Attracting new clients is a challenge for most businesses. Yet attracting new business is pivotal to ambitious growth plans.
Which is why it’s important to make it easy for those prospects to buy. Let’s use a fictional company to demonstrate…
Company A has a healthy pipeline. An abundance of enquiries that could turn into business. But most don’t.
The MD’s theory is that these potential clients are just window shopping. This is based on 5 months of failure with one particular prospect:
Month 1
The opportunity is added to the pipeline. It’s their perfect job, and with a client at the top end of their normal client base.
The team were building a healthy relationship with the potential client. Everything was on track.
Month 2
Regular contact was maintained, plus the potential client attended one of their events.
Months 3 & 4
Contact becomes less regular. There appears to be stalemate.
Month 5
The contract awarded to a competitor. Company A didn’t even make it to proposal stage.
Not surprising then that the MD felt they were simply used for comparison. Leveraged to secure a good deal with the other supplier.
What went wrong?
When something goes wrong it’s human nature to blame reasons out of our control. However, as you may have spotted, on this occasion Company A had failed to close the deal.
Not only that. By not recognising that they were at fault, the company also lost the opportunity to learn from their mistake.
Prospects are not experts in what you do, you are. So make it easy to buy from you.
Be clear in stating:
- What the prospect can buy from you
- Who it is designed for
- What the investment will be
- What the process is
- What the outcomes will be
Covering these areas in advance removes obstacles that potential clients will often put in the way. You’ll also save them a lot of time. And we all know that time is money.
Some businesses shy away from making these areas transparent. Mostly as they don’t wish to be undercut by a competitor. There are two ways of addressing this:
- Remember the value of your product or service. If the deal is based solely on price then they aren’t the clients for you.
- Bundling your products or services to make it easy to buy. Rather than selling the individual components, create a complete, targeted solution. This adds tremendous value to the proposition and shows you understand their needs.
If you run a business, help your prospects understand “Why” they should engage, “What” they are getting and “How” it works. Make it easy for them to buy.
For more information on frameworks and methodologies that will help your company win new business, call 0800 878 9500 or complete this form and one of our team will be in touch soon.
