5. Sources of Prospects
REFERRALS
Your web site
Networking
Blog or newsletter
Webinars
Speaking
Directories
LinkedIn
Cold calling
5
6. Finding Prospects
Identify Top 10 prospects in your market
Ask for referrals
Use LinkedIn “Introduction” email
Objective: qualify them and get the
appointment
6
9. Rapport Building Techniques
Smile
State your meeting
objective
Use your client’s name
early and often
Use simple and familiar
words
Make eye contact
Shake hands
Find areas of mutual
interest
Be sensitive to client’s
culture
Show genuine interest
in your client
Be a real person, not a
role.
Break the ice with
laughter.
Be polite and respectful
Have a positive attitude
Avoid politics, religion
or sex
9
10. Research Prospect’s Background
Mission and strategy
Relevant department’s goals and key result areas
Current economic state
Major challenges/obstacles
Organization structure
Names, titles & phone numbers of key stakeholders
Their perceptions of your firm
Most pressing and immediate needs
10
11. Qualifying
Qualifying your prospects means determining if they
are worth pursuing.
Qualified prospects are MAD (Money, Authority,
Desire)
Listening and Probing are key skills in qualifying
11
12. Business Needs and Priorities
Make money/save money
Increase productivity/save time
Avoid Pain: VUCA
Create, enhance or re-engineer the
prospect’s vision
12
13. Emotional Needs
Self
Actualization
Recognition
Growth Opportunities
Inclusion
Roof over head, Food on the table
13
15. Benefits
of Listening to Client Needs
They feel positively disposed towards you.
They will tell you all that you need to know to win
their confidence.
Shows respect and caring
Increases the clients’ expectations that you will
deliver a project that addresses their needs.
Perceived as a gift - of your time and attention
More likely to listen to you.
15
16. Adjust your Attitude and Listen Better
Put yourself in your clients’ shoes
Focus your mind on what the client is saying.
Shut out distractions.
Listen for the whole story
Turn off your own worries
React to ideas … not the people … don’t argue
mentally
Don’t allow your irritation at the client’s social style
to distract you
Don’t jump to conclusions
Check your ego at the door
16
17. Probing for Client Needs
Probe for:
Facts and feelings.
Gain or pain
Verbal and non-verbal communication
Hidden information
Use:
Open probes to get information
Closed probes to gain agreements
Follow-up probes to elaborate or clarify word
choices, jargon, etc.
17
19. Value Proposition
Good value propositions promise to:
Quantify anticipated improvements
State the payback period—the return on
investment (ROI)
Specify how results will be measured and
tracked
19
20. Differentiator
Compare features and benefits of your
approach against those of the competition
What differentiates you from the competition?
Why it is of value to your client.
20
22. Standard Presentation Format
Task Objectives Relationship
Objectives
Introduction Define problem
State meeting
objective as a benefit
Grab their attention
Establish rapport
Body Sell your solution
Key Point #1,
benefits, features,
proof and stories
Keep them engaged
Conclusion Summary Call for Action!
22
24. Elements of a Persuasive Presentation
Collaborate with your client on your presentation.
Open with a tailored value proposition
Differentiate your message
Link client’s business and emotional needs to your
approach/solution
Show benefits of each step in your approach
Show “proof” that your approach works
Use color, visuals, and multi-media
Close with a request for action
Rehearse 7 times
24
25. Managing Objections
1. Listen without getting defensive
2. Probe the objection
3. Confirm it’s the real objection
4. “Feel, Felt, Found”
5. Close
25
26. Buying Signals
Asking for details of installation,
delivery, customer service
Objections
Touching your product/proposal
A change in body language
Shift from “you” to “us”
May occur anytime during the
call
26
27. Gaining Client Agreements
Build up to the big “Yes”
Earn the right to ask the client to agree to
move ahead.
Create a sense of urgency and momentum
Drive presentation to a commitment to next
steps
Respond immediately to Buying Signals
27
28. Summary
Rainmaking is a process of matching Client needs
and your benefits
Qualifying your prospects means determining if they
are worth pursuing.
Qualified prospects are MAD
Rapport building, listening and probing are key skills
in qualifying
Clients buy benefits
Objections are requests for information
Close when you see buying signals
28
29. Contact Information
Dr. John Brennan
Interpersonal Development
Rochester, NY
1-585-230-5765
John@interpersonaldevelopment.com
www.interpersonaldevelopment.com
29
Editor's Notes
Many experts are frustrated with their inability to engage prospective clients in a conversation about their project needs. (See Zintro feedback for examples). The truth is they don't know how. They tend to overwhelm the client with their enthusiasm and information about their product or services. Clients balk at this "hard sell" and back off.
We all want to be “partners” with our clients, not just a supplier.
Each step builds on the others.
Start at Prospecting
Have coffee with referrers regularly.
Nurture them, give them reasons to believe in you
Tell them your latest success story
Exercise; your last ten gigs and the source
Get personal intros thru LinkedIn
Be flexible on the top 10. Listen to what the market tells you
Lee example
I’ve used LinkedIn. If a prospect endorses you, or sends you an invitation to connect or emails you, respond!
Introduce your value prop.
We are looking for select partners to do business with
Are they MAD?
Error; Chasing unqualified hot opportunities instead of building relationships with the ideal client
Example;
You want two new deals a month
10 in the funnel
3 are qualified
Close 2
Benefits
an antidote to the pain of failure
Smooths out the peaks and valleys
Facilitates business planning
Enables you to identify weak spots
Tune in to Task and People
This is the people part
How?
Google
Web site
Press releases
Annual report
LinkedIn
Interview
Waste time if you don’t qualify them
Ask “What can I do to help them?”
Befriend the Gatekeeper (Lee example)
The odds are good that a qualified prospect might buy from you, but the odds are poor that an unqualified prospect will.
“Hi Mr. Prospect my name is John Brennan, Sarah Smith suggested I give you a call. We help companies like yours improve sales results by 20% by developing the skills of your consultants. Do you have a moment to discuss this? “
Open with your value proposition then qualify
You MUST have a differentiator;
Examples:
A seven step approach that ensures quality
A solution that saves $X in operating costs
Research proven system
Ranked #1 by Consulting Matters web site
Help companies Think like a disruptor, act like astart-up (Booz & Company)
Brag about your people.
clients also buy proof
Success stories
Research
Testimonials
Publicity
Across the top task and relationship. Must have both.
Down the side Intro, body and conclusion
Types of Proof
Success stories Challenge, Solution, Results
Research
Testimonials
Media coverage
Expert’s endorsement
Probe Price objection;
Compared to what?
Not in the budget or don’t see the value?
Stop talking
Doesn’t matter if you haven’t finished your presentation
Get your client agreeing with you
You have earned the right, don’t hang back
Assign a task to the client