The Competitive Advantage

June 25, 2019

Don’t sell to companies that can’t buy from you. Qualify your sales leads first.

Have you ever gotten deep into a sales conversation with a potential buyer – maybe even over the course of weeks or months – only to find out that they will never become a buyer? That your firm is just not the right fit with what they really need… or that they can’t afford your services?

Scenarios like that – which happen all too often – are incredibly frustrating. And a colossal waste of time!

So, what can you do? You need to qualify your sales prospects before moving forward. Here’s how…

June 18, 2019

Why you “hate selling”… and what you can do about it.

“I hate selling!” It’s one of those phrases I hear often from seller-doers in our industry – the independent consultants, small business owners and senior executives at larger firms who have “sales” as a part of their job description, but don’t really want to be doing it.

But why is that? Why do so many non-salespeople hate selling? Their reason for the disdain of sales can likely be traced back to one (or more) of the following…

June 11, 2019

All Clients Are Important, But Large Clients Matter More.

We like to think that all clients are important… and they are. Our goal is to do good work for all clients and deliver a high level of service to each of them… and we strive for that every day.

But the fact is… your large clients are more important than your small clients!

June 3, 2019

Building Your Personal Reputation

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about how the clients of small businesses aren’t just buying the products or services of that business, they’re buying the owner of that business, too.

If you believe in that premise, then, as a small business owner (or senior leader), you need to understand that your ‘reputation’ is a critical component in the success of your firm.

In this post, we’ll outline several different ways to help build your reputation and position yourself as someone that potential buyers will want to do business with.

May 27, 2019

Does your sales presentation begin with…

… an ‘About Us’ section?

You know, those 3-4 (or more) PowerPoint slides about your firm – all of the great services you provide and your incredible staff back at the office. Most sales decks do. But here’s the problem with that…

The potential buyers listening to your sales presentation DON’T CARE!!

Sorry to spring it on you like that… but they really don’t! Those bleary-eyed prospects sitting around the conference table don’t care because they already know about you firm. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t be at the table in the first place.

So, skip the self-congratulatory platitudes and use your time at the head of the table to answer the one question everyone in the room is asking…

May 22, 2019

What YOU think doesn’t really matter…

… it only matters what your clients & prospects think.

I recently stumbled across an online article from the Harvard Business Review, and though it’s several years old, its message is as true today as it ever was… maybe more so:

“Most companies are the centers of their own universes. It’s a natural enough impression; after all, the products and services they offer are on their minds 24/7. The trap is in those companies deluding themselves into thinking that they are as important to their customers as they are to themselves. This is almost never the case. This delusion interferes with understanding customers and their needs, and frequently leads companies to talk to customers in ways that seem foreign or confusing.”

The author sure hit the nail on the head with that one… that myopic perspective – that so many business leaders have – has been the cause of more business failures than virtually any other issue.

May 5, 2019

As a Small Business Owner, Your Clients are Buying YOU!

Like me, many of you are small business owners… proud of what you’ve built and of what you’re doing. But the fact is, regardless of how slick your technology, how well constructed your processes or how professional your [small] team… your clients are buying YOU! They know the risks of doing business with a small firm (remember “No one ever got fired for hiring IBM!”?)… but they’re willing to take a chance. Why? Because of you.

April 30, 2019

Losing clients? Here’s what to do when that happens…

Admit it… you’re losing clients occasionally. Not a happy topic, but it happens to all of us. The question is ‘why?’

On the surface, there are any number of reasons:

• You screwed up a project… it hurts, but sometimes it happens.
• You pi**ed-off a key client contact… not intentionally, but communications can go awry.
• There was a massive change in the client’s business… e.g. they restructured the division you were working with, they were acquired or maybe they even closed their doors for good.
• One of your competitors showed up with a “shiny new penny”… a new methodology or a new technology that had a ‘wow’ factor.
• A new ‘leader’ was hired at the client, bringing his/her own favorite vendors along.
• The project ended. Not all client work can be recurring or happen on a frequent basis.

Every one of those reasons is real and legitimate, but none are the most common.