Effective Client CoNVERSATION

Things to consider/remember

• Determine overall objective
• What three key selling messages will support the objective
• Support key selling messages with relevant content (data, examples, case studies, etc.)
• Use PPPC to create your opening / agenda with the client
• To close deliver a very brief reminder of the three key points and plan your pivot to the Call to Action or Q&A
• What the 5-6 toughest objections you’d least like to have to deal with?
• What is your ‘gold prize’ and ‘silver prize’ from the meeting?

High level meeting objectives

MOVE

• Be objectives-driven
• Flex the approach and your style
• Build the need throughout
• Problem-solve and collaborate

Your ‘conversational style’ is best adapted to meetings

• Pace: Pause frequently so listeners can process your ideas
• Eye Contact: Make eye contact and pause when making an important point or finishing a thought – “stick the landing”
• Body Language: Hands above the table and gesture as you normally would. Maintain good posture seated close to the table
• Language: Avoid jargon and long sentences. Be crisp, be precise
• Use questions to encourage dialog – avoid delivering a monologue

Start with impact: PPPC

• Purpose: What is the meeting about?
• Process: How will the meeting proceed? Agenda and logistics
• Payoff: Why does the client care? What is the benefit to them?
• Check: Get listeners ok to proceed

The 4 C’s Strategic Questioning

• This line of questioning should be planned in advance based on what we know or suspect regarding the clients problems/challenges
• ‘Tell and sell’ versus ask. Ask the client questions to uncover the client’s hitherto unrecognized need
• Context: Broad open-ended question that determines the topic. Now listen intently for implied challenges/problems
• Challenge: Focus on the challenge/problem mentioned and have the client make it explicit
• Consequence: Ask questions that confirm that other problems flow from the one already identified, “how does that impact your…?”
• Conclusion: The solution is implied in this question, and it is designed to get the client asking for more about your solution, “What if we could provide you with a dashboard that….?”
• Client reply: “Yes, that would be of interest, how would it work?”

• Solution, pre-empt objections
• What does the client see as the benefits of the solution you propose?

Features, Advantages and Benefits

• Assume the client is thinking: “So What?!” and “What’s in it for me?!”
• Features and Advantages cannot answer the WiiFM question – only explicit benefits to the client can
• Whenever we talk about features and advantages (products and services) we have to attach an explicit benefit – why do they care?

Message Structure: Cartesian v Anti Cartesian

• Lead with your key selling message and then validate with the facts and data
• Don’t just deliver a laundry list of facts
• Assertions made without proof can be dismissed without proof
• Don’t show all your homework, present the three most powerful and compelling key selling points
• The three key points should all support the conclusion
• Stop in between key points to encourage dialogue – i.e “where would you like to go deeper?”

Fear Factor

• Tapping into the fear of loss is more powerful than tapping into the desire for gain. Sell fear when the client is in a state of inertia
• Sometimes present the benefit as the bad thing not happening rather than the good thing happening

Buying signals’, closing and follow-up

• Follow-up: Don’t volunteer to do things, ask whether it would be helpful
• Make sure the client is ‘on the hook’ for follow-up
• Objections often have a hidden ‘buying signal’ buried in them: Sell to the buying signal then ask the follow-up question

Getting to Agreement