Close More Deals by Focusing on the Client
Your firm performs great work and your services are top-notch. Your firm is profitable and your current clients are satisfied. But, do you ever feel that you are not attracting the new clients that you go after? It is not because of the quality of your firm, and it is certainly not because of your abilities. Why is it then that you don’t get more “yes” answers when offering your services?
Look closely at how you work to attract new business. It is very possible that you are sending the wrong message to your prospects during the sales cycle. Too often prospects are told about the great services offered by your company or how much experience is in your firm. Great, but the prospect hears the same thing from the firm down the street. Separate from the competition by being the firm that focuses more on the prospect rather than your own company during the sales cycle. Every firm will tell you that they totally focus on the prospect. This is just not true. Many times firms focus on the services they can provide for a prospect. All of the focus is on their firm, not the prospect.
Firms need to ask more questions in the initial meeting with the prospect about their company. This is not a time to “sell” your services to the prospect, but a time to listen and learn about them. After you see where they might benefit from your services, set up a meeting with a particular specialist to obtain more specific details on your prospect’s needs. After that meeting, you must determine if this is a company with which you want to do business or not. So, do a little homework and make sure that they would meet your firm’s specifications as a good client. If they meet your requirements and your services meet their needs, create a proposal. Highlight the services they will receive that match their needs specifically. Don’t fill it up with fluff about your firm. Then present the proposal face-to-face and go over the proposal piece by piece. You can address issues as they arise and make changes as necessary.
Be careful when working with a new prospect to make sure you understand exactly what they need. Try not to focus so much on what you can offer, but how your services can address their specific issues. You should find that this approach will bring you more new business because you will be better able to answer the prospect’s biggest question, “What’s in it for me?”