By Michael W. McLaughlin
Not long ago, I was asked for the one piece of sales advice I thought was essential for selling professional services. Naturally, the usual things popped into my head, like building trust and rapport, and keeping the client’s interest at the center of the sales process.
But as I thought further about must-have skills for winning the professional services sale, mastering the art of the client interview ended up at the top of my list. Whether you do it by phone or a personal visit, a sales interview with a prospective client kicks off the sales process and sets the stage for what—if anything—you will get the chance to do for that client.
First Impressions Are Tenacious
A client’s first impression may not last forever, but starting off the sales process with a good impression sure beats having to overcome the fallout from a poor one. Creating that positive first impression means emphasizing substance over technique.
Instead of relying on canned sales questions, PowerPoint slides, and body language ‘techniques,’ lead clients through an insight-based discussion of their issues. You may not win the ‘Smooth Salesperson of the Month’ award that way, but the client doesn’t care how many awards you get.
Of course you’ll need a few questions to get the conversation rolling, but expect to develop most of those questions as your understanding of the client’s issue evolves. And if you’re ever tempted to ask a client, ‘what keeps you up at night,’ cover your mouth and count to ten.
When you first make contact to discuss a project, clients are likely to view you only as a salesperson. That can be a tough impression to shake. Use the power of insightful questions and discussion during the interview to shed the salesperson label and replace it with that of business adviser. That will add immeasurable strength to your sales process.
Discover Differentiation
Professional service marketers know that it’s rarely enough to compete solely on a firm’s expertise. Instead, successful firms rely on both expertise and client-specific insight.
You can search the Internet about a company’s issues until your fingertips are numb. But that search can’t replace the insight you’ll develop from a client’s answers to your relevant questions. If you uncover just one nuance about the proposed project, whether it’s about the specific client problem or potential barriers to completing the project, you have the basis for crafting a differentiated, winning proposal.
But you have to dig for those subtleties. It takes time and, more importantly, trust for a prospective client to open up to you. After all, the client is probably talking with other consultants and hearing similar questions. So your ability to conduct an interview that forges trust with the client and encourages candor gives you an important differentiator—client insight.
You’ll also eliminate needless guesswork about how to frame your proposal if you’ve conducted thorough interviews. And if you have a need to follow up with the client after the interview, you’ll have substantive matters to discuss. The information you glean from the client interview will advance your sales effort by providing you with the raw material to create a compelling and differentiated offer.
People Buy from People
If you’re in the market for a washing machine, price, quality, and the manufacturer’s reputation enter into the buying decision. You’re not likely to base your purchase decision on the skills of the specific factory worker who assembled your machine, or the driver who brought it to the retailer. Brand, reputation, and price are most often the key buying criteria for such products.
In a services sale, brand and the firm’s reputation are important, but not the only factors in the buying decision. Above all else, clients engage people. They’ll put their money on the people they believe can help them, not the promises made in the firm’s sales collateral. Sure it’s helpful to have the power of a brand supporting the sales process, but if the client believes the person or team isn’t up to the task, it doesn’t matter how many countries you operate in. Your firm won’t win the work.
The sales interview is a mutual evaluation process: the service provider is discovering what’s driving the need for the project and the client is evaluating the service provider’s suitability to do the work. Your conduct during the interview supplies an answer to the client’s most pressing question, ‘Is this person (or firm) right for the job?’
The Rest of the Story
The business world is full of sales advice, and much of it is very good. One thing is certain, though: If you do a great job in the early stages of the sales process, you’re more likely to benefit from all that great advice. Stumble out of the gate, and you’re likely to play catch up just to stay in the race.
The sales interview gives you a chance to put your best foot forward as you demonstrate your skills at analysis, diagnosis, creativity, and empathy. And few things serve your sales process more effectively than great interviewing skills. It’s not unheard of for a client to hire a service provider on the spot after a great interview.
Keep this skill in top form, and odds are you’ll be able to use the rest of that good advice about sales—from crafting great proposals and closing, to execution, follow through, and building long-term client relationships.
 |
 |
 |
 |