Author Archives: freelancetheconsultantsdiary

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Use Case Studies and Make More Sales

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If you read last week’s posting (and I hope you did),  you probably figured out which selling style you tend to use.  I’m the Consultative type and I hope to catapult myself into that invincible Expert group sometime soon.

However,  as the description of my selling style accurately points out,  I’ve got some remedial work to do.  I am not a natural when it comes to either telling a good story or rolling out a case study when in a sales conversation.  My strength really is to function as a problem solver,  describing to the client how my expertise will ensure that their objectives will be achieved.  So I wondered if perhaps readers of this column might also appreciate a primer on how to introduce case studies or useful stories when trying to sell a prospect?

Think of a case study as a formal and more detailed version of a good story.  Case studies examine how clients have successfully used your product or service.  While a story is an informal telling of what motivated the client to use your product/service and the outcome of that decision,  the story can be just as compelling and persuasive.

Consulting firms make excellent use of case studies and they are often featured on company websites.  Cases detail the challenge a particular client faced,  how that challenge impacted business,  how it was identified,  how the decision to address it was made,  who made that decision and (most importantly) how the consulting firm’s services were implemented to effect a successful resolution.

You can do that,  too,  by documenting your own successful projects.  You can write up a couple of cases to feature on your website or in your newsletter.  If you choose to give actual client names,  remember to obtain written permission.

The beauty of case studies is that they encourage prospective clients who read them (and there’s a fairly good chance that they will) to envision themselves hiring you to meet the need or solve the problem.  Write your case studies so that they paint a clear and compelling picture of the project or dilemma that the organization faced and how the situation was resolved,  with your expert intervention.

Case studies and stories engage prospects because they add flesh and blood to your sales pitch.  Now the two of you have something to talk about and you can speak not merely in the abstract,  but in the sometimes messy reality of how business really gets done.  The sale becomes personal.

The features and benefits that you discuss have life in them.  The prospective client  identifies with what you offer and how that fits into his/her agenda.  Your perhaps nebulous sounding array of services appear tangible and useful.  Now that prospect is much more likely to join your client roster.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Sales , , , 6 Comments

What’s Your Selling Style?

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I will teach  “Become Your Own Boss:  Effective Business Plan Writing”,  a three part workshop  (total 6 hours)  held at Boston Center for Adult Education 122 Arlington Street Boston MA on three consecutive Thursdays 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM February 17 – March 3.  Register at http://bcae.org, course #420174 or use the direct link:

http://tinyurl.com/BCAE-business-plan

Like it or not,  every business owner and self-employed professional is in sales.  Selling skills are survival skills and they play a pivotal role in keeping one in business.

A Freelancer’s sale has two discrete parts.  In the first part of the sale,  it is necessary to sell oneself: credibility,  expertise,  dependability and agreeability.  We must convince prospects that we are capable professionals who are trustworthy and therefore eligible to be considered for hire.  In the second part of the sale,  our objective is to persuade said prospect to actually hire us for a specific project and award the contract (and pay on time, too!).

Selling skills are quite individual and each of us has a signature style.  Experts claim that only three selling styles consistently produce successful sales.  In fact,  based on observations of 800 sales professionals engaged in various types of selling situations,  63% of selling styles are prone to undermine the sales process and result in fewer successful sales.  Ouch!  Let’s take a look at some typical sales approaches,  some top-notch and some deadly:

THE BEST

The Expert

These pros know how to make selling seem effortless.  They have superior product knowledge.  They are on top of what is happening in the marketplace.  They know how their product stacks up against the competition.  They know the customer they’re selling to and they understand that customer’s objectives and concerns when using their product.  As a result,  they know which features and benefits to highlight,  how to best answer questions and objections and how to generate more sales.

The Closer

Depend on the Closer to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  They’ve got the magic words that can salvage a sale that is in danger of going down the tubes,  because they are particularly adept at finessing objections.  On the flip side,  their smooth-talking style can sometimes turn off clients.

