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| Information Technology Consultants and Professionals: How to
Avoid Being Seen as Just Another Salesp |
By:
Andrew Neitlich |
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Here are tips for information technology professionals to meet
with prospects without being seen as an annoying salesperson:
1. Don't make cold calls. An unsolicited phone call is the
easiest tip-off to a prospect that you are a salesperson. How do
you react when strangers call you by phone? Instead, develop an
information- and trust-based marketing plan that influences
prospects to CALL YOU. You do this by offering educational,
valuable information that helps your target market address key
problems and opportunities related to your area of expertise.
You offer this information in any number of ways: seminars, your
web site, newsletters, audio programs, videos, articles, and
publications.
2. Only give your business card to a prospect if asked.
Otherwise, you will be perceived as somebody with something to
sell.
3. For business prospects, do research prior to any meeting.
Learn everything you can about the prospect's organization and
situation.
4. Consider getting videotaped to see how you really come across
in meetings. I have videotaped a number of IT professionals in
mock prospect meetings, and the experience is almost always
illuminating!
5. Make sure that during meetings with prospects, 75% of your
sentences are questions. Ask questions to understand the
prospect's situation, what it is costing him or her, how long
they have had the problem, what else they have tried, what will
happen if they don't do anything, and numerous other questions
to help you thoroughly understand the issues.
6. Listen closely, with your undivided attention. Turn off your
cell phone and pager, and eliminate any interruptions.
Otherwise, you give your prospect the impression that they are
not important now, and will not be important if they hire you.
7. Try to adapt your style to the prospect's style in order to
build rapport and make them feel comfortable. Sense their mood,
how fast or slow they talk, whether they focus on business or
technical issues, and their body language.
8. Make eye contact. Don't look down, or at other things in the
room.
9. Empathize by stepping into the prospect's shoes. Nothing is
more powerful than to be able to reflect back the prospect's
frustration with his or her problem. Similarly, instead of
saying, "Here is what you should do…." say, "If I were in your
shoes, I would…"
10. Focus on specific business results, not technology. Your
prospect wants a result that will help his or her situation.
Technology is a means to that end. If you focus on the result
the prospect wants to achieve, then you can have an open and
honest discussion about whether you can get that result.
11. Do not make the prospect feel stupid. For instance, if the
client is not tech-savvy, don't use jargon. One client of mine
developed an IT glossary to give to prospects, which was a great
way to make them feel comfortable.
12. Once you understand the client's situation, offer your
experience of the problem, suggest solutions, and show how you
have helped others in similar situations before. Try to create a
sense of urgency by explaining what it will cost the client if
they don't act quickly. Do all of this in a way that educates
and informs the client, without any gimmicks or tricks.
13. Make a business case to persuade the prospect to hire you.
One consulting firm I worked with guaranteed clients a tenfold
return on their fees. Show the client how much they can save or
earn by hiring you. Show the client the risks of doing nothing,
compared to the benefits of hiring you.
14. Invite questions, and answer them professionally, without
getting defensive. Don't argue with the client about the
question or concern. Tell them their point is a good one, and
answer by providing the truth. Prospects will ALWAYS ask
questions, sometimes to object but more often just because they
are making a big decision and want to be completely sure that
they are making the right choice. They may need you to repeat a
point they didn't understand earlier, or they may simply need to
hear what you had to say again for reassurance.
15. Show the prospect that you are completely committed to his
or her success, and that you really want to be hired. Create a
sense of team by explaining what "we" can do together. Listen
closely. Empathize. Give examples of others you have helped.
Tell the prospect that you want to work with him or her. Your
enthusiasm might be infectious.
16. Don't use fancy sales closing techniques. Any sales training
course you take (except mine) teach gimmicky formulas like the
"double reverse close" or the "ABC three-step close." Your
clients are too savvy for this garbage. If you use these
techniques, they will immediately recognize you as an
inauthentic, untrustworthy hawker of questionable services and
products. Instead, let the prospect make up his or her own mind
about what to do. For instance, don't ask the client, "When
should we start?" or "As you can see, I can solve your problem;
just sign this contract." Instead, put the decision in their
hands by saying, "From the information I've provided, I
sincerely hope that you understand the importance of acting now."
17. Don't accept a sale unless you can deliver, want to do the
work, and the work will advance your business. Closing a bad
deal for the sake of a deal is a recipe for disaster. I worked
with a client who won a contract with a major metropolitan
county health system. My client knew that the county was highly
political, and that the project would stretch every resource he
had in his small firm. But he was blinded by the size of the
contract. Within three months, the county made the client the
scapegoat for all of their problems, and his firm's name was
posted in all the local papers. Six months later, he had to lay
off half his staff because he had no work. Be willing to say
"no."
18. Follow up. If the prospect hires you, thank him or her and
provide reassurance that they made an excellent decision. Send a
thank you note soon after. If the prospect doesn't hire you,
politely remind him or her of the potential costs of not moving
forward quickly, suggest rapid action, and let him or her know
that you are always available for additional questions or advice.
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