The View from the Summit: Using Tech Tools to ‘Get the Meeting No One Else Can’

To “get the meeting no one else can,” in a general session at the recent 2024 NTSA Summit Sam Richter offered simple steps for distilling “trillions of data floating around” into tangible tools that can help foster connection with prospects.

Describing Google as a vacuum cleaner that “sucks up and stores the words in the bag,” Richter said that conventional searches typically yield an unrealistic number of possibilities to sift through.

His formulas allow individuals to obtain data more effectively by using math and punctuation symbols to narrow the focus.

He shared that a Google search for Vikings yields mostly references to the professional football team. However, inserting minus signs and quotation marks changes the order of the content to make desired information more accessible.

Using a Canadian kindergarten teacher as an example, Richter demonstrated that a simple search for Karen Jane Anderson generated millions of results. By using one of his formulas that also factored in the likelihood of her living in Toronto or Edmonton, the number of options dropped to a more manageable 77.
Richter referenced YouGotIntel.com as a resource for researching school districts and provided insights into using LinkedIn more effectively.

He also credited online searches with uncovering information about new clients’ interests to develop rapport more rapidly and easily before delving into questions about goals and fears.

“People are passionate about themselves,” he said. “You can find something relevant to ask them about that they will want to share with you and they will know you’re interested.”

Richter uses artificial intelligence tools to save time generating emails and other content, though he cautioned about the need for “constant tweaking.”

And the Canadian kindergarten teacher Richter used as a search example at the beginning of his presentation? The renowned motivational speaker’s motive was more personal than professional, leading to a reunion with his birth mother at a Tim Horton’s and a fun family photo to underscore the effectiveness of his techniques.

Kim Gronniger is Corporate Communications Manager at Security Benefit.