One of our local employers was on the front page of the Monadnock Ledger last week regarding a $400,000 settlement with OSHA for worker safety violations. Ouch! They not only have to pay the fines, but they also must take corrective actions & improve the safety of their workplaces for all of their employees. They have agreed to get a full time safety &...
Do you sell time, products or solutions?
Submitted by Debora McLaughlin on Thu 9/29/11 1:31 am
Think about how you tell prospective clients about your offerings. Do you talk about what you do, “we meet weekly, I will do your accounting daily, I will train your team, I will assess your organization and give you feedback?” As one colleague once said “no one likes to talk about “do do.”
A better way to sell your products, time or services is to talk about solutions, that transformation you promise to provide and, get this, because it is important, do this using the internal dialogue of your clients. Internal dialogue is not what you think they say when they describe a problem it is what they say when they are most frustrated, stressed or in the midst of the problem that your product or service can solve. For example the CEO’s/business owners I work with may say “They don’t get it. I’m ready to fire them all” when talking about their people (in the heat of frustration of course.) In turn I might use marketing words such as “Do you feel like your people just don’t get it? Ever feel it might be better to fire them all and start again” Then while I could go into the “do do” conversation, I offer the transformation. “We’ll help you to get your people on board, listening and taking action…”
That is selling the transformation. So what are you really offering these days and how valuable is the gift you have to offer? Unsure, join us in the table talk conversation “Pricing Services” on October 1st at NH Biz Con’s popular event.
Committed to your success!
Debora McLaughlin