The best part of playing Hide and Seek as a kid came as you finished counting down. With your eyes closed, you could hear everyone rustling around, laughing, bumping into things and of course – changing their hiding spots. “Ready or not – here I come!”- the hunt was on. The best spotters would catch the ones hardest to find first; those that were buried deep. They would leave the easiest ones that laughed and gave away their spots too readily. They weren’t any fun!
Consultative selling follows the same thought process. There are those that are buried deep; that are hard to find and even harder to unearth. Discovering what it is they want vs what they need also leads you to discover that the game of Hide and Seek has evolved into the business world. Those we meet express interest in our business but don’t follow up in a timely manner. No response to your meetings or worse – no response to your proposal. Yep, the one on which you spent countless hours of research and team effort to build. We continue to seek- they continue to hide.
There is a better method: selling smarter not harder. Deciding early on where you will put your energy will definitely take more time up front but it is so much more effective. Putting forth smarter effort before you contact people will show. Research and assess the right client for the campaign or targeted market that you are working on. Qualify a potential lead before contacting them. Are they the right size? Do they have a need? Do they peak at certain seasons or get busier at certain times of day? Knowing the answers to these types of questions before you make contact will make you confident and informed when you do speak with a potential new client. Consider meeting them in a social or network setting for the first time which will help you to learn about the individual as well as give you the opportunity to follow up and ask for a business meeting later.