudicial bias, they fear their buyers will buy “their friends” rather than what is in the best interest of their company. The reason I share this is it proves the importance and value that relationships have when it comes to selling. People prefer to do business with people they LIKE. And, there is no better way to get to know (and like) someone than by sharing a meal with them. My point is that IF you are ALLOWED to take clients to lunch but you don’t, you are missing out on the very best opportunity to build that relationship and that business!!!
For that group, I focused more on other ways their team could make their clients feel special. I feel for the executives in this company because their hands are really tied (so to speak). Schmoozing – lunch, networking events, dinners, even coffee dates – is one of the best ways to take a relationship to the next level.
Most recently, Eileen asked me if I could help her with a team building event. This event was HUGE – in that the guests included her team, one of her distributors, and ALL of her partner resellers – who are essentially competitors with each other. Only Eileen could pull off something so extraordinary – which is just exactly what she did! She was incredible. She not only gave attention to every detail, but she orchestrated an event that was more complex than most weddings! She made it fun for everyone with game shows, team building contests, and tons of prizes so everyone could win something. She really understands the importance of making people feel special. She had complete breakfast – even a barista to make lattes. I called my program “The Summer of Love – 1969” – to make a point about the importance of getting together, working together, and succeeding together. I even played The Youngbloods’ song “Get Together.” I shared a 1969 HP Computer – which was bigger than a sub-zero fridge – and was dubbed “The Go Anywhere, Do Anything” computer – can you imagine? It was a day I’ll never forget. No matter what the topic or how great the task at hand may be, my clients – like Eileen Angel – have come to know that they can count on me to be their partner for their events. I go beyond speaking to really support my clients’ efforts and goals for their programs. I’d love to speak at your next event and help you in any way possible. Let’s get creative!