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How to Sell to a Geezer

January 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

selling to geezersLet’s say you’re meeting with some prospective clients. And, as you look around the room, everyone seems years (maybe decades) older than you.

The word that might flash through your mind for the people in the group is geezers.

You know who I’m talking about. Some haven’t changed their hair styles since the Carter administration, and think anyone under 40 “looks like they’re 12.” You sense that they might discount your ideas–both because of your perceived lack of experience and that you’re not one of them.

But, unfortunately, being judgmental isn’t the exclusive domain of so-called geezers. You can be selling an idea, project, or a recommendation to a person from another generation or another planet, and your approach doesn’t really need to change.

The strength of your ideas can bridge gaps in age and neutralize wrong-headed, preconceived notions. For your ideas to be heard, though, you’ve got to get three things straight in your own mind.

For starters, you need to think of yourself as the peer of anyone you work with. The age, title, and accomplishments of others don’t define the value of ideas.  Presumably, you’re in the room because you know something the clients don’t.

Next, keep in mind that you can’t know it all. The ideas or recommendations you pulled together yesterday or last week may need to change on the fly in the meeting.

As they say, “S**t happens,” and you won’t be privy to every detail that could impact your ideas. So keep an open mind and be willing to retool your ideas (in real-time) as new information comes your way.

Finally, remember the law of averages. In any group, there’s a strong possibility that someone isn’t going to like what you have to say. Don’t let that person make it your problem.

You don’t have to satisfy every naysayer for the entire group to understand your ideas. Let your supporters deal with nitpickers.

You’re going to run into geezers (and those who act the part), on a regular basis. It just goes with the territory. To deal with them most effectively, adjust your own mindset.

 

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Selling Tagged With: , ,

Sharing

December 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

IdeasThe thought of sharing their intellectual property causes some hand-wringing among consultants. How much should you give to a new client? Should you hold something back until you make the sale?

Some consultants worry that clients will pilfer their ideas and use them without any help. Others are concerned that competitors could get their hands on proprietary information and figure out a way to profit from it. A few consultants believe that clients should pay before getting the “good stuff.”

Such concerns are not unreasonable. I’ve seen clients “borrow” ideas, and ethically-challenged consulting firms have been known to “adapt” other people’s work and call it their own. Fortunately, these are exceptions, not the rule.

Clients buy your expertise. Your best ideas are the foundation of the value you offer. If you hold them back, you put yourself at a disadvantage with clients. Plus, hopefully, no one can execute a project using your ideas as well as you can.

My advice is to share your best ideas freely. Clients will appreciate your commitment and you’ll have better luck closing sales. When asked if it wouldn’t be better to wait on providing ideas to clients, a colleague summed it up by saying, “They can take my ideas. I’ll come up with others.”

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Selling Tagged With: , , , ,

Certainty

September 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The decision to buy something, whether it’s a product or a service, requires at least some degree of certainty. You want to be sure that you’ll get what you expect.

The same is true when clients are deciding what to do. For example, you probably know (or have heard about) clients who rejected a great sales proposal or decided not to implement a compelling recommendation. In such cases, the clients didn’t have enough certainty to take action.

Too often, we take this reality for granted. Instead of being responsive to what will contribute to each client’s sense of certainty, we tend to use the same types of proof to support our position in every situation. Just because citing case studies helped close one important deal, for instance, doesn’t mean it will work for all of them.

Your idea of what builds certainty may be entirely different from what a client needs. Your job is to learn how each client processes information. Which forms of communication work most effectively? What kind of proof is the client likely to respond to? How can you combine the variety of options you have to make the most impact on your client’s sense of certainty?

You may be the best choice for the work but, to get the job, you’ll have to help your clients learn and create certainty about the issues that matter to them.

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Selling Tagged With: , , ,

Three Tips to Boost Sales Productivity

August 17, 2011 By 7 Comments

Focus

This post is part of the Blog Carnival, “Sales Coaching: Top Tips for Increased Productivity,” hosted by Angela DeFinis at DeFinis Communications. Be sure to click over to Angela’s site to read more tips.

It’s common for people aiming to improve their productivity to focus on developing new skills or on finding a new way to do something. For example, you may try a new approach to negotiating sales, or you may learn a new way to prepare for a sales meeting.

Sometimes, though, the shortest path to improved productivity isn’t to optimize what you’re doing now, but to eliminate what no longer serves you well. I’ve talked with hundreds of sales professionals about what they could use most to boost their productivity. The answer I hear more than any other is the need for more time.

