14 ways to turn leads into customers: Make the sale instead of giving it to the competition (Tip #7)
So far all of these tips have been about you and what you can do to find and win over prospects. Today we’re going to digress into something that’s ancillary, something that serves a supporting role. So wipe your brow and breathe a sigh of relief because you’re off the hook today as you let your collateral do the talking for you.
Tip #7: Have good collateral materials
Collateral materials are everything from business cards to brochures, sell sheets to info packs. Anything you can hand a prospect for their current or future reading pleasure is part of your collateral. I don’t care how great your web site is or how many trees you want to save, you’ve got to walk into a meeting with something to hand a prospect even if it’s as simple as a business card. If you can’t even do that much you’re going to have a credibility problem right up front. And if you’re a professional consultant charging professional consultant fees, then you do not get to print your brochure on your inkjet printer or hand out cards you designed yourself because you learned Photoshop last weekend. Your collateral materials play a supporting role, so they should support you, not make prospects question your legitimacy.
14 ways to turn leads into customers: Make the sale instead of giving it to the competition (Tip #6)
So many prospects, so little time to win them over. If you’ve paid attention to the previous tips in this series you’re well on your way to ensuring that your prospect doesn’t shut the door in your face. You’ve set the stage, you know what you’re talking about and you’ve got the courage of your convictions. Is it possible that you could still be turned down? Even if you’ve got the best price in town? Alas, even the smartest, best-dressed and most confident among us can still come up short if that’s all we are.
If that’s all we are?! I can hear the outrage, the bafflement. Isn’t that the total package? Well, mostly, except for one huge piece… personality. And if you want to win over your prospects you’ve got to have one.
Tip #6: Have a personality
You don’t need to look any further than a recent presidential election to know that people trust people they think they can like. Remember so much hoopla about “he’s a guy you could have a beer with”? Whether or not your prospect wants to have a beer with you can in fact have a big impact on whether or not you’ll get the job. That doesn’t mean you actually need to have a beer. It just means your prospect needs to believe you’re the kind of guy (or gal) who would be fun to hang out with on a Saturday night over darts and salsa.
14 ways to turn leads into customers: Make the sale instead of giving it to the competition (Tip #5)
The tips in this series have been pretty concrete so far. They’re tangible things that you can sink your teeth into and just do. This next tip is a little more ethereal and you’re either going to read this and say heck, no problem, I’m already rockin’ it… or you’ll hang your head and cry because it’s one of those things you perpetually struggle with.
Tip #5: Believe in yourself
Face it; some of us walk into meetings with a nice, long stride and a strong handshake, pearly white teeth shining in our ‘sup-dude smiles. And some of us hesitate, stutter and sweat. But if you would rather close the deal than be offered a handkerchief you need to exude the confidence that you should have if you’re an expert at what you do.
Whether you’re a nervous wreck or a natural schmoozer, it wouldn’t hurt to practice in a mirror once in a while. You don’t want to be over-confident and arrogant any more than you want to be an apologetic hand-wringer. If you believe in yourself and have confidence in what you do, it will ooze from your pores and convince customers in ways that mere words can’t.
14 ways to turn leads into customers: Make the sale instead of giving it to the competition (Tip #4)
Tips one through three have been sort of ancillary – important in a general line-your-ducks-up kind of way. But this next one is something you just can’t fake or put a tie on to improve. And we’ll probably agree that even if you can sell ice cubes to Eskimos, if you don’t actually have any ice cubes, you’ll never be truly successful in the end.
Tip #4: Know your s#*@
Hey, this is a family friendly business! But seriously, when it comes to whatever you’re selling – business consulting, search engine marketing, financial advice – you’d better know your s#*@ inside and out. Any schmoe can iron a shirt, polish a pair of shoes and throw some authority around. It might even be enough to get the job if the charm is strong enough. But it’ll never be enough to keep the job. If you don’t know your s#*@, it’s going to become obvious eventually and you’re going to end up with a lot of unhappy clients and bad press.
14 ways to turn leads into customers: Make the sale instead of giving it to the competition (Tip #3)
I taught kindergarten in a previous life and the most valuable piece of advice I ever got was from a veteran teacher who said, “Never smile on the first day of school.” She was one of the kindest, warmest people I knew, certainly no ruler-wielding ogre, but her point was that it was important to let the kids know who was boss. We weren’t there to be friends with them, weren’t there to entertain them. We were there to do a job, and that job was to teach.
Tip # 4: Set expectations
It’s not so different with prospects. You need to be the authority figure and set the expectations up front. Much like the first impression you’ll make with your manner of dress, you will make an impression with your initial approach and once that approach is made it cannot be unmade. So before you end up in a mental struggle with a client, make it clear from the minute you walk in what to expect when doing business with you.
Set expectations for the relationship
Ever walk into a meeting and start chatting it up with a prospect you can relate to or feel immediately comfortable with? Next thing you know you’re out for dinner at Chili’s, talking about baseball and last summer’s vacation and brainstorming how to engage your prospect’s customers on Facebook. Then you’re out to your second dinner at Bennigan’s and your third at some burger joint down the block, talking direct marketing and oysters, email campaigns and golf.
14 ways to turn leads into customers: Make the sale instead of giving it to the competition (Tip #2)
Have you read tip 1? It’s about qualifying your leads so you can choose the ones who are on the same page as you. But whether you’ve done that yet or are still waiting to get through the first meeting before you can make a judgment call, this next tip will ensure that you let prospects know what page you’re on.
Tip #2: Dress the way you want to be perceived
As a service professional or consultant you are probably independent. You’re your own boss, own your own business and make your own rules. You may work from a home office or do a lot of teleconferencing. Maybe you’re not a suit-and-tie type of guy or a stockings-and-heels type of girl. And you may live by the mantra that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but the truth is that almost everyone – you included – makes snap judgments about other people based on the way they look. It may not even be entirely conscious, but appearance leaves an impression that can make or break your sale.
