|
Making The Final Cut
Many experts position their expertise for attention.
They create (or hire others) for that killer slogan
or clever topic for speeches. But changes in how buyers
select experts now show that those tools get you through
the first round of consideration, but don't get you
to the final cut. Below are two changes that impact
selections and what to do about them.
The strategic role
of meetings
It's been the industry buzz for
years. Planners have touted the value of meetings in
order to uplevel their profession. What's changed? Integration.
The trend toward making sure all elements work together
has pulled meetings into a larger purpose. Instead of
deciding on a theme for the meeting, buyers now look
at how meetings can compliment what they are already
doing. Examples: a company leadership conference ties
into key messages for branding the company as an employer
of choice. Or a company sponsors a keynote speaker at
an association meeting to tie into current marketing
efforts to that demographic.
An idea: find out how the meeting fits into other efforts.
If you're talking to a sales VP, ask, "How is this
meeting tying into other marketing or sales campaigns?
What key messages do you want the audience to receive?".
The answers to these questions will be the foundation
for your future conversations.
Level
playing field
At the final round of consideration, all speakers look
the same. All of them will draw a crowd, due to great
media attention (either through a book or their story).
All of them are smart, bright people and have a high-end
concept and compelling title. When these attributes
are a given, then what is the tipping point? I call
it "strategic fit", the extent that your brand,
your prominence and your message can be a conduit for
the meeting's objectives. That will put you ahead of
the others.
An idea: don't depend on what got you to
the final round. Leave the prominence behind and brainstorm
with the buyer. Don't hesitate to change content or
key messages as you move along the sales process. Your
ideas will be seen as adding value and customizing to
their needs.
Experts who focus on media, clever topics
and other attention-getting antics will get just that
-- attention, and nothing more. Experts who are nimble,
and can embed themselves into other marketing and branding
campaigns will have the inside track.
How Evangelists Can
Build Your Business Case
[Vickie's note: I love it when someone has a system
that works. Bill Metcalf is THE source for making these
stories happen. Check out how you can get his entire
system at www.technoshift.com.]
Good news! You have clients that are willing to rave
about your service. Interesting news: they don't know
what to say beyond, "Hey, I loved working with
them." Proving return on investment is critical
today, so we're asking Bill Metcalf to share his secrets
on helping your evangelists get specific.
Healing
a Client's Amnesia
Vickie: Bill, why can't clients point
to specifics when talking about our contribution?
Bill: Many referral sources
are quite inaccurate. When it comes to pain, people
get amnesia. Many of our clients don't remember what
the pain was when you start and don't remember how you
did it. All they know is that you did something right
and they are happy. That's how the effect can get buried.
Vickie: So how can we experts
help them remember?
Bill: Remember, the client
doesn't know how to be an evangelist. Often, they can't
talk off the cuff about you. Therefore, you need to
be systematic about identifying breakthroughs and dissecting
what made a difference to the client.
Start recording conversations about breakthroughs.
Approach the client from the very beginning and say
something like, "Vickie, when we start working
together, there will be some breakthroughs and when
that happens, we want to stop and look at how we created
that." Start with the pain: how difficult their
situation was, the impact of the obstacles. Three or
six months later, do it again and focus on the breakthrough
and how it happened. At the end of the assignment or
coaching program, send a CD with all the recordings
to the client, as a gift to celebrate how far they've
grown. This is a great reminder of all those details,
told when they are fresh in the clients' mind.
Cause
and effect, turbocharged
Vickie: What if the client still can't
figure out the impact of our contribution? Any ideas
to spur their thinking?
Bill: Ask the next question.
Here are some good ones:
- What happened as a result of getting this benefit?
- Without this contribution, would you have gotten
the results?
- Because you had this growth, what are you doing
now?
- What did I do to help make this happen?
You'd be surprised at the answers. I had one interview
saying that they would have shut their doors if it weren't
for their coach. That's far more powerful than what
they said in the beginning.
Vickie: A lot of evangelists want
to help brand the expert, so they will say clever things
like "iron fist in a velvet glove". Is that
helpful to hear?
Bill: Those phrases are catchy, but
not specific enough. The potential client doesn't know
how to translate that into a benefit for them. I always
ask for a definition, or an example. That makes the
benefit more real, and helps anyone listening to understand
how that attribute will impact them.
Life Comes Full Circle
Before working with experts, I was in politics. Now,
almost 20 years later, I'm speaking to future politicians
at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard. Working
with these students was the highlight of my life. They
helped me see how my approach to building a platform
can make a difference in other countries. Words can
not describe how you feel about yourself when you play
a bigger game. Bottom line: we are all angels unaware...
NOW Is the Time To
Talk
Buyers are solidifying their budgets, so now is the
time to get in there and tout your solutions. But don't
go in pitching -- it's time to talk shop, to show your
value up front, so you can be included in those line
items. If you don't feel confident check out Talking
to Strangers. This system combines behind the scene
insights on how buyers select experts, along with specific
verbiage to use when overcoming common objections, negotiating
fees, closing the deal, etc.
Smart People, Foolish
Choices
There's a whole lot of pitchin' goin' on at events and
industry conferences. It's easy to be confused about
who can help take your business to the next level. A
lot of folks are sounding the same (I just found my
sales conversation, almost word-for-word, on someone
else's website. And, yes, they're touting original thinking...)
Your best benchmark: focus on the gifts. What is the
person you're considering the best at? And is their
gift the very thing that you need RIGHT NOW? To separate
fact from fiction, check out my free report "The
High Cost of Bad Advice". And, no, you don't have
to give me your e-mail address, your first born, etc.
I've got a book with plenty
of media attention. I get calls, but mostly for free speaking.
The calls I do get for paid speaking don't want to pay
my fee, which I increased when the book came out. What's
wrong with this picture?
A: Books are great at
getting media attention, putting you on the buyers'
radar screens. What's in the book gets you to the final
round of consideration.
The biggest culprit: Any book that is a collection
of tactics or stories. Why do these books drive down
speaking and consulting fees? Because the reader assumes
that they know everything that you do. High-fee buyers
also assume that your content is too basic for their
audience.
How to deal with this dilemma: Don't base your speech
topics on the tactics or the stories. Use the book as
a springboard for a specific strategic fit. Apply the
material to a bigger vision that outlines an idealized
future that your most profitable buyers can get excited
about.
|
