Over-efforting
Have you gotten to this stage/situation where you know the prospect might not be the right fit or you know (or see the signs) they’re price shopping and yet, you go and do the work to convince them? Just going into this over-effort. All of that IN HOPES of them asking you for the price (that you know they most likely say no to)? Been there. Done that. What if, instead of approaching it like a pitch, you actually look for the no? Not in a way of tricking them into closing them. Not in a way…
The bright side of the force
That’s you showing up to serve your customers. Serving them can take many forms: You doing work for them. Advising. Coaching. And telling them “No, I’m not the best one for your situation”. So you refer them to someone who could be. This last point is (the) one that makes you stand out. And how they’ll remember you. Not for the work —who remembers what specific work you did 15 years ago? But for how you helped them. It comes from the clarity of knowing who you can help best, how they can get…
In long days
Today was a long day. So this is your reminder that: When you’re extenuated. Mentally depleted. Needing a break Or just had “one of those days” You can always say no to things, make a pause, and recharge. Taking care of yourself lets you take care of the others. I’m here.
Everything is a negotiation
That’s how Chris Voss describes life —and the content of his book Never Split the Difference. While the principles are helpful, how it’s framed (in an overall, high-altitude view) tends to direct the conversations you’re supposed to have into a win. It’s seen as a ser of finite games. A hostage v. a victim. And that’s NOT how life works. When you choose to follow this “I need to win” mindset, you’re not quite giving others the option to say no. You’re fighting objections to get a final yes….
You’re looking for no.
One thing that comes up constantly in owners, founders, soloists and —really, anyone doing sales, is looking for the sale. How to close the deal. How to “get them to yes”. Here’s what happens. It puts unneeded pressure on something that could happen naturally. This is the moment selling becomes: All about your brand (spoiler: we don’t care [at all] about your brand. We care about our problems). All about presenting. All about convincing. All about the sleazy used-cars salesmen techniques we…
Weirdness
Friend-of-the-list and fellow emailer, Kevin Whelan from How To Sell Advice, wrote this piece about your weirdness finding the right fit to your prospects. This part stood out: “You want people to find you and go, “Wow, your business is weirdly designed exactly for my business“. […] To be the better fit for your prospects.” It focuses right into seeing who fits weirdly to your offering and your offering, to their weird needs. A big difference from “a better fit for the market…
Defining your price
If your job is to lead your clients/customers into seeing new things and seeing things differently, how do you define the pricing of your help? What do you take into account to set a price for your offerings?
Walking away
Saying No to unfits. It’s always a hard one to swallow. How does one walk away? With will. The key here is to be willing to walk away. And you can only walk away when you understand that: It might not be the right time to work together (yet) You’re not losing deals (because they were never yours in the first place) You have (also) power in the relationship.
The ugly one
“How do i wanna present myself? Do i wanna try to be like everyone else or do I want to try to make myself look as ugly as possible so that I can stand out and be stick out like a sore thumb amongst all these other people?” Oliver Tree That’s how Oliver Tree was created. His interview with Steve-O (yeah, the guy from Jackass) is filled with gems: How he sees everything someone does as art. How taking (calculated) risks can propel you to what you want. How not to take yourself too serious. His…
The client is always right. And wrong.
Friend-of-the-list and long time reader, as well as a great illustrator, Rad Co, wrote back on 6 misbeliefs.(Shared with permission, slightly edited for clarity) “I hate how “The client is always right. Which means you do what they tell you.” feels right but is 1,000x wrong and I agree completely.” Here’s the thing The client is always right. And always wrong. They’re right in what they want to achieve. They have a desired state in mind. They want not only a solution, but a way to thrive. In…