Don’t underestimate the power of commonalities when meeting potential customers. They may be cultural, biographical, professional, or even related to lifestyle.

We humans let people come a bit closer when we find out we share something of vital importance. For me, it’s as banal as the state of NJ, which I still call home despite a move to New England over 30 years ago.

It’s pretty easy to determine if you and a prospect have such an unrealized bond. Go to LinkedIn and Facebook. Maybe information on the prospect’s website will bear fruit.

And as a sales rep, it’s crucial that your online presence reveals some personal facts. Your LinkedIn profile must be highly developed and kept current. Prospects will check you out – where you’ve worked, where you went to school, and so forth.

Printers need interesting bios on their web sites. We welcome the peek into individual personalities. It helps differentiate you. If you have too large a staff to include everyone, at least post bios for management, sales, and service reps. Add photos and a just a little bit of copy (one small paragraph) that hints at what the person is all about.

Until the day comes when all business transactions are done over the Internet, printing is still personal. Relationships are formed between people, primarily the sales rep and print customer.

And when I meet someone, including a salesperson, with whom I share something meaningful, I’m all ears. Often, NJ is the tie that binds.

© 2015 Margie Dana