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How do you get to the 4 questions to figure out where you are in the mind of your prospect? With an empty mind. Without previous judgement, Without a solution. Without being in solution-mode (ready to fix the problem on the spot). You go in blind, as in a blind-date. To listen. To see if there's a fit. To understand if/how you can help. To say No when it feels like a No. That's your gift: knowing you're in control. To help.
To have advantage in a sales conversation. you'd wanna ask 4 things: What's the new status in the future when everything's going amazing. What's the reason behind the specific solution they're after. What's the urgency of doing it NOW, and not in a year. What's the reason for them to be even talking to you. Getting the answers to these questions will let you know where you stand —in the mind of your decision-maker, in the process, and compared to the alternatives.
To do this, you need to stop thinking inwards. It's got nothing to do with your costs, your efforts, with how much sacrifice you put into. It has nothing to do with how much you think it's worth. It's got nothing to do with your pocket. It's all about your customers. About their situations. What they value. And with their pockets. If it's worth to them, they'll find the way. And it's them who define what expensive is. Not you. :)
You must have heard "Compete on everything, just not on price". Try competing on price. The higher price. What would you need to do to go on with the higher price, get the gig, and delight your customers? To make you go and say "I'm the most expensive option" and not feel afraid of "losing" the job? To figure out how you could do this, you first need to figure out what your customer values (what's really important for them). A hint: it won't be about what your deliverable is, or about your...
How do you know your prospect is the right fit? If you were asked who's that you serve? What would you reply? Now, the important question: How do you know? AKA what are the criteria you use. How would anyone else who's not you know?
Now, it’s been 10 days since my last email after 2 years of non-stop dailies. Was on a trip in India with a client and it brought some perspective (besides the jetlag that really messed up my rhythm 🙃). It brought perspective about the level of impact. The scale of impact. Here’s a shift in my practice. From a perspective of one, to a perspective of one who leads. A small firm. A small business. If you’re running one of these you’re at a disadvantage. Or are you?? I’d argue that running a...
All your customers want and expect from you is for you to keep your promise. Kinda "Duh!", right? And yet, you'd be surprised (or maybe not) how many people, soloists, fractionals, organizations and companies just don't do that. Not even in the bare minimum. You want to stand out? Keep your word. The bar is so low in your market. After all, you don't sell your offerings. What you sell are 3 things: Your promise. Your competence. Your confidence. To make your clients better.
All of the subjects from yesterday's message look like somewhat related, some of them random, some of them to be grouped... and they all look like problems. But here's the thing: they're all symptoms. And —in the big picture— all symptoms of unclarity. To be unclear in the business, the needs it attends, to the segment it serves. If you had to score from them, how well would you do? :)
Here are a few themes that are recurring in the small/medium business I see. Which ones do you feel you resonate with? You're struggling with getting your sales to be better. The market is highly competitive. You're pushed to play on (the lowest) price. You can't say No to customers. That's losing business (and stupid). If you say No to a customer, you're losing opportunities. Your competition is poaching your customers. Your revenue goals are not where you want them, despite everything...
What do you do after 2 years of... writing daily emails? You keep writing. You revise what you thought and wrote. You do an inventory of the common subjects. You think clearer. And deciding where to focus is like a revelation. What's the YOU from 2 years ago that would benefit from the YOU from now? What would you tell them?