How to stop selling and start building relationships

It was 7pm in Los Angeles I was STILL at an ad agency.

The open plan office was almost empty, and I was sitting with a lovely art producer after a folio showing, and we were surrounded by portfolios she’d called in for various jobs.

Boxes, books, cases, it was all there.

I’d started asking her questions about her world.

She generously showed me folios from all over the USA, from Northern Europe, from places I’d never heard of. There were some pretty famous names amongst them.

I saw what my photographers were up against, what was trending, what stood out.

She showed me her tiny booth and explained that some promos people sent were far too large and impractical.

It was such an informative and useful meeting, and it all came down to me being brave enough to ask.

I’m no longer a photo rep but I built that business around asking questions and it served me well from day one.

How often do you ask questions in meetings, or do you launch straight into ‘selling’? (Showing your work, trying to explain how you work, describing the difficulty of this shoot and that image.)

The fact is that you get some terrific insider info by asking what’s going on in their world. (Why send a poster sized promo to someone who has a tiny booth?)

And you know what? Most people enjoy being asked.

Next time you meet or even suggest a meeting with someone you want to work with, consider reframing ‘showing’ or ‘selling’ as ‘asking for advice’ and you’d be amazed at what you discover and the relationships you build.

Because that’s what it’s all about really.

If you want to be able to communicate better with top level reps, art producers and creative decision makers, book a free initial call with me here. I’ll help you get some clarity and direction and figure out if, and how, I can help.