Comments on: Lessons from a solid consultative sales call

By: fedora3

fedora3 — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

If only they were all like that.

By: mrsmiley

mrsmiley — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

fedora3, I think that should be changed to “if only WE were all like that”. Its amazing how many web designers (& co) will simply respond to “what do you do” as “we make websites”.

By: csi95

csi95 — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

I’d actually say “If only all [u]CLIENTS[/u] were like that”.

Far too many would have walked away from that same meeting remembering [u]NOTHING[/u] about the sales call except that “he was $200 more expensive than the kid we saw yesterday.”

By: RockyShark

RockyShark — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

Hmmm… If that’s all your clients can remember from your presentations/meetings I don’t think it’s fair to blame the client. Fatal mistake to blame the client if they can’t tell the difference between you and your competition!

By: philwilks

philwilks — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

Mrsmiley, I must admit that I am one of those people who often end up saying “we make websites”! What do you suggest would be a more appropriate response?

By: MarkB

MarkB — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

Good point, RockyShark - standing out from the pack is one of the strongest sales tools you can have :)

By: realestate

realestate — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

Those are skills some people learn from courses
or family and they give great to them advantage over smarter, more qualified introvert people.

By: bluetone

bluetone — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

Philwilks - You sell solutions to problems - not websites. If you are a non-profit then I'll show you how xx investment will bring in xxx in higher donations or we'll get your message out to xxx more people. If you are for-profit then, with a little input from you, I'll show you how an investment of xx will increase your profits by xxx and your investment will break even in only xx months.

Many small businesses cannot wrap their minds around anything but price. They want it cheap. Perversely, those people are almost always the worst clients when it comes to ignorant or unreasonable demands.

I have sold many things over the years. If you are not doing (eating) well then desperation sets in and you present poorly, exhibit no confidence / expertise and tend to sell on price. What few sales you do make have squeezed margins and the downward spiral continues. If you are not as stressed to make sales then the opposite is true and, almost unfairly, you trend upward.

Too many web developers try to make a living on their own without a sufficient base of income. Keep the day job until you develop a network of high end clients. Then launch. Or, like a friend of mine, keep the day job part time, market projects to good clients, and sub the work out to designers with more talent but less business acumen. He makes more than they do.

By: ptpnewmedia

ptpnewmedia — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

Bluetone, what you said is so true. This year my goal was to start selling solutions and not development. I still do develop but my approach is so much different. When proposing to a client, I focus on the features, benefits, and value the solution we are developing will bring them. I do not sell on price or charge per hour but instead on the benefit the solution will bring the company. It took me about two years to figure this out. I have also started outsourcing in a way. My new strategy and business model shows promise as I am already getting more work than I did in the past. Plus it is easier to sell as clients are starting to view me as an expert.

By: worchyld

worchyld — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

I agree with what bluetone has said, highlighting what Andrew has talked about in the past as well as adding from his own background.

You also can’t just “say” you sell solutions, you must prove it - it has to say it on your business cards, leaflets, offline and online promotional material

It can be quite hard because if your website just says “we sell solutions”, it might not be picked up by SE as well as if you said “we sell websites” - mainly because people search for “websites” and not “solutions”

Apart from that, everything about selling solutions and not services is true.