Eric Siu explains how to turn dinner conversations into client relationships using Robert Cialdini's reciprocity principle. Give value first: listen to their challenges, send useful resources, make introductions. Skip the sales pitch. When they eventually need marketing help, they'll ask.
What did you do to transition them from being at a dinner and it being casual? I'm assuming it would have been really awkward right there to be like, hey, we should work together. Let me get your phone number and let's pitch you. Like, I'm assuming you weren't that direct because that's not your personality. Remember that book Influence, the Robert Cialdini book, right? So if I do you a favor, inherently you feel like you owe me something already. So the whole idea here is that I just seek to give without getting anything back, and it keeps compounding because it's like, oh, what else do you need? 'Cause I actually do follow up on the things that they're challenged with. And I do try to help them. I make introductions. Eventually it's like, oh, by the way, we actually need marketing help. You know, are you the one, right? Or who can I talk to? And, you know, sometimes we can take it on, sometimes refer it out, but it's fine. I don't have any expectations. I think we should in the future do a better job of just probably calling out, hey, this is Single Grain that actually sponsored this.