The Consultant

Salespeople who employ this style are known for their superior listening and problem solving skills.  Consultants excel at positioning their product as a solution that will meet client needs.  Their shortcoming is that they tend to neglect valuable case studies and client success stories that can help clinch still more sales.  This type has the greatest potential to ascend to the Expert group.

THE REST

The Storyteller

Storytellers love to provide case studies because they are talkers and they love a good story!  Problem is,  they often talk past the sale and waste much valuable time in unproductive sales calls.

The Focuser

Members of this group are earnest,  enthusiastic,  know their product inside-out and believe in it deeply.  Typically,  Focusers are new to sales and therefore lack the experience that promotes confidence.  Focusers often exhaustively detail every product feature and benefit,  because they haven’ t yet learned to ask the customer questions about his/her priorities.

The Narrator

Narrators know the product cold and they’re well-versed in the nuances of the competitive landscape,  but they are overly dependent upon a sales  script,  so they deliver  the dreaded  “canned”  presentation.  Many (but by no means all) Narrators are new to sales.  They,  too,  lack confidence and cling tenaciously to marketing materials as they present.  Members of this group do not respond well to challenging questions or objections.

The Socializer

Socializers may initially charm clients with friendly banter about various interesting and amusing subjects,  but these folks forget their objective and don’t know how to get down to business.  They make few sales.

The Aggressor

As far as practitioners of this selling style are concerned,  a sales call is primarily a price negotiation.  They are sometimes able to score big wins and they rarely concede much.  Unsurprisingly,  clients can be turned off  by their often combative approach.

So how can you join the Best Salesperson group?  Incorporate these strategies into your next sales presentation:

  • Stay on message.  Every sales presentation should convey a single major theme.
  • While conveying that key product message,  limit yourself to three main points that focus on customer priorities and preferences.  Let your words paint the picture of how your product/service can deliver what the client values most.
  • Use case studies or a story that illustrates how a client with a similar profile and objectives successfully uses your product/service.  Present a case study that is clear,  concise and compelling.  Use the story to encourage the client to envision building a successful business relationship with you.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Business Plan , , , 1 Comment

Business Model Guideposts

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I will teach “Become Your Own Boss:  Effective Business Plan Writing” , a three part workshop (total 6 hours) held at Boston Center for Adult Education 122 Arlington Street Boston MA on three consecutive Thursdays 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM February 17 – March 3.  Register at http://bcae.org, course #420174 or use the direct link:

http://bcae.org/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation_class_id=4967&int_category_id=48&int_sub_category_id=13&int_catalog_id=0

The business model defines the method by which an organization creates and delivers value through products and services offered and the way in which it persuades customers to pay for that value.  The business model encompasses the manufacture and marketplace delivery of products/services,  how best to access prospective customers,  where and how business transactions take place and customer service.  The business model is the blueprint for how the venture operates in real time and makes a profit.

The business model reflects what the business owner/management team believe about what customers value,  the way in which customers want that value delivered and what they will pay to obtain it.  The business model can also function as an analytical tool. 

 Its examination can help the business owner effectively address challenges such as client retention problems,  insufficient new business development,  or persistent customer service snafus.  It can urge the management team to find a way to lower the cost of goods sold,  add or delete services, or  rethink sales distribution channels.

How’s your business engine running these days?  Might a tune-up be in order? Here are some questions to ask yourself and guideposts to follow as you build or refresh your business model:

  • Who are the target customers?
  • How can your organization best attract,  acquire and retain the target customers?
  • What need does your product/service fulfill or what problem does it solve?
  • What perceived value does your product/service provide?
  • How can you differentiate your product/service in ways that resonate with the target customers?
  • How will you generate revenue?
  • Where will business take place,  how and when will customers pay?
  • Identify and locate customers with sufficient money and motive to do business with you,  preferably on a regular basis.
  • Verify that there will be enough paying customers to allow the business to make a profit.
  • Identify which product/service features and benefits that target customers value most highly.
  • Identify the least costly source location and manufacturing process for your products/services.
  • Use the most cost-effective product/service delivery system that customers will accept.
  • Identify product/service add-ons and upgrades that are easy and inexpensive to provide and for which customers will pay a premium to obtain.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Business Plan , , , 7 Comments

