Ever wondered how to really connect with a customer on the other side of a door? In a way that doesn't just put you inside, but gets you invited inside?

When I watch the video in this post, I find myself thinking not only about how I find new customers, but also how customers find me.

And I've come to realize that how I start my sales process makes a big difference.

Often sales teams first reach out to new prospects using the tried and true business card. It has the most basic and important building blocks of any business relationship. Name, title, business address, email, and phone number. It's natural.
 
But what if we thought of these five things as just the beginning?
 
What if those elements could be brought into my workflow and connected to any previous knowledge I have of this contact? What if I could see that this person is someone who has done business with my sales team before?
 
What if I could connect that information to knowledge about their company? Its position in the marketplace? Its size and structure? What happens when I know where my contact sits in that structure?
 
And what if there was a way to get a more personal understanding beyond all that? What if, right inside my sales tool, I could see what they were talking about day-to-day with friends and colleagues on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter?
 
Wouldn't I be in a better position to begin a conversation with them? Better prepared to help solve their problems? Better equipped to sell?
 
Or look at it this way. Every day we each get dozens of emails and we're exposed to hundreds of banner campaigns. They're all attempts to find a way to do business. While some aren't worth paying attention to, some are. In fact, they might just be a door to an answer that would really help us.
 
Which leaves me asking: Are we working with a business data provider who's just giving me information? Or one who's seeking ways to help me open that door from every angle?
 
Because in a world that's more social than ever, doors aren't things that can be opened only from the outside, but things that can also be opened from the inside.