Have you ever been talking to a potential client and asking questions, only to have them say they didn’t know the answer? What was your response – did you think they were telling the truth or just trying to get out of answering the question all together?
On today’s episode of Grow My Revenue I talk about the three possible reasons you may hear “I don’t know” and what to do in this exact scenario. I also give you the ideal formula to use case studies to create third party validation, why no doesn’t mean no for all time, and much more on this show!
Listen to this episode and discover:
- How can you tell quickly which opportunities are the right ones for you?
- What to say if you’ve discovered you’re talking to the wrong person in an organization.
- How can you pique and retain a potential client’s interest?
- What are the common pitfalls most companies make with case studies?
- How do you use case studies to their greatest impact?
- And so much more…
Episode Overview
Imagine this setting: you’re talking to your client and are using the same side selling approach. As you continue to talk you get to the issue and impact components when the potential client says they have no idea of the impact this issue is having on their organization.
What do you think is really happening here? Do they actually not know the answer or is there something else at play? The truth is there are three reasons they’ve told you they don’t know.
The first is they really do not know the answer. They may not have thought about the impact of this issue before so they don’t have that information and they genuinely don’t know.
The second reason is they do not trust you with the answer. It’s possible you haven’t built up enough of a rapport with them and they don’t trust you with this information. They think if you know how impactful this issue is in their organization you will raise your rates because you know they need you. As a result they become guarded and don’t want to give you the information.
The third reason is they don’t want to look ignorant to you. They think they know the answer but aren’t totally sure so they’d rather say they don’t know then give you wrong information and have to correct themselves later.
On today’s episode I’ll explain how you can find out which of these reasons applies to your potential client, and how you can respond based on the reason behind their answer. I’ll also explain how to tactfully find out if you’re talking to the wrong person with the organization, and what to do if that’s the case. Also on this show I give the effective way and not so effective way to use case studies to create third party validation.
To start with it’s important to remember that in a good case study the customer is the hero, your business is simply the supporting cast.
Equally important is the actual formula for your case study. This applies across all industries so take note of this breakdown: XYZ company was facing some problem, so they came to us. Here is how the problem was impacting their organization negatively,
Go on to list the ramifications the customer was concerned about. Then after you’ve explained that go on to say they knew if they didn’t solve the problem certain things were going to happen to their organization. At the end you get one sentence that says “they engaged us for help” – even though the person reading is smart enough to know you helped them because you’re writing the case study.
You can follow it up by sharing the results the customer had, and the outcome they got. Now you’ll wrap it up by listing your contact information and stating the reader contact you if they have questions. But you cannot say “For more information contact us” and on the show I explain why.
Be sure to listen in for that as well as why a “no” doesn’t mean no for all time and who the really annoying sales reps are (and how not to have any in your company!). It’s all here 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.