How to Get On a Prospect's Short List
Source: Rain Today
In this article, Vickie K. Sullivan, president of Sullivan Speaker Services, Inc., shows firms how to set themselves apart from the competition and get on a prospective client's short list. The answer, she says, is to “become the benchmark – the option the buyer compares to all others.”
It's a three-step process:
- Set your firm apart. But don't give advice and solve the prospect's problem – that simply makes the decision less urgent and sets up your firm as a free resource. Instead, ask specific questions to help the prospect define the problem. (This demonstrates your firm's value without eliminating the urgency.)
- Redefine the problem by (1) uncovering the real issue underlying the “symptoms” the prospect is experiencing and (2) leading the prospect to a plan of action to address it.
- Work with the prospect to identify the criteria – skills and information – necessary to achieve an optimal result. Ideally, these criteria are specific enough to distinguish your firm from the competition as the prospect uses the criteria to see how each firm measures up.
For the complete article, read “Be the Benchmark: How to Become the Buyer's Best Option.”
From Rain Today, www.raintoday.com, March 9, 2011.