Blair Enns is an icon in the agency world on how he builds the value-selling methodology. I’ve listened to his podcast with David Baker (2Bobs) for a few years now. My old boss used to reference his first work, Win Without Pitching, as his bible. And so he eventually spoke here in Reno. This is his new books, which frames each sale into four separate conversations:

 

  • Great for people who see themselves as experts first, sales second
  • The sale is the sample of the engagement to follow.
  • If we’re not seen as the expert, we’re considered a vendor.
  •  We should always be the expert and provide the solution to the client’s problem. At times, the client self diagnoses and is wrong.
  • The conversations
    • The probative conversation – Move in the client’s mind from vendor to expert
    • The qualifying conversation – Determine if an opportunity exists
    • The value conversation – The value we might help to create
    • The closing conversation – Select and commit to a path of three options
  • As soon as you move to expert, you’re the prize to be won. Not the client.
  • Lead gen = educating (prove expertise by giving it away), marketing (mass communication, public telling people of expertise but shallow), selling (one to one outreach)
  • “The reason I’m reaching out to you is that we do one thing better than anybody else, and I’m wondering if you have a need for it.. ” (Great pitch)
  • We will specialize.
  • Always have perspective when talking and pitching a client. Try to pierce their armor on what they really need.
  • The experts mantra: I am the expert. I am the prize // I am on a mission to help  /// I can only do that if you let me lead // I can accept that all will not follow.
  •  We will not be remembered for the work. We will be remembered for the moments we lifted our clients. Challenged them. And inspired them to live their own purpose.
  • Do not slip into convince mode.
  • Conversations, not presentations or persuasion
  • The longer the gap is allowed to exist, the more combustible the reconciliation. (True in arguments and disagreements.)
  • “We’re not known as the low cost provider”
  • Embrace silence. Be calm. No one cares. People are repulsed by neediness.
  • If we don’t say no, our yes is meaningless.
  • Break up email – “I haven’t heard from you on (project), so I’m going to assume you’ve gone in a different direction or the priorities have shifted. Please let me know if we can be of service in teh future.”
  • Affect the buying process, by making reqeusts (pay for first stage, move meetings, increase budget, change scope, etc.)
  • Revealed preferences trumps stated preference
  • Vendors use scripts; we have conversations.
  • What is the desired future state? Has a budget been allocated, and if so, how much? When do they need to make a decision? What’s the situation?
  • Define future success questions – Five Whys is a sales technique to get to the heart of a matter. Find a way to ask five why questions.. Why’s the site not preforming well? … Why is it no longer leads… etc. ‘
  • Great quotes:
    • Remember to anchor… There’s a lot we don’t know about your situation. On past experience I’d suggested you consider a budget between maybe $250,000 on the high end and perhaps as little as $50,000 on the low end.”
    • It doesn’t make sense for us to be in the one off $10,000 project business.
  • Value conversation framework:
    • Confirm client’s desired future state | What do you want?
    • Identify success metrics | What will we measure?
    • Determine value to be created | What’s the value?
    • Set pricing guidance | What would you pay?
  • Always say a price (understand budget) before you show it (scope). Anchor it.
  • Employees focused on past. Managers on the present. Executives on the future.
  • Give the three options to choose from: high-end, mid-range, and low-end.
    • Bonus if you can keep the proposal to one page
    • Changes the perception from “Is this proposal worth it?” to ” Which of these is the best value?”
    • Multi-option proposals have higher closing ratios
    • The anchor price is not palatable. But it does make the middle-price palatable.
    • Also gives the client the power to make the final choice.
    • Name the different options based on the solution, not good/better/best
  • A good salesperson is the architect of the solution.
  • By getting better at selling and pricing, we will craft better engagement, creating more value for clients and making us better at what we do
  • The closing conversation is about reassurance. We’ve done this before. It’s like a surgeon building credibility, not necessarily explaining how they do it. Remember you’re the facilitator, and be unemotional and disconnected to which option they choose.