How to close hot leads, or at least prevent them from going cold

Jeff,

I have to ask, how often is this actually happening - as in, with how many clients so far ?

And, have you considered that the guy's just busy and might follow-up with you at some point?

My best clients are so busy they might not get back to me for days. Sometimes a situation happens and they won't return for longer.

And the reason is because a lot of this stuff isn't mission-critical to what they're doing at the time.

Something else that you pointed out - "a lot of info in the proposal" - that's a waste of time and typing. I just go over the basic idea in the proposal. 1 line, no more than 2-10 words. Go into more detail over the phone. If you must, solidify it in a longer contract later after the check's in the mail or you have the cc number.

... an hour on the phone and you did not get paid?
Plus your going to wine and dine via email for another few days?

No thank you. If your comfortable with it and it works for you ... great.

I am a different breed

I understand your thinking. And I don't think there is anything wrong with it.
Some consultants are more "fact finding, and the custom design a solution for each client" kind of guys. I get that.

My approach is that I do as much fact finding as it takes for them to feel like I'm customizing my service to them. Everyone gets the whole ball of wax. I may not explain every part, but everyone gets every part. I have one overall service. Everyone pays the same amount.

You are a consultant that happens to sell.
I'm a salesman that finds it to my advantage to act like a consultant.

I'm very transaction based. A one night stand. A well paid one night stand, but that's what I am.

I get your approach.

But eventually the girl says "Enough dancing, when are we going to ....?"

Fact finding is useful in selling. But it doesn't need to take multiple calls. Multiple calls kill the emotional need for what you sell. They still agree rationally, but they are no longer as excited. If there is any way to do it all in one visit, that's what I do. In fact (this is just my approach) I don't make call backs. And my service is either $6,000 or $599 a month for a year. Not huge, but not small potatoes either.

"When structuring a deal, I prefer to take time and consider the angles and possibilities".

I consider angles and possibilities too. But I consider the angles as I ask questions...and I consider the possibilities after I get my first check.

Everyone has the style they are comfortable with. You have a system that you like, and it works.


I'm not sure I would try to do everything on one phone call. But I might, if it was going that well.

But one visit? Absolutely.

So why did he call and from where?

If you are not a cookie cutter, or whatever the American phrase is, then you are to think more like an architect ok.

You are going to bespoke design a site and,

a. Take it to blue print for client to hand over to his developer or

b. Take it to completion.

In your case it is option b. You are doing everything from what do you want? to here it is.

So this is simple really.

Example. I want to knock down a building and have a new one erected near the river in oak frame.

There are broadly 5 criteria in choosing an architect.

1. Size and projected scale of project
2. Type of building
3. Type of land
4. Energy efficiency requirements
5. Whether I want design services included

I want all 5 ticked in my head before I will call so I am researching these 5 broad things.

So the architects website/ print Ads etc will reflect all 5 if you think about it and placed in relevant media to get in front of the right sort of person.

It is acting as the filter.

So if I find myself on a few websites and find that one of them fulfills my criteria and has a couple of pictures which they would have by default then when I call it is more or less a done deal.

It is his to lose.

It would not take an hour, it would take 15 minutes to get the feel if he could fulfill and for him to see if I fit with his practice.

If it was yes/yes to the above then he would say well next step is to draw up plans and that will cost you £abc and the overall cost will be approx 8% of the overall budget which will be around the £xyz mark.

He doesn't even need to give me the exact final price. Do you understand that? Read it again if not. So I have started to pay him even though I don't know what the final cost will be.

This happens all over the world in that field from little extensions to rebuilding Twin Towers in NYC.

So you are going to be doing the same thing with inbound calls.

Your literature, website, however they found you, will put them in frame of mind of what you do so that is dealt with already when you are speaking to them.

You give rough overall cost of the project if you can't work out the exact price and ask for the whole lot (if you can) or chunk to get started.

Point is you ask for something then and there.

Because price is simply like coming in at the end of a roller coaster. The twists and turns have all been completed, asking is just a formality.

Don't know if all the above makes sense as I stopped to make a cup of tea half way through and have a feeling I left something out.

And finally.

Sales.

Everything you ever want to know about sales is in one book written a couple of thousand years ago by a man called Aristotle. It is a bit of a dry read but it is called The Art of Rhetoric.

Essentially Ethos, Logos, Pathos. Cover them all in your speech/ literature/ website.

Here are some pictures to give you idea on what this is.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=et...ml%3B571%3B424

Dan