If you’d like to grow your business by attracting your ideal clients there’s a simple way to do so: integrity. There are a few key ways to have integrity when engaging with potential clients, and I’ll explain exactly what those are and how to use them in this episode.
On this special solo show I’ll share the importance of disarming customers in a conversation, why the same-side pitch is a new (and better) variation of the elevator pitch and the proper format to use for an effective case study on your web site. It’s just and you me talking about business and integrity on today’s episode of Grow My Revenue.
Listen to this episode and discover:
- Why we usually say “no thanks” when a sales person offers to help us.
- The three questions executives answer when making a decision.
- What is the same-side pitch?
- What is an elevator rant and why is it valuable?
- And so much more…
Episode Overview
When you walk into a store and a clerk approaches you to see if you need any help do you automatically say no? Most people do. Why? Because we don’t yet trust them. We automatically assume they are simply asking so they can sell us something, and no one wants to be sold to even if they are in a store with the intent to buy!
The same goes for your clients and the conversations you have with them. If going into a conversation you already know they are assuming you are selling to them you can disarm them using authenticity and integrity.
To understand what it means to disarm you first have to understand how executives make decisions. They first look at what problem you solve, or why they may need you. Next they evaluate the likely results or outcome they’ll receive from working with you. And finally they evaluate alternatives they have vs. reasons they would choose you.
So knowing that evaluation process can help you position yourself as a solution in their eyes. But you must take them through three stages to effectively do so: the first stage is entice then comes disarm and then is the stage of discovery.
To truly entice them it’s important to know what your elevator rants are. Elevators rants are the kinds of conversations your clients would have if they got on an elevator and were complaining about a problem during the entire ride to the 30th floor. Figure out what those conversations are like, in as real of language as you are comfortable using and then use that language with your client.
Use role playing scenarios first to test out the language, and be sure urgency exists and the consequences are spelled out. The more you can use the same words they use to describe their problem, the pains it causes and the potential fallout, the more enticed they will be to go deeper into the conversation.
When they go deeper with you the next stage is to disarm them. This is where you say something like “Not every client is the right fit for how we solve that issue so i don’t know yet if we can help you.” It’s true: not everyone is a good fit for you; I’m sure you’ve had clients who didn’t work out in the past. By saying this you let them know you aren’t there to simply sell them something, you’re there to find out if your solution would benefit them…and it’s okay if not.
And finally you go into the discovery phase. This is the phase where you discover whether or not you will be a match for their needs, and if they will be a match for you. A great way to lead them here is to say something like: “but if resolving that is important to you I’m happy to learn more to see if we can help.” That being whatever problem you have been discussing with them.
That is the three-part conversation to have when growing your business with integrity. On this episode I also detail the proper format for creating a case study with integrity, and why the old standard case study no longer works. Tune in to hear all of that and so much more on this episode of Grow My Revenue.
Resources
Below are resources mentioned during the interview.
What’s On Your Mind
As always, this episode provides inspiration, entertainment, and an actionable message that can drive remarkable results. If you have any questions for a future episode, contact me.