Business Model Nitty-Gritty

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Business experts view the development of a strong business model as an essential component of business planning and I would agree.  The business model ranks near the top of the list of business planning responsibilities.  I teach business plan writing for an SBA affiliated organization and I’ll place the business model fourth in line,  after one gauges demand for the product/service,  defines the primary customer and evaluates the competitive landscape.

The business model is the roadmap within the roadmap that is your business plan.  It is the blueprint for the process by which a company will make and sustain a profit.  It is therefore necessary to do thorough market research and put the pieces together carefully.  If you expect to make any real money,  you had better get your business model right.  Unfortunately,  too many aspiring entrepreneurs do not roll up their sleeves and hash out the gory details that are the building blocks of a viable business model.

The business model shows you how to make your business work efficiently.  The first big question the business model asks you to examine is,  how will you and the clients connect?  Will they find you via your website?  If so,  how will they know that your website exists?  What should you do to drive them to your site and what do you want them to find and do when they get there?  The type of website that you design and your call to action are business model issues.

Or maybe you will connect with clients and prospects via referral.  Who, then, will refer to you and what will motivate that behavior?  Do you have,  or can you create,  referral relationships that will feed you a steady supply of prospective clients? 

For example,  if you are a florist,  do you have relationships with wedding and other event planners? Perhaps you worked in a busy floral shop and know a few people who will send brides and others to you.  Or do you think you can depend on networking to connect you with enough prospects to get the ball rolling on sales?  Who knows,  maybe you are that lucky.

Where business will actually be conducted is another business model issue.  Will customers visit you at your floral shop,  or will you operate as a Freelancer and go to them, toting a binder or iPad that shows examples of arrangements you can create?

For those who sell other types of products,  will you sell from a physical location,  will you place items into the  stores of others on consignment,  or will all be sold via your website?

Providers of intangible services must first know how clients expect to engage in the type of transaction offered and whether you should open an office  (accounting or law),  or go to the client’s location  (PR services or business consulting).  Your business model will explain it all and tell the reader (and you) why it makes good business sense to sell in the way you’ve chosen.  As your business grows,  the business model will change accordingly,  to accomodate increased demands on resources and client expectations.

Remember also to address customer service issues,  like your return/replacement policy,  in the event that a few customers are not satisfied with a product,  or if something breaks while being shipped.  If you will sell from your website,  the shipping process will be addressed in your business model.

So the business model impacts many facets of your business plan and its fine points deserve careful consideration before you take the plunge and start spending time and money on a concept that you cannot make work.  Next week,  we’ll take a look at questions to ask yourself and some guideposts to assist you as you develop a business model for a new enterprise,  or revamp the one you’re in now.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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The Best Business Plan for Your Business

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A well-conceived business plan does much more than merely describe what will become your business.  Your business plan must sell you first and foremost,  along with the products or services you’ll offer,  the business model you will follow,  the marketplace in which you’ll compete,  plus reasonable estimates of start-up and monthly operating expenses.  If outside funding is required,  then the plan must convince lenders or investors that you are prepared and qualified to build a significantly profitable enterprise.  A good business plan will do the following:

  • Define the business mission
  • Describe the products and services
  • Identify target customers
  • Identify and evaluate major competitors
  • Describe the business environment
  • Detail the business model
  • Describe the business strategy
  • Detail the marketing plan
  • Demonstrate how a profit will be made
  • Provide an exit strategy

Here are business plan options for three scenarios:

The Executive Summary

An Executive Summary is a condensed version of a full-dress business plan and often runs to about 5-10 pages in length.  When written well,  the Executive Summary nevertheless functions as effectively as a traditional business plan.

