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Rod Aparicio

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Closing doesn't need to be that hard

Going into a sales conversation to close a deal that might feel significant to you in terms of revenue doesn't mean it'll be the same for your customer. You need 2 main things: Be willing (and ready) to hear No. And follow up with more questions to understand, not to convince. Be willing to walk away. If it's not a fit, it's not a fit. And that's ok. It's just a number. Say your offer is 50 000 euros / dollars —and keep the straight face. The more you practice saying it out loud, the more...

So, tiktok is gone. At least (for now in the US) banned. Here's what you hear: "It's a big hit on brands and creators." "It was a main revenue source." "It was a strong comms platform to connect with new customers." Now, the obvious (?) thing is to find other platforms where to leverage the same. Or is it? Because this is actually one more reason not to leverage these platforms as the key point for your comms. Same thing happened with Twitter few years back. And Clubhouse. And Facebook. And...

Somebody else's perspective. A position in somebody else's mind. A category. Stop trying to influence. Serve.

... gets managed". A quote wrongly attributed to Peter Drucker (he never said it). Nonetheless, you've surely heard it. But the thing is that a measure only tells you nothing. It's a point in space. It doesn't have context. It's a data point. Measurement: the reading of something. You can't manage a measurement. What you can do, though, is apply judgement to it, so that you can inform a decision. The (risky) thing is:1. Getting the wrong things as metrics2. Using these metrics as measuring3....

Reality is —and this work in your favor— that the bar is SO low. Most of the businesses in your industry and in your market claim they have great service, "experience" (wtf is it anyways?), solutions. Yet when things go South, they do a little bit less of the bare minimum. You doing a little bit over, makes you stand out. Know why? Because clients don't care about the bare minimum. They care that they're taken care of. That they're understood. And there's action behind the words. When you do...

The first interactions with your clients are the ones that last. I mean, real interactions. After the honeymoon phase. The behaviors that you tolerate are the ones that get reinforced (aka building a culture). If they get always discounts, they assume discounting is the culture. If they get abusive, they assume they can go on with abuse. The good thing is that boundaries (setting them, and respect them) are on you. Keeping your boundaries doesn't need the other person for anything to do. It's...

Runway: estimated time you could run your business in the scenario where you would have no income / revenue. Whatever runway you might have right now is fine. When you have this, it's a good time to raise your prices radically. Ditch the 1%, 5%, 10%, 15% raises. Double your prices. Now, it's not only about doubling the prices for the sake of it; but to think of what could you do for these new prices. And most importantly, how would these new prices better help your customers? The best time to...

When you see something ridiculous in a negotiation with your prospects, keep it to yourself. Not. When you find things that deserve to be dug deeper, keep it to yourself. Not. When you feel that what you do should be priced higher, but it may rise push back, keep it to yourself. Not. When you think your idea might be great, yet someone might steal it, keep it to yourself. Not. You can always speak up. You can always ask. You can. Whenever you think you can or you can't you're right.

Bad deals. You want them off of your way as soon as possible. That's why you need to set up criteria for you to work on the project / with the client. And if you choose to go with it, you do it knowing. So that when it's time (sooner rather than later), you churn. You're running a business. It's your responsibility to know and take action into the kind of clients you (want to) work with, while being profitable.

"Why so expensive?" When you get that question from a prospect, a few things could have happened. Here are 2: This is the first time they are seeing the price. You're easily comparable to more things in the market. What do you think are other reasons for them to ask this?