I picked up the book Selling to VITO (The Very Important Top Officer) the other night. It has languished in my library for many years along with 500 or so other books, and it reminded me of some of the issues we forget from time to time. Anthony Parinello reminisces about a meeting he had with a client where he had 10 minutes to make a presentation. Upon entry, he noticed the picture and name of a racing boat the VITO had behind his desk. He asked a pertinent question about the boat, and the VITO spent the next 10 minutes talking about his favorite subject. Then excused himself and left! Parinello states that he lost the sale to a competitor that sold the VITO the exact same brand unit he was touting. And so, the morale of the story is….don’t waste time with small talk….until after the presentation. Leave the VITO with a pleasant experience talking about something that is important to him/her. BUT, get your presentation in first and foremost…After all, CRM may be about Relationships, but it has more impact WHEN you WIN!