It is a useful tool for Freelancers who will open a consultancy and will have relatively modest start-up costs and monthly operating expenses and are savvy enough to appreciate the value of a road map to launch their venture.  It is not a business plan option for those who will approach lending institutions or investors.

The Executive Summary states the business mission,  describes the products/services,  describes the primary clients and competitors and details the business strategy,  business model,  marketing plan and relevant financial data.  To be useful,  the document must fully integrate that information and demonstrate how the business will become profitable.

The Operational Business Plan

An Operational Business Plan is produced by an existing business with several years’ performance history,  usually with a goal to either apply for business expansion capital or prepare for the sale of the company.  Operational Business Plans may also be used to upgrade and streamline how a business runs,  functioning as a guide for the management team.

The Operational Business Plan delves into great detail about production,  customers,  competitors,  the marketplace and business environment,  sales distribution channels,  management and staffing.  Historical data are available and five years of financial statements are typically included,  along with financial projections that forecast the company’s expected performance over the next three years.

The business plan to attract investors

When outside investment is sought,  it goes without saying that the potential for strong profits must be demonstrated.  The more money that is requested,  the bigger the promised profits must be and the more quickly realized.  The break-even statement,  which shows at what point in time the business will go into the black,  along with credible financial assumptions and projections,  are critical in this scenario.

If the business is an existing one,  the financial projections must appear to be attainable,  based on the five year financial history given.  Make sure that your business and personal credit scores are 700+,  or you won’t see a dime from a bank.

Venture capitalists and angel investors may be somewhat more forgiving of a less than perfect credit rating if your business concept and model are extraordinary.  Beta test the product/service and business model with target customers to verify demand for what you intend to sell and your ability to efficiently deliver the goods to the marketplace.

For VCs, the potential for big profits is king.  They are in it for the pot of gold that comes when the company goes public and stock is offered.  Angels are not totally dissimilar to VCs,  but they are drawn to an entrepreneur’s vision and passion in addition to the pay-off.  That’s why they’re called angels!

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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What’s Up With Your Strategy?

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“The most serious mistakes are not made as a result of wrong answers.  The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions”.

–Peter Drucker

Freelancer Friend,  if you are not familiar with Peter Drucker (1909-2005),  please allow me to introduce you to but a small serving of his genius.  Peter Drucker was considered the father of modern management.  In 1971,  he launched one of the nation’s first executive MBA programs for working professionals,  located at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA.  From the 1940s until about 2002,  Drucker produced groundbreaking work on business practice and strategy.  He was the Big Kahuna and he wrote several Holy Grails. 

Drucker was also known to be a serious skeptic of macroeconomic theory,  believing that economists of all stripes failed to explain significant aspects of modern economies (housing bubble, anyone?).  In other words,  if the folks at the Federal Reserve had followed Drucker’s wisdom and reined in the Wall Street masters of the universe,  the world’s economy would be in much better shape today.

Recently,  I found the above quotation plus a list of reality-checking questions that every Freelancer and business owner is advised to ponder and answer at least once a year.  The questions are quite simple and would appear to be no-brainers,  yet they are surprisingly effective at revealing the business strategies that your management team would be wise to develop and implement.

The first two questions require your team to set priorities and the last two require that you assess the organization’s ability to focus on those priorities by choosing meaningful performance measurements.

1.   Who is your primary customer?

It always comes around to identifying the customer,  does it not?  Identifying the natural customers for your products and services is the ultimate make-or-break realization for all business entities,  whether one makes a few hundred dollars during winter by shoveling snow from front stairs and driveways,  or a few million dollars from running a multinational corporation.  Only when the ideal customers have been identified is it possible to develop a marketing strategy that is a guide for resource allocation (e.g., equipment or PR campaigns),  sales distribution channels,  product positioning and branding strategies,  pricing,  creation of a sales pitch,  the networking strategy,  and so on.

