Prospects goals
You should not know your prospects’ goals. But understand them. And know how to get them closer to those goals. Sometimes, the goals that are on the surface are just intuitive responses to symptoms. And most times, this self-diagnose is not the right one.
Product-Market Fit
Stop looking for it. Because if you fit in, you can’t stand out. And when you don’t stand out, all they compare you on… is (the lowest) price.
Times to pause
Enjoy your holidays. Unplug. Be with your fam. Make a pause. Recharge. That’s what you could use this time at the end of the year for. Whatever you do, you got this. Now and next year.
What’s your hourly rate?
That’s a question that comes up in most of the projects you’ll want to work on. What do you answer to that?
Bringing problems to your clients
I’ve never heard of a business that says “We bring problems to our clients”. Have you? In that same spirit, it feels obvious to say “We bring solutions to our clients”. Assuming you’re reaching out to them, you’d want to find out if they have challenges they can overcome. And that transformation… would it be a problem? Assuming they reach out to you, they come for you to help them with something. So… would that also be framed as a problem? If you’re using “solutions” in your business,…
Can I con you?
That’d be a weird way to start a conversation. If you get to think of it, asking “Can I be honest with you?” sounds just as weird. Because, if you get to ask that question, your counterparty will think “So you weren’t being honest up till now?” It also implies to yourself that you’re holding things up “waiting for the right moment”… which is quite probable to never arrive. Blair Enns takes this approach of “Kind ruthlessness”. You keep the behavior of saying what you think —being ruthless…
De-scaling
Does de-scaling mean you get to make less? To be less profitable? To get less revenue? To sell less? What are your thoughts on it?
Grow grow grow
Your job is not to grow the business. Unlike what most people think and say, not everything is about growth. In fact, if you’re in an expertise-based business, scaling up might even hurt you more than help you. Your job is not even to make the business “sustainable”. Your job is to make the business right. Right for yourself. Right for your customers. Right for what they need. Right for the planet. And it’s not always about “growth”. One of the few things that grows for the sake of growth,…
What if —the other take
Friend of the list and fellow emailer, Genevieve Hayes replied to the What If email with a great opposite take to constraints. “I think the other interesting exercise is asking yourself “what if everything was perfect and there were no constraints”? I find that thought exercise helpful in working out what to cut from my life (i.e. things ! still don’t want to do even under the best of circumstances).” What’s the position you take so that you can come up with new things? What would you need to…
Don’t convince them
Give them the right information to make the best decision. An informed decision brings them peace of mind, sets the right expectations and removes buyer’s remorse. If you convince them and something doesn’t go right, they’ll ask themselves “Why did I actually hire you for?” And you know what else? To convince means you need them to change what they want. And if you’re taking that road, you’re not seeing from high enough. 🙂
