New year, new possibilities, new growth, and potentially new team members. Although it has been over ten years since I did a deal with Shaker Recruitment in Chicago, Joe Shaker and I have stayed friends.

Joe and I were catching up over the Holidays when I asked him what is the best piece of sales advice he received? 

Immediately, he quoted his father, Joe Shaker Sr. Make a friend, make a deal.  

Knowing both Joe Shaker Jr and Sr., I can verify they live this statement. Like I stated, it has been over ten years since Joe and I have worked together, but we can pick up the phone and talk without missing a beat. In business, we have increased the number of ways to communicate, but somehow we lost the ability to connect. In today’s competitive landscape, it is more challenging to build a relationship, but more vital for the long term development of your organization. Just look at this latest sales statistics from HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/sales-statistics

  1. 84% of buyers now kick off their buying process with a referral.
  2. 92% of buyers trust referrals from people they know.

From my own business, it is a significantly faster sales cycle from a referral than a cold call. How many more client referrals could you get if your clients got to know you? 

About Joe: 

Joe Shaker Jr is currently the President of Shaker recruitment. Shaker recruitment has been a pioneer since 1951 as a full-service agency specializing in highly customized communications and strategies for attracting and retaining the right talent… in the right place with the right message.