In this note, we are going to talk about how to get the client’s Yes. What theme!
A few years ago I worked with a client named Carola. She and her partner had developed a coaching company based on theatrical improvisation and games to teach teamwork and communication skills in companies. At that time it was something new, very interactive, and quite effective.
Carola had previously been a human resources director at a San Francisco company, and many of her potential clients were human resources directors at other companies in the city, giving her a certain advantage.
We put together a complete package of marketing materials and Carola had no problem contacting potential clients and setting up meetings to tell them about her services.
In those meetings, she was very well received and most were very interested in what she offered.
A few weeks after contacting several potential clients, Carola called me and said: “Robert, the clients show a lot of interest, but in the end no one hires me. What should I do ?”
So I gave him the advice that catapulted his business to success.
I just told him:
“WHAT YOU ARE OFFERING IS DIFFERENT AND IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THESE HR MANAGERS. BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE VALUE TO THEIR MANAGERS. CALL THEM BACK AND TELL THEM YOU’D LIKE TO GIVE THEM A FREE DEMO.”
She immediately got on the phone and began booking various sample workouts. And then the results began to arrive. Every company where she gave an introduction ultimately bought her services. And her company continued with great success.
You too can do the same. You can offer your potential customers to try your services (even easier with products) and experience your services. And this is very important if your services are unique and different.
You don’t need to offer introductory training but you do need to find something you can offer that will get your clients involved and want to work with you.
Sometimes it will be a meeting with you, an online demonstration seminar, and other times an interactive demonstration of your services.
Either way, you have to make an offer that is hard to refuse because the client finds it so valuable.
10 Criteria Your Offer Must Meet For Clients To Accept It:
Table of Contents
#1. The offer must be made to the correct person/company. It is a waste of time to have a meeting with someone who, although interested, cannot afford your services.
#2. The offer must be appropriate for your customers. That depends on the type of client you have and your offer. What works well for one company may not work for another.
#3. The offer must be simple and clear. Don’t succumb to the temptation to create a 100-slide PowerPoint. What you have to do is convey a few ideas in a powerful way.
#4. The offer must be tempting for the potential client to want to take advantage of it. It could be a meeting or presentation in your potential client’s office, but probably not in a forest on top of a mountain (like where I live).
#5. The offer should not take too long for the potential client. You’ll be more likely to take advantage of the offer if it takes an hour or two, rather than a day or two. The offer must be seen as valuable in itself. Ultimately, your offer is a form of sales conversation, but you should strive to educate and inform in an engaging and thought-provoking way.
#6. The offer must address pain or aspiration. Your customers are trying to solve a problem or achieve a goal, so make sure your offer targets people directly.
#7. The offer should lead to greater clarity. By the end of the conversation or meeting, the prospect should have a pretty good idea of what you can do and how you can help them.
#8. The offer must build the confidence of the potential customer. Your presentation may be unorthodox, but it shouldn’t be obscure or confusing. The offer should have a name – eg. “Marketing Strategy Session”. Don’t just say, “Let’s meet up and talk.” No, you have to make this something more special and tangible.
#9. The offer must be delivered professionally. Arrive on time and have materials ready. But the real success comes from several trials. Lack of preparation is the deal killer.
#10. The offer must convince the potential customer to take action. Ultimately at the end of the meeting or presentation, you should be clear about what you want to achieve and be prepared to ask the client to take the next step.
Planning The Launch Of The Offer
When Carola presented her offer to give an introductory case to her potential clients, she followed all these criteria. She entered prepared to present a demo that would arouse the interest of the audience. Her HR clients knew what to expect and invited several company managers to attend.
Carola related improvisational games and exercises to real business problems and demonstrated the difference it could make by making learning fun. After the introductions, she followed up and submitted proposals, which ultimately led to several companies hiring her.
Where To Start
You should start by asking yourself what you could offer that would make a big impact and impression on your potential clients and then target your marketing efforts to get those meetings/demos.
This Is Often The Missing Step In The Marketing Process.
We may contact a certain number of people who could benefit from our services; we send them information and talk about the possibilities but then we wonder why nothing is happening.
But We Fail To Give Them An Experience Of What We Do
In my case, I have been very successful with my Mastering Marketing program by offering a complimentary seminar that gives people a clear idea of what it would be like to be in the program, and how they benefit. It is even complemented by a video session with former clients so that they can share the results they obtained.
What experience are you going to offer your clients? If you follow the criteria outlined in this note, you can expect to be as successful as Carola and others.
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