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Serving Your Entrée

In my last article (see "Starting the Relationship Right"), I talked about the importance of serving your entrée, a justifiable reason for taking the client’s precious time during the sales process. Given discussions I’ve had with clients and training audiences in the past on this topic, I thought it might be worthwhile to provide more specific guidance about what does and does not constitute an effective entrée.

Ineffective Entrées

u Show-and-tell. Many of us have prepared presentations on various technical subjects or case histories in the hope of impressing prospective clients. But these often miss the mark, especially if they occur in the initial meeting or two with the client. Focus first on identifying specifically what the client’s needs are before making any kind of presentation.

u Interrogation. On the other hand, avoid scheduling initial meetings with a prospective client simply to grill him or her about needs. Think about it. How is this beneficial to the client? The purpose of our questions is not only to inform us but to help the client better define the need and possible solutions. Our interviews must involve a balance of give-and-take. Spend more time questioning than talking, but share information and insights that make it worthwhile for the client.

u Let’s do lunch. There are probably still a few prospects who enjoy a free lunch, but most consider this an intrusion if there isn’t more than food to be gained. Asking a potential client to lunch is fine as long as you don’t assume the client’s reward is the meal. You must still deliver a more valuable entrée than what’s on the menu.

Effective Entrées

u Been there, done that. Clients value our past experience if it’s specifically related to their own needs. An effective cold call is one where you can basically say, “I read about the design challenges you’re facing on the XYZ project. We dealt with a very similar situation on the ABC project and wondered if you’d be interested in learning how we dealt with those issues.” The subsequent meeting should involve a mix of clarifying the client’s needs through questioning and sharing relevant aspects of your experience and expertise.

u Here’s what others are doing. This strategy is similar to the one above but based on broader trends in either your industry or the client’s. Many (but not all) clients are interested in benchmarking their organizations against other similar ones. Consistently providing this kind of information commits you to regular research to stay current with the latest trends and best management or design practices. Of course, the value of this kind of ongoing research extends beyond just selling.

u We have a resource we’re willing to share. Occasionally, you may find yourself in the position to offer some kind of tool or resource that will help the client solve a problem or meet a need. This might be site information, special design data, maps, a checklist, or something similar. But keep the principle of the reciprocal commitment in mind. Don’t go too far in offering gifts to clients who show little or no interest in continuing the dialogue with your firm.

There are, of course, multiple variations on the approaches highlighted above. The common theme is keeping the focus on helping the client rather than selling your firm. This helps build the trust that is critical to ultimately making the sale. Delivering your entrée also enables you to demonstrate your expertise rather than just talk about it.

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