Running a three-legged race with your clients

Better than a punch in the face

Are you running a three-legged race with your client? Or facing off against them in a boxing ring?

We spend a lot of time thinking about what we are pitching to our clients, but if you want to win the right clients it’s vital to think about how you are pitching to them too.

Ask any new salesperson what they think a pitch looks like and they’ll describe themselves sitting opposite their potential client, probably across a fancy boardroom table.

This version of the pitch is a classic back-and-forth battle. The salesperson tries to get their points across, the client counters with some challenging questions. The client is thinking about how they can get the best deal, the salesperson is focusing on what they can say to get the client to work with them.

In this sense, it’s like a boxing match. Each boxer is thinking about how they can throw their next punch, and defend themselves against what’s coming their way.

There’s a serious issue here: the salesperson/boxer is focused on themselves. What should they do next? What’s the best result for them?

Now I’m no good at boxing, and I can’t say I’m much better at three-legged races. A race that requires a badly coordinated tangle of limbs to move a long distance in a short amount of time is only included in school sports day as a way to humiliate over-competitive parents who should know better (guilty!).

However, it turns out to be a valuable analogy for how to successfully pitch to a client.

It may not be any easier than getting punched in the face, but when you’re in a three-legged race you have to bring your actions in line with what your partner is trying to achieve. 

The questions in the mind of the salesperson and client have changed. What should we do next? What’s the best result for us?

You’re no longer sitting opposite your client, thinking about how you can say the right thing to convince them to work with you while they think how they can push back.

You’re sitting alongside them, working together on solving a shared problem.

The definition of consultative.

Which, as it happens, is the approach that is going to win you more business at higher prices.

If you want to learn more about how you can use this approach in your business, simply reply to this email and we can arrange a consultation to talk - together - about what we can achieve.  

Jon

P.S. Recruiters often ask me how a new client can understand the value they add if they haven’t worked with them yet.

This is why recruiters offer ‘introductory rates’ to new clients, giving themselves a chance to prove themselves before putting their rates up.

One issue: when the client knows you can work a role at the introductory rate, they’ll decide they’re quite happy to stick with it for future roles.

But when your pitch is a chance for your client to experience what it’s like to work with you, you don’t need to worry about offering an ‘introductory rate’ to prove your value. You’re consultative in the pitch process, you’ll continue to consult with them as you work the role.

If you want to learn more about how you can use this approach in your business, simply reply to this email and we can arrange a consultation to talk - together - about what we can achieve.