I've been doing cold calls, walk ins and pitches for my business and it reminds me of the game. These are in no particular order.
1. Look the part. Dress to impress, you don't have to rock a bespoke suit but you do have to be notch or two above to be noticed. You want to fit in but stand out a bit.
2. Confidence. Even over the phone, you have to have it. You have to know that what you have will make things better for your client and that you know you can deliver the goods. People trust a confident man more than a nervous and uncofident one. Fake it if you have to. If you are a shy/socially awkward type (which I can be) go with what you think is arrogant or ****y, it's what other people just consider confidence (within reason of course).
3. Mouth piece/verbal game. You have to be able to think on your feet and know the right things to say and when to say it. Even when you say the wrong things never let your confidence waver when you recover. Better to be boldly wrong than to be right but timid.
4. Take it or leave it attitude. Yes you want the client and you want their business, but there are many clients and you do not have to bend over backwards and lose money just for one sale. Move on to the next if they aren't feeling your pitch. Otherwise you will put yourself in a bad position and end up with a shiitty client who will try to run all over you.
5. Never make promises you don't plan on keeping. Spit your contract firmly with confidence and stick to it. Clients love to try to change the rules once the game is underway, never let them do this without paying for those changes, otherwise you will be broke.
6. Watch what you say, your words are law. Your mental musings are promises. Understand that anything you tell a client will be used against you later. If they ask if something is "possible" be sure to give a detailed answer including how much it will cost. Because if you just ramble on about possibilities, they assume you are going to do these things, and if you don't put a price on them, they assume they will be done for free.
7. Never get comfortable with clients. Even clients you have had for years like to get special treatment and feel appreciated. Yes they are paying you, but they still have feelings and emotions. People like working with people they like and that they know like them back. Just be firm on business and warm with friendship and always keep the two separated in your mind. They found someone to do this service before you and they can find someone after.
8. If it's not working with a client, make a clean break. Wrap up all business with them, walk away and never look back. Reflect on where you went wrong, reflect on the nature of your customer and try to identify the signs that you may have missed. Be prepared for the next time so you don't enter that same situation again or at least be able to deal with it and get what you want out of it.
9. Never ever forget the bottom line. This should be number one. You are here to make money. You are here to get what you need while providing a good or service. You are not a charity, you are not a non profit. You aren't here to make friends, you're here to make money. If everyone can benefit, good. If you don't benefit, bad.
10. Always be prospecting. There are always better clients out there, always keep an eye out for new opportunities and don't be afraid to go after them. If you don't someone else will, it might as well be you who gets the gold.
11. Be busy and never tell clients and prospects too much. People who think you have plenty of time will try to waste it all on their own interests. When they know you are busy, they play less games with your time and your money. Get them interest, get them wanting to know more, get their money, give them a little peek behind the curtain afterwards...but never, ever ever tell them how the sausage is made.
12. No refunds. What's fun is fun, and what's done is done.
13. Be positive. Never bad mouth other clients or other competitors. Have confidence that you are a good match for them and be positive about doing business with them. Even if they say no, that positive vibe will be attached to your name and reputation and you never know, they may come back later because you treated them well in the face of rejection (after all, your here to help, if they reject your pitch, it's there loss. They missed out on a great service.)
14. It's not personal. Especially in the walk-in, cold calling, pitching stage. It's just not personal. They don't know you, they really have no clue that you're awesome. If they reject you before you even get to make a pitch, understand it could be for a variety of reasons, family problems, cash flow problems, a bad day, a fight with a business partner or coworker, or hey they may not like your face. Doesn't matter. If it's after the pitch, take a few minutes to think about how you did, and what you may have done better, but don't blame yourself. It's a numbers game. On to the next one!
15. Learn how to read people/do your research. I look at prospects body language, how they talk. If they are confident or not. How clean their store is. How many customers they have. If they defer to a spouse or partner, how they dress. How they treat their employees, their reputation. How they respond to key words that I say. Who they are friends with and what their hobbies are. The more I can glean about them the better chance I can get as presenting myself as someone they can trust and do business with and the better chance I have of closing a sale. I've changed my speech patterns to match theirs and even used matching tone and body language to make them feel more comfortable around me.
16. Know your market/ know your competition. I know for fact that I'm a middle tier company, but I'm new. I know my competition is well entrenched in the good ole boy network. I know I need to get the clients that are too small for them, or the ones that are fed up with getting less attention from the big boys. I know I need to go after these to get the ball rolling. I'll still try to knock a top notch client, just to see what the defenses and weaknesses are in my competition, and I've snagged 1 or 2 this way, but I can only work within my current set of resources. I spy on my competition, I know their prices, I ask their customers about them, I find out who's happy and who's not and why. I'm adapting to take advantage of their weaknesses. Know your place in the market. Dominate that place until you can move up.
THese are just some random thoughts. I had a string of crappy clients and realized I was breaking most of these rules, I was being a sales AFC, basically begging someone to please buy from me. I had to tighten up my game and be a business owner, not a sad sack salesman. I cut my crap clients and now I'm going after bigger fish. The name may change but the game is the same.
Confidence. Preparation. Charm. Wit. Delivery. Self Interest. Research. Self Awareness. Arm yourself with these tools.
