What To Do With a Prospect You Wouldn’t Wish on Anyone?

Sometimes the prospective client you are speaking with is just not pleasant and is definitely someone you don’t want to work with.  The more you speak with this person, the more you know that your personalities are not a match for one another.  Also, you’ve further decided this is someone you would not to refer to anyone! 

When this is the case, you will need to firmly but graciously inform the prospect that you are not the right firm for their needs and you don’t know of anyone who can help them at this time.  Here’s a simple script I’ve used on more than one occasion.   

“[Name] from what you are describing it does not appear that our firms are a fit for working with one another and right now I’m not sure that I know of anyone directly that is.  What I would suggest is that you contact the chamber of commerce in your town.  Even if you’re not a member, they will usually provide you with a reference to someone who is in their member directory.  I appreciate your taking the time today to tell me about your business and its needs and I wish you the best of luck.”

Use this script even if your company does provide the services that they are looking for. 

Remember if your intuition is giving you anything but a green light, listen to it!  Be firm and hold your ground.  The prospective client will get the message.

Want to know more?  Click here to learn more about my 8-step easy-to-use and easy-to-implement process on How to Qualify a Prospect & Work With Clients You Love!

“Marketing and Selling without slime…the secret to success with these sister functions”

Recently, I told you that your primary job wasn’t doing bookkeeping, it was MARKETING.

Well, that’s not the whole story. You also need to spend a fair amount of time closing…or selling.

Marketing and Selling go hand in hand. They are sister functions – kind of like Siamese twins. After all, the goal of your marketing is ultimately to sell your services.

Sure, there are different purposes to your marketing at different times…like building your list, educating your clients and creating awareness of your product or service, and there are multiple and varied avenues through which you can deliver your service – articles, blog posts, Twitter, Facebook, press releases, video…and the list could go on.

BUT, no matter the marketing tool, the end goal is to sell your product – and done right, create long-term clients. (It’s much easier to keep a client than it is to get a new one. Client Acquisition can be costly.)

Marketing is just one step in a multi-step cycle that should lead to s-a-l-e-s.

Now, now, now…don’t panic…when you understand what sales and marketing are REALLY about, you can feel GOOD about sales. When you know this secret, you can stop hiding and really put yourself, your business and services out there.

The SECRET to marketing and selling without slime is simple: Solve Problems and Create Results for people.

If you do these two things, then the slime factor disappears.

Your service becomes about…well, service.

You’re not trying to swindle people, trick them or take advantage of them…you could even say that if you have solutions for people’s problems, then you are OBLIGATED to “get the word out”.

The good news is that if you are solving people’s problems and creating results for them, then those people will sell themselves!

3 Steps to Solving Client Problems and Selling without Slime:

1. Prospect/Market – let people know you’re there through all those marketing channels mentioned above. Talk to people and find out what their problems are and how you can help them. Take the position of a trusted advisor. Listen to their problems – and if you aren’t the one who can best solve their problems, then say so…and if you can, refer them to some people who can. The word will get around that you are trustworthy and that goes a long way in marketing and sales.

2. Present your service packages or product– Repeat your client’s problems to them and show them how you can help. Let them know the benefits of your service. Tell them what your service will do for them…and don’t just list the features. Tell them a story…how will it FEEL to have that problem solved.

3. Close – There are many different ways to “close the sale”. (This could be its own topic.) Closing is where most people “lose the sale”…either they don’t want to ask for the sale, or they’re afraid of offending the client. What you need to remember is that you need not force the situation. Done properly, the client understands that you can solve his problem and sells himself. The client WANTS to buy from you at this point. You should also keep in mind that “it’s not about you”! This is about how you and your service can help the client.

When you approach marketing from the perspective of solving people’s problems and creating results for them, you never have to feel guilty, sleazy or slimy again.

Remember: Your business is about helping clients with a need or problem. NOT marketing and NOT selling is actually doing people a disservice.

Plus, you’ll stand out from the crowd as a trusted advisor who knows how to make their pain and problems disappear. (That’s a great position to be in…and it makes both marketing and sales much easier!)