These COVID times have sharpened our thinking, haven’t they? With less free cash to spare, just about all of us are paying closer attention to the products/services we buy and to how we get pitched. Because wasting money or making a big mistake is simply not allowed right now. And for those of us pitching our products and services, the stakes are far higher.
I want to share a sales technique that works incredibly well. Last week, a dear friend passed along an article that highlights this method and this week, I listened to a respected sales guru state this is the ‘new’ way of doing business. While I can’t claim to be an expert, I have used the approach myself over the years — with rather high results.
It is called the “I Need Help” Method
… and it is pretty straightforward. All you must do is get the prospects to seek you out. They begin their conversations with you by saying, “I need help.”
Now I can hear you loudly groan and yell at me. Yeah, lady, and just how do you propose I get the prospects to seek me out? I have tried every bloody trick in the book, and my results are spotty. I know. I’ve been there too! The trick is to
Start with your key messaging
What exactly does your product/service do for the prospect’s life? Seriously, what transformation in their lives does your offering give? It is never about having a good or bad offering. Nor is it about having the most or least expensive product. It is always about your offering doing something amazing for your prospects’ lives. Define that.
After you have that crucial piece nailed down, I want you to begin every sales conversation, every piece of online or offline collateral and the home page of your website with a simple premise.
Acknowledge and shine a light
…on the problem your offering solves. First. This is not the time, to begin with something about you, your company, or even your offering. STOP that. Begin with what is happening in the marketplace for which you have a solution. Next,
Verify or validate the problem with the prospect
Use statistics and valid third party data that backs up the issue. Then —
Show that the problem is even worse
…for your targeted prospect. NO, this is not the time to lie. It IS the time to link the statistics to their real world. Be specific. Lastly,
Provide the light at the end of the tunnel
Shine the light by spelling out exactly how your offering transforms their lives.
Let me give you two concrete examples.
Example 1
When it comes to resolving people issues (not marriage issues), a traditional law firm is not always the best resource to use. Because charging for every block of ten minutes can be incredibly expensive when issues become emotionally charged, when people have tantrums and when the actual facts become obfuscated by both sides. It is horrible when families are trying to resolve estate issues — high on sentimental value and low on monetary value.
And can be particularly devastating to business owners who pay the big legal bills, have their own voices and points of view silenced and watch helplessly as disgruntled employees or suppliers or partners come out on top. A better solution for so many of the people issues is engaging a professional mediator. Adam is trained as a lawyer, highly specialized in ensuring all sides are heard and solely focussed on finding the best compromise solution. All without the usual emotional toll and definitely not at exorbitant law firm prices.
Example 2
The 2020 pandemic is doing nasty things to the business community. When business owners see their revenues drop by up to 95%, when government bailouts don’t cover all areas, when companies that have been in business two, three or even seven decades teeter on the edge, the worry and anxiety level of every business owner and senior leader dramatically increase. As a matter of fact, both McKinsey and BCG forecast that 50% of all businesses that existed pre-COVID will not exist inside of 18 months.
Even worse, for those businesses with less than ten years of history and those others with little to no excess cash in the bank, that 50% rate will climb much higher. To help business owners keep their anxiety and worry level to a dull roar, my Post-COVID Success Plan program helps them make a personalized short term assessment of their world, allows them to reprioritize their immediate tactics and generate some short term gains to enable them to come out standing strong inside the next two years.
Now, let me ask you. How many more leads would you generate if you changed up your pitch to this format? Should you want some help with this little exercise, reach out to me.
