Over the years, people have often asked me questions about how I successfully build business relationships. Then, just recently, the #Kaizenbiz Twitter Chat sponsored by Elli St. George-Godfrey reminded me about the many varying points of view on the subject. The chat was moderated by Cathy Larkin who guided a far-ranging conversation on the subject.
Are you too busy being interestING when you should be interestED? How many times have you made a brilliant presentation only to hear the dreaded "no thanks." Or the frustrating "not now." Or even, "sorry, that's not what I'm looking for."
In response to many requests from clients, I have agreed to write a "Top 10" list of what you need to know about Sales & Business Development when selling Professional Services, even though I have 11 to offer and no permission from you or anyone else to "command" anything.
I had an interesting interaction with several people today from a relationship marketing team. It appears that some team members are quitting upon the realization that selling is very hard work and not for the faint of heart. Surprise, surprise. Selling is like that. It's not easy.
If you are of the mind that all opportunities identified should be pitched, then read no further. If you are of the Yogi Berra school of decision making then you know that "When you come to the fork in the road you must take it!"
A very common question asked by my agency clients is: "What should I do when I know my client wants something that's not the best solution?" This conundrum presents itself in pitches as well as during the delivery of an already-won assignment and it's definitely not the best question to consider (see conclusion below).
Being a winner at Business Negotiation is NOT the best starting point. I recently read an Entrepreneur blog post about negotiation that was pretty effective when it highlighted some basic negotiating skills and techniques about which every business person should be aware.
Lance is over. But truth telling as an issue may never be over. We all deal with it everywhere in our lives. Especially in business. I have always been interested in long-distance cycling - especially as exemplified by the competitiveness of The Tour de France.
I had several interesting aha moments last week as I was on the buying end of a real-life sales transaction. My decision to buy was made shortly after the first presentation, and then the subsequent process between me and the seller (and her team) was all about my comfort factor (due diligence) and insuring that my already-made decision was correct before I signed the deal.
With this concept as a foundation, the following 10 additional points can be of great value in preparing to win the next deal. When you win, your customer is your newest best friend and partner.
While the principles I outline here apply in all selling situations, this post is specifically about selling services - not products - and so the examples I use are based on my experiences with ad agencies, PR agencies, consultancies, law firms, real estate, and other professional services environments 12 Selling tips for non-sales people (interpret these appropriately to your environment): Everyone who works for a company is part of the sales effort whether senior management says so or not.
What better time to assess your revenue growth plans? Delegate or do it yourself, with your senior staff, or with outside support, but do it - now. "Now" can be anytime of the year, however, in the last month of 2012 and into the first of 2013 we have an unusual opportunity to reassess our situation as a very difficult economy begins to show signs of recovery.
How? Just go for it! (There is no formula.) When? As early as possible! Yes, it really is as simple as that. I know, I know, there are always delicate, subjective, subtle issues to take into account and you wouldn't want to be inappropriate - or worse, rude! Yikes!
I was prompted to write this post after reading Seth Godin's blog entry titled " Worth doing?" and I drew an interesting conclusion from his brief, yet very powerful post.
My consultations with Companies selling Services (agencies, consultancies and more) often start with the potential client asking: "I want to grow my revenue, can you help?" and my first response usually is: "Why do you want to grow?" Is my focus on "Intentional Growth" TM always relevant?
Earlier this week I participated in a #usguyschat on Twitter led by Joe Ruiz (@sms_joe). The discussion was heated and there was a lot to learn from all the different Points Of View. Joe had suggested everyone read the HBR blog post " The End of Solution Sales" by Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon, and Nicholas Toman of Corporate Executive Board.
After posting the earlier V-blog of the same title I was told by several people that this is a very obvious concept that is rarely considered and others felt it is more complicated than it seems. I think it's really simple and I wrote this deeper discussion to discuss the topic in more depth.
I was just reading a very well-thought-through AdAge article entitled "Don't Let Your Process Get the Best of You" written by Bryan Christian, the president/principal of Proof Advertising. In Bryan's discussion he's focused on "...opening jobs, briefing and producing work" - all valuable steps once the client commitment is made.
Can you point to situations where if someone hadn't let you down you would have definitely succeeded? Especially when you were offering your services in a competitive environment and the client consistently "mis-led" you ...or didn't do what he promised?
Are you protective of what you know, what you have developed, and the results from your investment of time and energy over the years? And so protective that you do NOT want to give any of it away free? Is it possible (under any circumstances) that giving work and results without charge could be justified?
I just read a 66 Word Story and I'm hooked wanting to know more. OK, it's fiction. It's not a business promotion, nor a power-point presentation, nor a sales pitch, and it's certainly not a story intended for Venture Capitalists who might want to invest in your great idea.
I participated in a very interesting Tweet Chat this week: the regular Monday 3-4 PM ET #usguyschat - feel free to join us any time. The discussion was led by Perry Puccetti, the CEO at Triple-I and, among other views discussed Perry began the discussion asking about what kind of resistance people meet every day.
Do you go after every new business opportunity offered to you? Or do you have a sense of when to say no? Circumstances and situations differ frequently but the question should always be answered: Is this right for me/us?
Nick has always impressed me with his comprehensive brevity in getting right to the point. When he mentioned "Social Selling" in a Tweet Chat the other night I immediately contacted him and he graciously agreed to add his POV to our discussion about Intentional Growth. Social. Revenue Growth.
What's the context? In the services business we all deal with requests for speculative, no-compensation work - whether in support of a pitch/proposal or in part of the execution of a huge, mega-bucks project. Does it sometimes happen in the products business? Yes, but rarely - except for free samples.
