Page 34 - BCM May 2024

EXPO PREVIEW

A Deliciously Simple trust. If we’re meeting somebody for
the rst time, we want to do everything
Recipe for Success we can to help them feel comfortable
with us and trust us. You want to make
that connection.”
Making the connection, however,
Sales expert Roger Grannis will provide easy-to-remember relies on asking the right kind of ques-
tips for keeping your customers happy and returning often. tions, Grannis stresses.
“ ere are two types of questions:
BY JOHNNY CAMPOS strategic and tactical,” he says. “A
strategic question asks an open-ended
he path to success in the bowling some memories of her late husband, question. It gets people to talk for a
T industry doesn’t have to be and then they baked a cake together. longer period of time versus a tactical
complicated. In fact, the recipe can be His mother made a connection with question. We call that a closed-ended
as easy as C-U-P. at will be the key the woman, understood her situation, question. How many children? What
message delivered by Roger Grannis and that presented an opportunity to time? Do you want cake with that?
in his Bowl Expo presentation entitled, help her. “ e power comes when we ask
“ e Yellow Cake Principle: Your “ e ‘Yellow Cake Principle’ helps a strategic question that taps into
Recipe for In uence and Success.” people remember the process,” somebody’s emotions and gets them
Grannis, an expert in sales com- Grannis says. “ ere are three key to paint a picture of what they hope
munications, has been preaching ingredients — three key steps — and this activity is going to be — whether
this message to groups for years, and they spell the word ‘cup.’” it’s a party for kids or an o ce team-
believes the process will translate to e C stands for connect, the U for building event.”
the bowling business. understand and the P for presenting But even asking the right questions
“I’ve spent 30-plus years in sales, information in a way that is custom- won’t do any good unless the correct
customer service and communica- ized to the individual person, based on language is used in the interaction.
tions,” he says. “I’ve put together a the conversation up to that point. Grannis has de ned four languages
three-step process — recipe, if you will “With ‘connect,’ we want to make of in uence that describe potential
— for how to grow your business and a true human-to-human connection customers.
keep your customers happy so they with people so that they’re engaged “ e four languages spell the word
can keep coming back. with us and want to have a conversa- ‘sold,’” he says. “ e S is ‘steadfast.’
“I’ve worked hard on this workshop tion with us,” Grannis says. “With ose people want bullet points. ey
so that the core components are the ‘understand,’ we want to ask ques- want you to be direct and to the point.”
same. But it will be customized to the tions, listen and hear what people are is group would include people
bowling audience. A lot of my talks telling us. Why do you like to come to such as Donald Trump and Simon
are helping non-salespeople learn the the bowling center? Ask really good Cowell, he says.
tricks of the trade of how to get their questions, not just to gather the infor- “ e O stands for ‘outgoing,’”
point across — how to get people to mation, but because we want them to Grannis adds. “ is would be some-
say yes.” feel heard and understood. body like Robin Williams — energetic,
Grannis developed the presenta- “After you make the connection and lively; they want to hear about fun and
tion through a childhood memory. He understand the person, then you can possibilities. How are we going to have
recalls a time when his mother helped ‘present’ just the right information fun?
a destitute stranger who had just lost in the right way that resonates with “ e L stands for ‘loving.’ ey
her husband and was on the verge of them.” want to hear about how coming to
homelessness. His mother listened to Grannis stresses that being a good your bowling center is going to help
the woman’s story, asked her to share listener pays more dividends than bring harmony and peace. So, if it’s
being a good talker when addressing an o ce party, we want to emphasize
prospective customers. team building — how they’re going to
To view a Bowling “One of the biggest mistakes feel more connected after having an
University “Pro t people make is they talk too much afternoon at a fun place.”
Break” interview and say the same thing to every- is group would include people
with Roger Grannis, body,” he says. “You want to estab- such as Mother Teresa and Mr. Rogers,
scan this QR code. lish a relationship rst. People like to Grannis suggests.
buy from people they know, like and (continued on page 68)

32 • BCM • MAY 2024 www.bcmmag.com

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