1/ Stage out the conversation
One conversation is just that: another conversation.
Land a second, and now youāre being āevaluatedā.
Donāt try to jam through everything in the first convo.
Do just enough to pique their interest and land that second meeting.
2/ Do your homework
If youāre pitching a customer, use their product,
Read about the company and the person youāre talking to.
Ultimately, this proves that you will do the work to make their lives easier.
Itās so powerful yet so easily overlooked.
3/ Ask about the decision making process
Who is required to make a decision like this?
What would you need to see from me to be able to buy?
How long will it take to make a decision?
These questions give you the roadmap on how to close the deal.
4/ Donāt always demo
Sometimes itās habit to jump straight into a demo.
If someone wants to talk first, do that.
This could consume a whole first conversation.
Which gives you a great excuse for that second meeting: going thru the demo.
5/ Donāt stick to the script
If youāre going X direction in a conversation and the customer wants to go Y direction, embrace it.
If youāre using a deck, donāt be afraid to jump around.
This is a good thing; it means the conversation is unfolding organically.
Keep it fluid.
6/ Get commitment to a decision-making timeline
āHey customer,
There are a number of reasons why timing matters, including ability to lock in best possible prices and integration resources.
Is there a reasonable timeframe in which we can mutually agree to come to a decision?ā
7/ Conscious pricing
Pricing can be scary.
The best strategy Iāve found: complete transparency.
If the customer pushes back on pricing,
Explain why your company needs to price the way it does.
8/ Always quid pro quo
If someone wants something outside of the normal bounds,
Ie better pricing, new feature commitments, etc.
Ask for something in return!
Ie Ask the customer to pre-commit to serve as a reference or case study should things go well.
9/ Donāt be dissuaded by no
Persistence pays.
Especially in the early days, Iād often email a customer 5-10 times before receiving replies.
No customer would ever be marked as Lost.
Only āPaused, Try Again Laterā
10/ Try turnarounds
After a customer says no, come back creatively:
New product offerings
New pricing scheme
New ROI calculator
Anything ānewā is a great excuse to re-engage.
And there we have it!
Iām going to be focusing more on practical business building tips going forward.
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LFG š¤