Dump Those Losing Relationships

Most sellers I know have a few high-maintenance, low-profit clients. These are clients who demand a lot of attention for a minimal return. Often, the fees you charge these clients don’t make up for the effort, and the prospect for a long-term, profitable arrangement seems remote. Yet, these clients still need your help.

If you need more time, get out from under these client relationships. Of course, you don’t want to burn any bridges. But you can plan a reasonable way to transition out of unproductive relationships so you can focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Write Fewer Sales Proposals

It’s natural to get excited when a client asks you to write a sales proposal. It seems like the request for a proposal represents a positive milestone in your pursuit of a new sale. In too many cases, though, that proposal request comes before you and the client fully understand the opportunity.

Hold off on agreeing to write a proposal until you’re sure you’ve got consensus with the client about the project objective, the expected value you would have to deliver, and how you’ll accomplish the work. As you work toward agreement on these issues, you’re also qualifying the opportunity to decide if you should pursue the sale.

For many sellers, the reflexive response to the question “Will you send me a proposal?” is yes. You’ll save time if you focus on gaining consensus on all aspects of the sale before you write a word.

Focus on Your Strengths

Finally, most of us could be more intentional about the sales opportunities we pursue. Some services providers think any cash flow is good cash flow. The result: they chase every opportunity that comes their way.

I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t be ambitious. But I think it’s important to work on the sales opportunities that you’re best suited to win, even if that means letting some opportunities go. Resist the temptation to go after a potential sale that may be of questionable fit just because you can. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Focus on the opportunities that really showcase your strengths and that you have a good chance to win.

You can probably come up with many more time and energy savers, like spending less time on email, paperwork, and the internet.

To boost your productivity, start by eliminating the three easy things that make sense for you. Then, use the extra time you gain to be more effective and creative with what you already know how to do.

Filed Under: Selling Tagged With: , ,

Who Decides?

July 18, 2011 By 1 Comment

michael w mclaughlinWe all know that clients buy perceived value when they hire a service provider.

Your efforts during the sales process contribute to your client’s perception of value, of course, but other sources of influence can be equally critical to your client’s buying decision. Before most people make a big purchase, they seek out advice from those they trust–a colleague, mentor, boss, or even a family member.

I’m not talking about people who have an “official” role in approving the sale, but those in your client’s network who are likely to get your client’s ear. It’s possible that you’re not aware of these people and how they could shape the sales process.

Not long ago, for instance, I worked with a prospective client on a project that never got off the ground. Why? I found out later that one of the client’s influential colleagues questioned the project’s value and that was the end of it.

It’s not always possible to know which individuals could sway a client, but you can ask questions to help identify them and their potential concerns.

For example, to understand the perspective of your client’s colleagues, ask how your proposed project fits with other ongoing or planned initiatives. Is your project complementary with others or competing? You can also ask directly how your client’s colleagues view the value of your proposed project.

To get a better understanding of how the client’s staff might influence the buying decision, you can ask what the most influential staff people think of the project–and the potential organizational change it would bring. Will they view the project as essential, somewhat important, or just another initiative?

You can come up with similar questions to figure out how your project may be viewed by others in your client’s network.

Use the answers to these questions to shape a value proposition that includes the impact of the project on the people who aren’t directly involved in the decision process but who are important to the sale.

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Selling Tagged With: , , ,

Timing

July 7, 2011 By 3 Comments

You’ve probably heard a client say something like, “Sorry, the timing just isn’t right for this project. We have too many other things going right now.”

In those unwelcome words, many consultants see a sales objection in disguise. Their response: change the dynamic of the sales proposition–add more value, shift the terms, or make a concession. Timing, some experts tell us, is the flimsiest excuse in the book to say no to a sale. So go confront that challenge and close the deal.

You’ll hear similar advice when a client doesn’t respond to your email, phone call, or letter within what you think is a reasonable time. Apparently, you’re supposed to use the same approach that public broadcasters use to raise funds–pursue the person until you get an answer.

If you don’t get a timely response from a client, it’s easy to imagine the worst. Did your proposal send the client running to your competitor? Maybe the client is stringing you along. Or, was it something you said or did? Either way, some people would rather keep chasing the client for a response than face the unlikely possibility that the client relationship has tanked.

Often, though, a client’s unresponsiveness isn’t either negative or positive. Maybe the project in question is not at the top of the client’s to-do list. And, in some instances, no matter how much new value you throw at a client, it’s actually true that the timing for a project isn’t ideal.

Before you try to convince a client to move forward, be sure you are convinced that the project is truly in the client’s best interest right now. If you’re certain, make your arguments without hesitation.