2.   What business performance variables are you tracking?

Whatever yardsticks you select to measure business performance,  make sure they provide an accurate assessment of what is happening.  A sharp bookkeeper or accountant,  one with a background in financial analysis,  can tell you which numbers on your profit & loss statement and balance sheet make sense for you to watch and why that is so.  Freelancers probably want to pay attention to net revenue generated,  new business,  repeat business and the number of projects contracted.

3.   What strategic boundaries have you set?

Implementing a strategy involves risk.  Any strategy could lead the business to a place where you’d rather not go.  Know your core values,  priorities and preferences.  Think about what your customers expect and will accept from your organization.  It may be that you decide to take a pass on a golden opportunity because you just don’t want to offer that service or work that hard.  As the late,  great fashion arbiter Diana Vreeland said,  elegance is refusal.

4.   What strategic uncertainties are keeping you awake at night?

The game is all about whether your strategies work and for how many quarters will they work.  Unfortunately,  there is no silver bullet that can zero in on the weaknesses of your business strategies.  At some point,  customer needs and preferences change,  technology marches forward,  or some other event compels you and your management team to reboot dearly held business assumptions and approaches.  In order to adapt successfully,  it is necessary to constantly monitor the yardsticks established in Question 2.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Seven Resolutions for 2011 Part 2 of 2

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Here are the remaining four resolutions that should help you construct the framework for a prosperous year.  Nothing especially novel or profound is being suggested.  To the contrary,  I’ve presented nothing that you don’t already know.  Consider these resolutions to be  a gentle reminder.  You decide which deserve follow-up. 

4.   Revisit your networking  strategy

Get the most out of networking by following a basic agenda,  one that keeps you focused on the real purpose for being there and takes the experience beyond just a random meet & greet.  This agenda works best face to face,  but it can also be used when engaging in online social networking.  The recipe is:  Get a client.  Get a referral.  Get educated.  In other words,  when you’re out there networking,  do your best to get something tangible.  At the very least,  get some information that might help you land a client or receive a referral.  Sweeten the pot for those whom you’d like to know better by offering them something of similar value,  to make helping you worth their while.  Networking flows best on a two-way street.  With this criteria  as a guide,  consider which social networking platforms you use and why you use them.  Is the ROI worth the time spent to keep up?  Next,  consider if you are participating in the right amount of face to face networking and assess the quality of your usual haunts.  How much time and money have you spent at these events and how has being in those rooms impacted your billable hours?

5.   Review your client list

Which clients pay you the most money?  Can you make that happen again this year?  From which clients might you be able to get more money?  Can you dare to raise your hourly rate or project fee for any of them?  Conversely,  which clients are more trouble than they are worth,  high maintenance headaches who do not pay enough to make up for the misery incurred?  Are there clients you should fire?

6.   Develop a prospect list

Who is your dream client?  It’s time to devise a strategy to reel in that big fish.  Identify your decision maker,  or key influencers who might get you in the door.  Maybe you know a colleague who can either make an introduction to the right person or tell you at which networking activities you could meet whom you need to meet?  Make a plan.

7.   Review professional development needs

Will enrolling in graduate school,  taking a seminar or earning a certification increase your credibility and make your services more marketable?  Is there a professional organization that would benefit you,  one that offers good peer networking and useful skills updates? Ask around.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Business Strategy , , , 2 Comments

Seven Resolutions for 2011 Part 1 of 2

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Happy New Year!  You had to see this coming,  so here we go with the resolutions.  We’re at the top of the year and it’s a time-honored tradition to look forward and plan to succeed.  I hope the list that I’ve pulled together inspires you to get busy.

