Finding the fit
How do you know your prospect is the right fit? If you were asked who’s that you serve? What would you reply? Now, the important question: How do you know? AKA what are the criteria you use. How would anyone else who’s not you know?
A strong start
One of the best ways to start strong the new year is focusing on ONE thing. It’s the hard decision to make on what’s urgent and what’s important. It’s the hard decision to make on which is the one thing that needs your focus, so that your business thrives —or at least, starts to. It’s the hard decision to make on what criteria and judgement will lead all your efforts, policies, actions. Here’s to you on 2025. If your business is at the edge, what is the ONE THING that you can not stop or else…
Will you push back?
Challenging your customer means you push them to think different than what they expected. In some sort of way, it’s about killing the deal early. It’s for them to make the business case for you to help. Might sound like this: “Sure. I understand. Would you let me push back on this? —- What about…” If there are red flags at this stage, you’re dodging a bullet. Red flags can look like: Why so many questions? You’re being difficult. Just send me your quote/proposal. Your price is too high. I…
Are you challenging your customers?
Challenging your customers to think bigger/bolder than what they do/expect is the main driver to create greater impact. If you move them from mainly budgeting to creating, the scales shift. You raise the stakes. You raise their rewards. And they way you can price.
Keep it to yourself
When you see something ridiculous in a negotiation with your prospects, keep it to yourself. Not. When you find things that deserve to be dug deeper, keep it to yourself. Not. When you feel that what you do should be priced higher, but it may rise push back, keep it to yourself. Not. When you think your idea might be great, yet someone might steal it, keep it to yourself. Not. You can always speak up. You can always ask. You can. Whenever you think you can or you can’t you’re right.
Kill it early. Kill it soon.
Bad deals. You want them off of your way as soon as possible. That’s why you need to set up criteria for you to work on the project / with the client. And if you choose to go with it, you do it knowing. So that when it’s time (sooner rather than later), you churn. You’re running a business. It’s your responsibility to know and take action into the kind of clients you (want to) work with, while being profitable.
Why so expensive?
“Why so expensive?” When you get that question from a prospect, a few things could have happened. Here are 2: This is the first time they are seeing the price. You’re easily comparable to more things in the market. What do you think are other reasons for them to ask this?
Understanding what they want -> Simpler pricing
Don’t decide for them (your customers) what’s expensive. Let them do the math and thinking. What might be expensive for you might be peanuts for them. The only way to know is by understanding what they want.
Test and Validation
The most productive way to test something is not by making MVPs. Even before that, what you can do is reaching out to customers and ask them. The usual way to do business is: “I’ll build and they’ll come”. What if you just ask first, see if there’s interest (aka traction), and from there build? You might be able to kill quickly the bad ideas. Or look for better ideas to make it more impactful. Just go and test. 🙂
A core definition
Here’s a definition of creativity: It’s the ability to see (opportunity). You seeing that things / subjects / themes / applications from other disciplines can be translated into what you do is you being creative. You seeing different paths in your business, is also creativity. You seeing new/different paths in your practice with your clients, that’s also being creative. Just like originality. 🙂