Time to go read some Zig Ziglar and go to bed.
1. Look the part. Dress to impress, you don't have to rock a bespoke suit but you do have to be notch or two above to be noticed. You want to fit in but stand out a bit.
2. Confidence. Even over the phone, you have to have it. You have to know that what you have will make things better for your client and that you know you can deliver the goods. People trust a confident man more than a nervous and uncofident one. Fake it if you have to. If you are a shy/socially awkward type (which I can be) go with what you think is arrogant or ****y, it's what other people just consider confidence (within reason of course).
3. Mouth piece/verbal game. You have to be able to think on your feet and know the right things to say and when to say it. Even when you say the wrong things never let your confidence waver when you recover. Better to be boldly wrong than to be right but timid.
4. Take it or leave it attitude. Yes you want the client and you want their business, but there are many clients and you do not have to bend over backwards and lose money just for one sale. Move on to the next if they aren't feeling your pitch. Otherwise you will put yourself in a bad position and end up with a shiitty client who will try to run all over you.
5. Never make promises you don't plan on keeping. Spit your contract firmly with confidence and stick to it. Clients love to try to change the rules once the game is underway, never let them do this without paying for those changes, otherwise you will be broke.
6. Watch what you say, your words are law. Your mental musings are promises. Understand that anything you tell a client will be used against you later. If they ask if something is "possible" be sure to give a detailed answer including how much it will cost. Because if you just ramble on about possibilities, they assume you are going to do these things, and if you don't put a price on them, they assume they will be done for free.
7. Never get comfortable with clients. Even clients you have had for years like to get special treatment and feel appreciated. Yes they are paying you, but they still have feelings and emotions. People like working with people they like and that they know like them back. Just be firm on business and warm with friendship and always keep the two separated in your mind. They found someone to do this service before you and they can find someone after.
8. If it's not working with a client, make a clean break. Wrap up all business with them, walk away and never look back. Reflect on where you went wrong, reflect on the nature of your customer and try to identify the signs that you may have missed. Be prepared for the next time so you don't enter that same situation again or at least be able to deal with it and get what you want out of it.
9. Never ever forget the bottom line. This should be number one. You are here to make money. You are here to get what you need while providing a good or service. You are not a charity, you are not a non profit. You aren't here to make friends, you're here to make money. If everyone can benefit, good. If you don't benefit, bad.
10. Always be prospecting. There are always better clients out there, always keep an eye out for new opportunities and don't be afraid to go after them. If you don't someone else will, it might as well be you who gets the gold.
11. Be busy and never tell clients and prospects too much. People who think you have plenty of time will try to waste it all on their own interests. When they know you are busy, they play less games with your time and your money. Get them interest, get them wanting to know more, get their money, give them a little peek behind the curtain afterwards...but never, ever ever tell them how the sausage is made.
12. No refunds. What's fun is fun, and what's done is done.
13. Be positive. Never bad mouth other clients or other competitors. Have confidence that you are a good match for them and be positive about doing business with them. Even if they say no, that positive vibe will be attached to your name and reputation and you never know, they may come back later because you treated them well in the face of rejection (after all, your here to help, if they reject your pitch, it's there loss. They missed out on a great service.)
14. It's not personal. Especially in the walk-in, cold calling, pitching stage. It's just not personal. They don't know you, they really have no clue that you're awesome. If they reject you before you even get to make a pitch, understand it could be for a variety of reasons, family problems, cash flow problems, a bad day, a fight with a business partner or coworker, or hey they may not like your face. Doesn't matter. If it's after the pitch, take a few minutes to think about how you did, and what you may have done better, but don't blame yourself. It's a numbers game. On to the next one!
15. Learn how to read people/do your research. I look at prospects body language, how they talk. If they are confident or not. How clean their store is. How many customers they have. If they defer to a spouse or partner, how they dress. How they treat their employees, their reputation. How they respond to key words that I say. Who they are friends with and what their hobbies are. The more I can glean about them the better chance I can get as presenting myself as someone they can trust and do business with and the better chance I have of closing a sale. I've changed my speech patterns to match theirs and even used matching tone and body language to make them feel more comfortable around me.
16. Know your market/ know your competition. I know for fact that I'm a middle tier company, but I'm new. I know my competition is well entrenched in the good ole boy network. I know I need to get the clients that are too small for them, or the ones that are fed up with getting less attention from the big boys. I know I need to go after these to get the ball rolling. I'll still try to knock a top notch client, just to see what the defenses and weaknesses are in my competition, and I've snagged 1 or 2 this way, but I can only work within my current set of resources. I spy on my competition, I know their prices, I ask their customers about them, I find out who's happy and who's not and why. I'm adapting to take advantage of their weaknesses. Know your place in the market. Dominate that place until you can move up.
THese are just some random thoughts. I had a string of crappy clients and realized I was breaking most of these rules, I was being a sales AFC, basically begging someone to please buy from me. I had to tighten up my game and be a business owner, not a sad sack salesman. I cut my crap clients and now I'm going after bigger fish. The name may change but the game is the same.
Confidence. Preparation. Charm. Wit. Delivery. Self Interest. Research. Self Awareness. Arm yourself with these tools.
Time to go read some Zig Ziglar and go to bed.