WINNING NEW CLIENTS - TIP OF THE WEEK No. 15

The price is not the cost!

Lowering the price does not lower the cost! Cheap products don't usually last as long, lower price means poorer service, save money at the outset (cheap car) pay later (service bills). If your prospect or client wants to buy cheap then get them talking about life cycle costs, total cost of ownership and the cost in time to them of purchasing again - because they made a wrong decision (this works for professional services or where no product is invloved). Get the topic on the table by asking questions - not lecturing them. You can't always avoid giving something away, but you can usually avoid giving too much away. Ask me for a handout on selling value - price versus cost.

WINNING NEW CLIENTS - TIP OF THE WEEK No. 5

ARE YOU REALLY SELLING VALUE OR JUST BOMBARDING YOUR CUSTOMER WITH MEANINGLESS FEATURES?

The dictionary defines value as “......the worth of something, compared to something else.....”. This is a great definition when you are selling, just because we think what we sell delivers benefits, it doesn't mean the customer does. What is of value to one customer is not necessarily of value to another. Your USP, the benefits you [possibly] deliver, your differentiaters, are all meaningless if they are not "of value" to your prospects, clients and customers. Ask questions about what the customer values, pitch only the capabilities of your product, service, profession that delivers value to that customer. If what you have on offer is not of benefit, don't present it!

WINNING NEW CLIENTS - TIP OF THE WEEK No. 3

THE CONFUSION BETWEEN ACTIVITY AND RESULTS!

Advancement - any action you or your customer takes that moves you nearer to the order. Continuation - sales activity but no progress towards winning the order.

In reality how many of your sales calls and visits are continuation calls? OK, so you cannot expect the order on every call you make but you can move things along. Set an objective for every customer, prospect or client engagement. Develop commitment questions that advance the sale but are non threatening. "What do I have to do to get the order" is a little aggressive for some people. Try "What's the next step?", "Where do we go from here?", "Who else do we need to involve to move ahead on this?"

WINNING NEW CLIENTS - TIP OF THE WEEK No. 2

DON'T ACCIDENTLY INTRODUCE COST AS A PROBLEM!

When presenting your pricing or your fees don't use the word cost. Especially in the current economic climate, if you talk cost the prospect thinks cost. Your prospect is "investing" in your services or products because they will get a return on the spend. Never have a section of a proposal titled costs, always call this section "Your investment in [product / service] and the return". Never put "costing details" as an email subject line. Sounds crass, silly, nitpicking? Try it you will be amazed at the difference and the positive tone of the interaction with prospects and clients. More info on handling pricing and proving ROI.