Open Courses
If you’re interested in attending any seminar or course contact us for more details on 0161 236 0724 or email
Wed 17 and Thurs 18 Sept, London. "Persuasive Presentations Programme"
Free Seminars
Wed 24 Sept, 12.30-2.00 PM, Manchester. "How Your Clients May View You" – a Pro-Manchester event
Thurs 25 Sept, 9.00-10.30 AM, London. "How to Create Outstanding Relationships"
Wed, 15 Oct, 8.00-9.00 AM, Manchester. "Business Development Ability - Something you were born with?" – an RBS event
Focus - Managing Client
Expectations
Everyone is talking ‘bottom line’ at the moment and it’s as important for technical people to recognise the part they play, as much as salespeople. They are the ones tasked with setting, managing and exceeding client expectations once a contract is signed. Simply delivering a successful project isn’t enough.
To secure on-going profitable business it’s vital that clients have a good experience throughout the project life cycle. Managing Client Expectations is specifically designed to improve client interaction and commercial skills. Things like: seeing the client’s viewpoint; the importance of relationships as well as the task; and how to overcome challenges with clients.
Courses, ideally, run over two days but can be delivered as a one-day fast-track in groups of up to 12. Sometimes these knowledgeable people aren’t the easiest to train but Mike Kean, our specialist in this area, combines a technical background with great communication skills.
If you’ve got a question about anything you’ve read in this month’s issue of Sphere or more generally about communications, client handling, difficult people etc – please get in touch.
Associated Reading
“The Jelly Effect”, Andy Bounds
“Question Based Selling”, Tom Freece
“Mountaincraft and Leadership”, Eric Langmuir
“Ordnance Survey Explorer”, Sheet 12; Scale 1:25,000
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Hello and welcome to Sphere’s second issue. With all the pressure (not just on salespeople) to up and cross-sell, this month we’ll be reminding ourselves about how asking good questions can add value to clients and increase business. Ask poor questions or even worse, none at all, and a potential opportunity remains only that – a potential opportunity.
Happy reading.
Jim Wigg
Coach, Trainer, Director
The Perfect Rucksack
The Brecon Beacons is one of my favourite places for walking and last weekend I was there meeting up with some old friends to do just that (although mainly to celebrate Andy’s last weekend of freedom); AND I hadn’t had to organise a thing – great!
My mate, Scissors, and I got there early and decided to have a nose round some of the many outdoor shops that line Brecon, in this stunning corner of Wales. He wanted a fleece and I had been meaning to pick up a new rucksack for a while but never quite seem to get around to it - mainly because my old faithful Karrimor has served me well for 14 years!
All sounds pretty simple, but our experience in the first shop was so bad it put me off even more and I still needed a first aid kit and new compass.
Enter shop two and we browse for a few minutes; a chap asks if there is anything specific we are looking for and he helpfully directs us to the right places. We go to pay, meet a very nice lady (VNL) and the magic starts. In a nutshell here’s how the conversation goes:
VNL. Did you find everything you were looking for?
JW. Well, actually I’d quite like to look at rucksacks as well.
VNL. What will you be using it for?
JW. Walking and camping overnight.
VNL. What sort of size?
JW. Probably 65 litres.
VNL. How many nights will you be away at a time?
JW. One or two.
VNL. If it’s only two nights you probably only need 50 litres
She shows me various options and the conversation continues:
JW. We are having a nosey round a few shops today; would you be happy to match the price if I find it cheaper in another shop?
VNL. I don’t think I need to answer that question as I’m confident you won’t find it cheaper but how about I give you 10% off?
Needless to say I walked happily out of the shop with a new Berghaus rucksack and she increased her order value by 272%!
Now, be careful and don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your business is different to retail so this doesn’t apply. The principles are exactly the same regardless of sector or industry. All clients and businesses potentially have other problems, needs or goals and you can bet they’d like to solve, satisfy or achieve them if they can find a way easily. Let’s not dwell on why they don’t tell you about them automatically but focus on how you can uncover them.
Tip 1 – Prepare some general questions that could take the conversation outside the immediate meeting agenda.
For example:
- What else is on your priority list at the moment?
- Is there anything that’s bugging you but you’ve put to one side?
VNL asked a really simple one and uncovered a great opportunity.
Tip 2 – Prepare some specific questions about a current topic or issue that may be relevant to them.
For example:
- How important do you see the new legislation on xxx?
- Are you experiencing more formal bid processes for new work?
Tip 3 – Listen, take on board what the client is saying and observe the signals the client is giving. Then ask questions or give responses that are in tune with this.
This is one of the most important skills to develop and nurture in both life and business. Look at the conversation with VNL above and how well she did this. I felt listened to, she added value by helping me clarify what I wanted (which built enough loyalty to make me talk to her about the possibility of shopping around), recognised how close I was to buying and gave me an appropriate incentive to do it now. A pleasure for all!
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