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Keeping Your Distance: Marketing With a Twist

Guest post by: Keith Thirgood

Article Overview: A number of years ago, we had a client we just loved. What we liked so much about him was how much he appreciated us. Out of the experience came a marketing method that has worked better for us than most other approaches.

Keeping Your Distance: Marketing With a Twist

A number of years ago, we had a client we just loved. What we liked so much about him was how much he appreciated us. Out of the experience came a marketing method that has worked better for us than most other approaches.

Here's that different -- and daring -- approach to dealing with prospects. It works really well for professionals and consultants. However, businesses in other fields might be able to adapt it to their marketing.

When a prospect contacts you, how do you respond?

• Go into high anxiety mode: What if you don't land them?
• Fumble around: Say all the things you later wish you hadn't.
• Spill the beans: Go on-and-on about your services.
• Assume you already have the job: Give it all away.
• Get them into your daybook: Try to get an appointment right away.
• Play it cool: Listen carefully but keep your distance.

The tone you set in this initial call/e-mail is vital to your success with that prospect down the road. It sets up their expectations and, as a result, your chances of success. Up to this point, your marketing has worked. The prospect has discovered you, checked you out and is interested enough to make the contact. This, however, is just where you can so easily undermine all the groundwork your marketing has laid.

You can have the prospect in the right mindset, when you meet for the first time, in a number of ways -- but one works best: Play it cool by keeping your distance.

Cool -- not aloof or arrogant! Keeping your distance is a high wire balancing act, displaying the confidence of someone who knows they are bring very good value to the table, but is also determined to deliver the best possible results for the client. It's about keeping in the forefront of your mind, the value of your services to your prospects. It means absolutely believing, that what you bring to the table will produce an utter transformation in the lives of your prospective clients.

What you're doing in essence is putting out the message: "Certainly, we'd like to have you as a client. But if you don't go with us, that's fine (We're busy transforming the results of all our other clients). It's not the end of the world. Whatever works for you is what matters." It's the same as saying "Let me see if I've got time this week".

Now this can be scary stuff. Keeping your distance, might make it seem that you don't care if you land the client or not. Of course you do -- but only if they'll be a good client for you. (Did I hear, "Any client, right now would be the right client?") The right client is one who values what you offer, who will be great to work with and can afford you.

Keeping your distance prevents you from selling yourself too cheaply. When you keep an emotional distance, you don't take everything that comes your way. By attracting and taking only the clients who respect you, you avoid the kind of clients who end up making your life hell.

Now, don't go overboard here. Don't make out that you're doing them a favour by taking them on. Simply demonstrate that you're on equal terms. That way, your discussions will be accepted as having great value to the prospect.

How do you do this? How do you demonstrate "keeping your cool"? You begin by asking a few insightful questions. The questions (and answers) should reveal to your prospect and yourself whether you can be of value to this prospect, or not. These questions must go deep.

Certainly, don't let your eagerness to prove your worth get you tossing answers and ideas into the phone quickly. When they ask you if you can help them, say that you need to know more. Then, ask a few even deeper questions -- the kind that need some thought. You might assume that anyone who comes up with quick opinions, solutions and answers, is going to be seen as intelligent and insightful. But in business, those kinds of responses aren't valued very much (even if they're right on the money).

When you keep your distance, you don't try to close the sale. In fact, your prospect will be the one asking "Can you help us? Are you available?" Just be really sure you can provide outstanding results for this prospect before you say yes.

If and when you do say yes, you'll know you've explored every issue and your prospect will be delighted and eager to get on with the next steps.

If you've done your job and kept your distance, your initial meeting with the prospect-turned-client will be about gathering details and working out budgets, not about trying to sell your services or answering objections.

Keeping your distance needs to be practiced to do it well. But it works. It's not in any way underhanded. Not only does it bring the right clients to the table, it eliminates the time-wasters that other approaches seem to -- alas -- encourage.

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Article Tags: initial meeting, marketing, new idea, out of the box



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