The Client Letter
August 16, 2012
Sedona, Arizona
Sunny 76 Degrees
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Q&A session starts at 9AM PST. Don’t miss it. Here’s the link.
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I started training in a Filipino martial art a few weeks ago. What strikes me most about it so far is how little strength is required to control the outcome of an engagement.
You don’t have to be able to bench press 800 pounds or scale a tall building in a single bound, you simply have to understand angles and energy flow.
Selling your services to a client is really no different.
Some people choose to go in there, guns ablazin’, talking about nothing other than what they can do for their prospective client.
That’s just not a smart move in my opinion.
An approach like that requires a lot of your own energy and it puts you at a distinct disadvantage, because it’s 100% clear that you need/want something from your prospect.
The smarter way is to make fewer motions, to use the energy of your prospect to fuel the discussion.
You talk less, yet you are in control more.
The general flow of things might go something like…
YOU: So tell me about what’s going on…
PROSPECT: Yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, etc. etc. etc.
YOU: What do you think those issues are costing you?
PROSPECT: Yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, more yada, yada, more blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, even more yada, yada, even more blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, etc. etc. etc.
YOU: Tell me more about that…
PROSPECT: Yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, more yada, yada, more blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, even more yada, yada, even more blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, etc. etc. etc.
YOU: What solutions have you tried?
PROSPECT: Yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, more yada, yada, more blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, even more yada, yada, even more blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, etc. etc. etc.
YOU: What do you feel is the best course of action here?
PROSPECT: Yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, more yada, yada, more blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, even more yada, yada, even more blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, etc. etc. etc.
YOU: What makes you so sure that’s the right way to proceed?
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Do you see how you say very little? Do you notice anything else about what phrases are coming from you? They are all questions. They are all brief. They all allow maximum time for you to listen. That is not how YOU sell, that’s how you enable the client to sell himself.
If you want to sell more, at higher prices, stop talking and start listening. Maneuver the conversation with small gentle movements. It’s an art. You have to practice. But it’s worth it. If you’re serious about it, this might help.