Today was a telling day.
2 lessons.
First, “Being There Really IS Important!”
Second, “Keeping In Touch Really IS Important”
Allow me to explain.
Last fall we had our home stained. As part of the work, we had a lot of our trim replaced. But, not all of it. In fact, not even most of it.
We told the contractor, “Let’s do the rest in the spring”. He agreed. Read more
I recently had the joy (I’m not kidding!) of spending time with a young mom and her 3 year old daughter. Mom was a prospective client. The daughter was not.
During our meeting, the little girl was as inquisitive as little minds are want to be. She was constantly asking, “Why?”.
“Why did you wear THAT dress today, Momma?”
“Why are we in THIS restaurant, Momma?”
“why are we meeting THIS man, Momma?”
You get the idea. Non-stop questions. All to find MEANING. All to help her MAKE SENSE of the choices her mother had made.
Prospects are a lot like that, too. They want to understand ‘WHY’ they should do things—including doing business with you!
Are you giving them a clear, coherent and compelling message as an answer?
Is that ‘answer’ reflected in EVERY touch-point a prospective client might have with you and your business—and remember, often times what you DO (behavior) speaks so loudly a prospect isn’t listening what you SAY (rhetoric) in your pretty marketing materials.
If not, it’s time to think about how you can. And then, DO something about it.
Just a thought… to help you stand-out from the crowd so no one has to ask, “Why you?”. They’ll know. And you’ll both be better for it.
I just spoke with a client who has suffered a loss… of confidence and credibility in a vendor. Who, by the way, is also a client.
As a business adviser, clients often ask for a referral to another vendor.
For whatever reason, the vendor I introduced to my client, when asked a question, gave an incorrect answer.
Unfortunately, the vendor didn’t say, “I don’t know”. As a result, the prospect now thinks this vendor is someone who can’t be trusted.
And, by association, I’ve been dragged into question for having made the referral to someone who would say ‘anything’ vs. “I don’t know”.
There’s been a serious loss of credibility. For everyone. It could’ve been avoided. If someone had the guts to admit they don’t know something.
The lesson:
Pride goes before the fall… from grace. Learn to embrace your limitations. Acknowledge your ignorance. It will build your credibility and… your revenues, too!
BILL DOERR, CCO860-798-6964