To Get More Business Go For Singles, Not Homers

When wooing Ms. Prospect, you may be tempted to “swing for the fences” and propose a huge project. With a large project, you can solve all her problems. And then there’s the big fat fee you proposed.

Don’t do it. You’ll strike out.

Instead, start with a small project. Just get on base.

Once you’ve proven yourself, you can go for doubles and triples. Eventually, you’ll cross home plate.

Big Projects = Big Problems

A big project poses several problems:

• Most prospects have Occupational A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder). They’re totally frazzled. They can’t deal with more complexity.
• If Ms. Prospect is already getting similar services to yours (or thinks she is), you’ve got competition. That means displacing an “incumbent” (vendor or internal staff). And that’s one more headache she doesn’t need.
• If Ms. Prospect is unfamiliar with your services, a big project represents a professional risk to her and a financial risk to her company. No thank you, she says.
• Big projects often require multiple levels of approval. The decision making process can be painfully slow.

As Jill Konrath points out in Ease Your Prospects’ Decision Making and Win More Sales

“That’s why it’s imperative for you and your company to ask these questions all the time:

• At which point do our prospects tip into overwhelm?
• What are the complexities that grind decisions to a halt?
• How can we reduce the ease and effort needed to make a decision?
• In what ways can we minimize decision-making risk?”

 

Diagnose. Don’t Prescribe. ….And Don’t Overwhelm

Your first priority is to avoid overwhelming Ms. Prospect. As I argue in Stop Talking. You’ll Get More Business, don’t offer a “solution” until you understand her problem.

In your initial discussion with Ms. Prospect, diagnose, but don’t prescribe. Learn about her problems and find one problem (and I mean only one) that you can address with a small project.

Once Ms. P. and you agree on a problem you might solve, resist the temptation to immediately prescribe. Think it over and get back to her.

Jill Konrath writing this time in  Are You Scaring Your Prospects Away? comments

“So what do you need to do? As soon as your prospect mentions an issue, lean back. This prevents you from being overcome with diarrhea of the mouth and keeps you in a consultative mode. Then ask questions. Lots of them.

Find out why it’s a problem. Ask your prospect to expand on the issues. Learn how they’ve tried to address it already. Explore the impact it’s having on their operation. Discover the value of a solution.

Then, take what you’ve learned under advisement, and leave. Before you go, set up a follow-up meeting to either learn more about their situation, or present your ideas.”

Keep it Simple

Once you’ve completed the diagnosis, propose a small project that:

• Addresses a defined problem quickly
• Has a clearly defined deliverable, timeline, and budget
• Is relatively inexpensive (to avoid decision making paralysis)
• Supplements but does not duplicate work performed by others

Below are examples of small, low risk “base hit” projects that can get you started. The “Home Run” would be a much larger project or an ongoing series of projects.  That comes only after a few successful base hits.

Be patient. Resist the temptation to propose home run projects prematurely.

Firm	Base Hit	Home Run
Accounting	Prepare Audited Financials	All Tax & Accounting Work
Organizational Development	Coach one exec	Coach entire team
Outsourced HR	Develop Job Descriptions	Manage HR Function
Marketing	Create a brochure	Produce all materials
Sales Training	Train two salespeople	Train Sales Force
Strategy	Develop Market Analysis	Create Strategic Plan

 

As Jill writes in “Ease your Prospects:”

‘So, even if you have a big idea, be realistic with your prospects. Talk about starting small. Show them how you can get started, demonstrate your success, and build from there. For example, you could:

• Propose an initial assessment to understand the scope of the problem.
• Tackle a small problem where you could demonstrate immediate short-term results.
• Focus on bringing in just one of your services or solutions.
• Suggest a change in only one of the departments or a single facility.

IT seller P. V. Bhaskar frequently proposes pilot projects to his clients. With a 90% conversion rate, they’ve become his secret weapon to simplify the decision-making process. “

 

Co-opt the Competition

Don’t try to duplicate (or replace) the services already provided by a vendor or company staff. That’s a real loser.

Ms. Prospect is loyal to her service providers (both internal and external). And she certainly doesn’t want the friction that competitive services would create.

Co-opt your internal external and internal competitors by proposing a project that supplements their work and, ideally, makes their lives easier.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re a HR consultant. Your target market is mid-sized businesses that don’t have – and don’t need — a full time HR director.

 You’d really like to be Company X’s outsourced HR director. Currently, at Company X, the office manager is handling the HR function, along with many other functions. She’s overwhelmed.

Your challenge is to propose a project to the business owner that will not displace the office manager but allow her to do her job more effectively. You offer to write an employee manual (which the company desperately needs and the office manager can’t handle).

The result is a win-win. A necessary project is completed. The office manager can focus where she is more effective. You get a foot in the door, and you’ve paved the way for more projects.