1.   Set financial goals  

Whether you’re 35 or 55,  financial goals are a must.  Establishing these goals as a Freelancer presents a  unique challenge,  because our incomes are often neither predictable nor secure.  A fickle revenue stream makes adequate planning even more of an imperative.  We must get our arms around the money thing and take as much control as possible.  Our ability to live a comfortable life throughout our lives depends on it.  The idea is to avoid going broke,  especially in the elder years.  Those with a  steadily employed spouse have a huge financial advantage,  while those who are single or married to a fellow Freelancer have more variables and hence  a more challenging mountain to climb.  Consider what you want your balance sheet to look like in five years and make an appointment to discuss your financial wish list with your accountant.

2.   Develop a budget  

You may be expert at monitoring and tracking expenses,  but developing a budget encourages one to anticipate the year’s fixed and variable financial obligations,  as well as revenue that is likely to be generated.  One budgeting objective can be to prepare for the inevitable peaks and valleys in a Freelancer’s revenue stream.  When do you typically bill the most hours and when the least?  Which annual conferences do you like to attend,  when and where are they held and what is the cost?  Where and when is it (or might it be) advantageous to advertise?  Have you been mulling over the idea of making upgrades in certain of your marketing materials?  What about your credit needs—do you need to apply for another card to help float strategic expenses,  or can you cancel one?  When can you make contributions to your retirement fund and what should that amount be?  Can you take a vacation this year,  when can you take it and how much can you spend?  The idea is to figure out how to pay for what you must do and also cover a couple of items from your wish list,  to reward yourself.

3.   Review business priorities  

Should you form a strategic partnership,  to give your business entrée to a new segment of your market?  Should you aim to sign more new clients,  or focus on obtaining repeat business from previous clients?  Or would it be wiser to try wringing more billable hours out of your current roster?  Which clients might be most amenable to which strategy?  Also,  should you do more teaching and/or speaking this year? Which institutions will benefit your reputation and client list the most?

I’ll be back to complete the list of resolutions next week. 

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Professional Development , , , 2 Comments

What if…You Change Your Mindset and Seize the Moment?

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For the umpteenth time,  we all know that business conditions are less than stellar and competition is fiercer than ever.  Everything is in flux (or seems to be),  the ground is unsteady and we all have to get comfortable with ambiguity.

But honestly,  none of this is new.  When has life not been ruled by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune? When has life ever been safe and predictable? If you chose to get out of bed this morning,  then consider yourself a risk taker. 

Freelancers expect the earth to quake and shake.  We walk the road less traveled and we reach for the stars.  We  expect to be tested.  We know that the only way to become capable,  confident and successful leaders is to face down our fears and challenges.

Freelancers don’t make excuses,  we can’t afford to stay mired in a rut for years at a time and we know when to color outside of the lines.  We assess the big picture of the marketplace and recognize when it’s time to adjust how we fit:  when it’s time to rebrand,  enter a new market,  sharpen our message,  boost our skill set with a helpful seminar,  or forge a strategic partnership.  Freelancers know how to exit our comfort zone to keep what we do fresh, relevant and valuable in the eyes of our clients.

Still,  sometimes we need a little inspiration because alas,  we are mere mortals and cannot always dwell on Mount Olympus.  According to Bill Bartmann,  CEO of Bill Bartmann Enterprises in Tulsa, OK,  there are three behaviors that we must recognize and modify to keep ourselves in positive thinking mode and break the cycle of second-guessing and inaction that repels success.  Be mindful of the influence (for good or ill) that our mindset has on the fortunes of our business and our lives.  Remember that the glass is half  full.

1.  Awareness.  Catch yourself in the act of making excuses or resorting to defensive behavior (“But my situation is different…”) as you seek to justify why you haven’t achieved target goals.  Avoid becoming mired in negative thinking that sucks you into the self-sabotage vortex.  Remember that fear of the unknown is normal.  Realize that like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz,  we must step outside of our comfort zone in order to learn,  grow and move forward.  The Yellow Brick Road presented many surprises as it wound its way to the Emerald City.

