The Client Letter
May 3, 2013
The Northland
Cloudy 34 Degrees
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Today I want to give you a single question you can use to escape the “vendor” trap that so many service providers fall into when speaking with prospects.
The “vendor” trap is when your actions cause you to be treated like a vendor and not a professional.
Generally speaking, prospects look at you and see someone who “does” the action you provide. So if you’re a web designer, they look at you and see a web designer.
It’s up to you to change that perception. Because until you do, you’ll be treated (and paid) just like everyone else.
The good news is that you can do it with a single question. (As you might know, I think being able to ask smart questions is extremely underrated.)
So let’s say you are a graphic designer who specializes in creating marketing collateral for businesses.
A prospective client walks up to you and says, “I’d like you to design this brochure for our new product launch. How much will that be and when can you have it done?”
This is the point where you have an opportunity. You can either act like a vendor or you can put on the hat of a true professional who is focused on outcomes not just inputs.
Most designers (vendors) would give the prospect what they wanted. They’d answer the question.
But here’s a way to set yourself apart instantly.
Instead of taking the order, ask your prospect something like this:
“Thank you for contacting me Mr. Prospect. It sounds like you are very excited about making your upcoming launch a success. So I just have one question. Can you talk to me about what makes you think that a brochure like this is going to be the best decision for a new product launch?”
And with that simple flip, you now have escaped. You are the professional and you are aiming your expertise at the goal of the client, NOT simply delivering up an order.
Now the client has to truly think about things. You have questioned what he thought was true because this is your area of expertise. And you have opened the door to taking him where he should go instead of where he thought he should go.
If you don’t want to be treated like a vendor, you have to stop acting like one. And this simple technique is an effective way to do it.