Move forward at the client’s pace – not too fast, not too slow
One of the characteristics of high pressure sales people is that they try to push you into making a purchase before you are ready. This very often leads to resistance, distrust and a reluctance to meet or engage with the
m at all. At the other extreme professionals who are uncomfortable with ‘selling’ can have endless meetings over coffee with a prospective client without ever discussing any real opportunities.
Remember that it is always the client’s decision when to buy. Trying to force a sale when the client is not ready can ruin the prospect of future sales. However multiple meetings with no end product are not helpful to either party. Maintain forward momentum and match the client’s pace by: read more
Show genuine interest in the client – not just what they might need from you
How does it feel to talk with someone is genuinely interested in you and your business? In my experience you find yourself talking more openly and sharing more information or thoughts than you usually would. On the other hand when you sense someone is manipulating you to the point where they can pounce and sell you something you might be more cautious in what you reveal. Genuine interest by definition cannot be faked! Clients know when you are faking interest just to find the opening to sell your services. If you are not able to be genuinely interested in the success of the businesses you work with then you probably shouldn’t be trying to sell to them. read more
Don’t sell to yourself – the client is not you!
We are all products of our background, our training, our life experiences and our understanding of the environment we live and work in. When we try to sell, our natural inclination is to deal with issues that would be relevant to us and to present solutions in a way that we relate to and understand. However our potential clients may not see the world the same way we do. They will be influenced by their own background, experiences and environment. The issues that are really important to them and the way in which they relate to the potential solutions will not be the same as ours. read more
Each client is unique – don’t use the same approach twice
My two children are both dearly loved members of my family. 
Both obviously have the same parents, they both went to the same schools, both are currently teenagers and both are intelligent and generally successful at what they do. However they are very different personalities with quite different motivations. Over the years my wife and I have learnt that when we would like them to do something, very different approaches are likely to achieve the best results with each of them. We have even been known to change our approach depending on the mood we believe they are in!
Thankfully clients are unlikely to be teenagers with unpredictable mood swings. However just because a particular approach or service is successful with one client doesn’t mean the same tactic will work with other clients. Remember that all clients are individuals. Clients have different motivations and inspirations. Clients are even prone to be interested in different things at different times. Being interested in them, who they are and what really interests them, will give the insight required to identify the services they want and the approach that will impact them.
How do you tailor your approach based on your understanding of your client and the issues that are currently important to them?
Look through the client’s eyes – this insight will tell you how to motivate them
Understand your client’s view of the world and you will understand what motivates them, how they really measure success and what it is they believe will make a difference to them.
When you buy a car the reason you choose a particular make and model will be based on a set of needs and wants that are particular to you. These could be technical, like fuel efficiency or performance, or could be less tangible like the look, feel or brand image. Practical considerations such as price, space and flexibility will have more or less influence depending on your personal situation. The decision you make between two cars will not rest purely on the comparative specifications of the two but will be determined by what’s important to you in your situation at this particular time.
Your clients’ decision to by services from you or your competitors will also be based on what’s important to them at the particular time they choose to buy. If your competitors understand this better than you they will have a potentially decisive advantage. When you think like clients then you can offer what they need in a way they understand and they will be enthusiastic about you and your services. A key to this is to really listen to what clients say. See our post on listening as a differentiator for more information.
What actions can you put in place to think like your clients?
Pressure is counterproductive – it leads to resistance
Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an
equal and opposite reaction. So whenever a force pushes, other forces push back in the opposite direction. A similar thing occurs in business development. The harder someone pushes to sell you something the more you want to resist and push back. Who has not had the experience of receiving a telesales call where the caller refuses to accept you’re not interested and continues to push? Are you more likely to give in and buy or hang up, making a mental note to avoid that company in the future?
Getting alongside a client to understand what excites them, what their aspirations are and what issues they have in their world is far more likely to be successful than forcing your agenda on them.
Don’t persuade, motivate – build the client’s motivation to buy
Convincing client’s to buy services they don’t need will not help to build long term and successful business relationships. By building trust, providing valuable insights and showing understanding and expertise you can generate enthusiasm in the client to work with you and buy your services.
Read our post on how first impressions are important here.
My car’s a tech..
My last blog will make sense of that statement. I took it to my trusted mechanic this morning, and it had a broken suspension spring. More to the point, it had a very sharp point about to pierce the front tyre, which he showed me. He wouldn’t let me take it home. Instead he ordered the part, drove me home and said the car would be ready tomorrow.
Now this level of service is not because he is short of work! It’s because he puts customers first. He makes it easy to keep going back to him because he never gives me duff advice, never exaggerates and always delivers. And this is a one man business!
I asked him if he’d worked through the ‘hurricane-force winds battering Scotland’ yesterday, to which he said he’d decided to finish ‘early’ at 5.30pm.. And by the way, my husband was at work for a full day, and came home on the bus, at the normal time.
In summary, it seems to me we can decide to be committed to hard work, excellence and putting customers first, if we really want to..
By the way, if you’re in the Edinburgh area, and want a fantastic mechanic, go to Iain McLennan, Clerk St Motors, 0131 440 4719.