2.  Acknowledge challenges.  Denial of reality prevents us from overcoming obstacles.  Just  don’t allow yourself to be handcuffed by them.  Inevitably,  some possibilities will be closed to you,  yet others will be available.  You may have to work hard (and smart) to make those possibilities a reality and you might need some help to reel them in.  A Freelancer is a leader and according to Linda Hill,  professor at the Harvard Business School and co-author (with Kent Lineback) of Being the Boss (January 2011),  “Leadership is not about getting things done yourself—it’s about accomplishing things through others.”  So if your goal is somewhat beyond your grasp,  do not become overwhelmed with despair about the impossibility of it all.  Reach out to the right person.

3.  “What if…” is the phrase that encourages us to see beyond limitation and all the way to the pot of gold.  Say  “what if”  and put yourself on a positive trajectory that allows you to see or create competitive advantages that will be of great benefit.  The  “what if”  mindset is a powerful magnet for good ideas.  The glass half empty mindset is negative.  It crushes good ideas and rebuffs those who could help us realize our goals.  Instead of thinking  “What if I fail”?,  imagine  “What if I succeed”? and let your mind take it from there.

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare,  but because we do not dare that they are difficult”.  

–Seneca 

Thanks for reading.  I hope you’ve managed to survive and thrive this year and I hope that you’ll stop by in 2011.  I value your support.  Thanks again to those of you who’ve made comments.

Kim

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Finesse Tough Questions Like a Pro

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An important ingredient in the recipe for success in life and business is the ability to effectively resolve objections.  Nothing takes the wind out of your sails faster than getting blindsided by a thorny question about your intentions,  abilities,  products or services.

The silver-tongued devils among us,  being natural planners (OK, schemers),  always anticipate and prepare for the likely push-back that their caper of the moment might receive.  But because they take a few minutes to consider how the other side might react to their idea,  perfectly pitched and expertly crafted answers land like rose petals,  as they have their way again and again.

You’ve gotta  admire those folks.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,  so let’s bestow a silver-tongued compliment and borrow a  few of their tricks,  so we can have our way with a few clients.

Identify the questions and objections that are most likely to be raised.

Organize what you’ve identified into basic  categories.  Your objective is to simplify the process by reducing the amount of preparation you must do and give clarity and focus to your responses.  You will feel more relaxed and in control because it will be easier to remember what to say.

Formulate and rehearse simple,  succinct and rational answers for each category.  Your answers should make sense separately or collectively and nothing can contradict.  In some cases,  your response may not precisely answer the question/objection,  but it must appear to do so (listen to politicians).  Think of one-size-fits-all answers for each category you’ve identified.  Ideally,  you will create a cohesive and convincing narrative that can add additional support to whatever it is you’re trying to advance or sell.

Listen carefully to questions and find the  “trigger”  word that reveals the heart of what  you must convincingly address.  Repeat the question,  to ensure that you’ve understood it and to give yourself time to reach into the right  “bucket”  and pull out a well-designed and rehearsed answer.

Project confidence as you look the questioner in the eye and respond with authority (but never defensiveness).  Jury consultants say that much of witness credibility involves body language.  Jurors apparently trust those who give good eye contact,  have good posture and do not fidget and squirm.

Respect the questioner by showing empathy for his/her viewpoint.  When I worked in sales,  I learned the  “feel,  felt,  found”  method and it goes like this: 

I understand how you might feel this way…

Occasionally,  others have also felt this way when initially evaluating…

Here’s what I’ve (or those who’ve successfully used this product) found…

As every silver-tongued devil knows,  questions or objections will eventually arise.  It’s not all bad,  actually.  The opposite of love is not hate,  but indifference.  If your client has an objection to some aspect of your concept or product,  it signals that he/she has paid attention to what you’ve said and is thinking about how your offering compares to what is being done now and if it could better meet the organizations’ needs.  The quality of your response will go a long way in either building or breaking the client’s trust in your brand.

Thanks for reading,

Kim