But refrain from following up again with a client unless you understand where you fit on the client’s priority list. It’s very possible that the lack of response has more to do with bad timing than anything else you can imagine.

Sometimes timing is on your side and other times it’s not. Our job is to know the difference.

Filed Under: Consulting Process, Selling Tagged With: , , , , ,

10 Things Not to Say at Your Next Sales Meeting

June 8, 2011 By 1 Comment

source: IMLS DCC

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, the wrong words slip out in a client meeting. If you’re like me, you’ve had times when you wished you could take the words back just as soon as they passed your lips.

Here are 10 things you might want to avoid saying in your next sales meeting:

  1. Someone should have been fired for that.
  2. Yes, we’ve seen this before. It will be a breeze.
  3. I never would have done that.
  4. You actually hired those people?
  5. If it wasn’t hard, you wouldn’t need me, right?
  6. I’ll only need 90 minutes of your time to preview my qualifications.
  7. I wouldn’t want to work here either.
  8. The terms of this proposal expire in 3 hours.
  9. What were they thinking?
  10. We always lengthen the project time-line when a client wants to “help” us.

Any others you’d like to add? Let me know.

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Selling Tagged With: , , ,

Take a Comprehensive View of Value

May 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

michael mclaughlinEvery service seller talks about value. It pops up in marketing communications, sales proposals, and during projects. Though the term may be over-used, if you have a firm grasp on client value, chances are you will set yourself apart from others.

Here’s what I mean. Most sellers have a generic expression of value in their service offers. Maybe it’s reduced employee turnover, improved process efficiency, or more market visibility. That general expression of value often serves as the catalyst for a client to make contact with you.

When you’re fielding that initial contact, whether it’s an in-person meeting or an email, what matters most isn’t the value you outline in your marketing communication. Prospective clients want to see how you create a situation-specific view of value. They want to see how you assess the opportunity and define the value you’ll deliver.

The most successful sellers assume there’s more value to every project than meets the eye. They look at the impact of the client’s issue and its resolution on the entire organization to uncover hidden sources of value.

A web site redesign project, for example, may improve site visitors’ experiences and reduce a client’s IT maintenance costs. But that’s not the full extent of potential value. It’s possible for a new web site platform to drive efficiencies in other system development projects, or to improve inventory management by offering customers more accurate information about what’s in stock.

By searching for the less obvious sources of value, you demonstrate your commitment to clients, show your analytical skills, and bring value to the sales process. Clients recognize and reward the extra effort.

To find new sources of value, think beyond the primary beneficiaries of a proposed project. Explore how the project might impact people and processes that aren’t directly part of it. And be sure to include the possible value to external groups–customers, suppliers, shareholders, business partners, recruits, and the community.

An interesting thing happens when you focus on finding all sources of value. You learn more about your client than your competitors. And that results in an offer that is more relevant, accurate, and valuable to your client.

Filed Under: Selling Tagged With: , ,

Sanity Check: How’s Your Client Collaboration?

May 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

why projects fail

Most project problems originate from ineffective collaboration between the consultant and client during the sales process.

Filed Under: Sanity Checks, Selling Tagged With: ,

An Acid Test for Sales Proposals

April 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

michael mclaughlinBy now, the idea has been sufficiently drummed into us that every sales proposal should focus on the buyer’s need, instead of offering up a recitation of the seller’s “unique” qualifications.

Here are two quick tests you can apply to any sales proposal to assess its level of client focus.

1. Are the seller’s qualifications featured in the opening paragraphs? If the answer is yes, the proposal is likely to be overly-focused on the service provider. Clients want to know that you understand their issues before they’ll pay attention to your credentials. Use the introductory paragraphs to demonstrate that understanding.

2. How often do the words, “we,” “us,” “I,” and “our” appear in the opening section? Lots of proposals start almost every sentence with one of these pronouns. “We are excited for this opportunity to…” “Our global client base is…” “We have depth of expertise in…” “Our track record of success makes us…” You get the idea. That language sends an unfortunate message to the reader: “Expect to see lots of generic sales language in this proposal.” You can’t avoid seller-centric pronouns completely, but try to beat them out of your proposals wherever possible.

With a focus on the client’s situation in the early part of your sales proposal, you’ll find little room to write about your business. That’s how it should be. Assume that it’s safe to tuck your qualifications in the back of your sales proposal. If clients want to know more about you, they’ll find that information.

Answer the two questions above before you send your proposal to a client. Most times, you’ll find easy ways to make everything you write more focused on what the client needs.

Filed Under: Proposal Writing, Selling Tagged With: ,
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