Pressure Points in Selling Professional Services

A client asked me earlier this summer, “What do you do when a potential client stalls on making a decision to use your services?”  Most professional service firms have been in this position at one time or another.  Sometimes it is real and other times it stems from the timing and urgency we manufacture. 

We often put our time ahead of the clients timing. So, my response to this question was, “Why do you feel the client is stalling you?”  I heard a number of reasons why this client was not pulling the trigger on the job that my client felt he was best qualified to provide.  He even emphasized that he had made this point several times over a variety of meetings.  It was then that I told him there are pressure points in selling a client, new or old.

Basic first aid has taught most of us how to use a tourniquet.  When someone is bleeding from an arm or leg, the blood needs to be cut off or the person might die.  The use of a tourniquet can be tricky.  If you squeeze too hard and no blood goes to the limb, the limb might die.  If not enough pressure is applied, the person might bleed to death.

Marketers of professional services need to think about the application of a tourniquet when they deal with clients.  In other words, you need to know the pressure points of their condition and your solution.

Press too hard and the project is dead to you.  If you don’t put enough pressure on the right hot button at the right time, the project might flow to a competitor.  It is often a delicate balance, especially when dealing with a new client.

What do client pressure points look like?  It might be time for a brief review:

       ·         Funding available for the project
       ·         Key decision makers and their influence
       ·         Context of what happens after a decision is made
       ·         Consequences of a bad decision
       ·         Outside distractions—family, friends, organizations
       ·         Personal outcomes of a successful project
       ·     The client’s vision

Obviously, there are other pressure points that can be involved in client decisions, but the above account for the majority.  It is not enough to be at the top of the client’s mind today in order for you to secure new business.  When the client allows you to engage in conversation, it is important to know how these pressure points intersect with the services you are offering.

If you put all the pressure on the client’s vision, what happens to the other points?  You see the medical shows on television when someone is admitted into the emergency room with multiple wounds and the doctor is having trouble stopping all of the bleeding.  Most clients are like that patient.  They do not need a single tourniquet.  They need a skilled professional who understands the client’s history, passion, problems and challenges.  Someone who does not apply pressure to manipulate, but to help solve a problem.  The doctor understands that not all of the bleeding is critical to saving the person’s life, but does know where the critical areas are.  Do you know the critical pressure points of your clients?

If you have been the victim of stalling clients, you might simply need a quick strategy tune up.  The SMPS LinkedIn group had a discussion topic last week that asked the question about a process for moving a project forward.  The core of this question is really the focus of this message: How do you apply the correct pressure to the proper pressure points and move a potential project to your firm as a real project?  It is realy as easy as 1,2,3.

Business Development Professionals has a unique training program for firms seeking answers to this question.  The stalling client that was mentioned at the beginning of this post gave the project to my client last week.  With all the buzz about social media, new age marketing and relevant business development strategies, all business is still about people understanding the needs of people.  My approach is simple: Blend old school personal dynamics with social media and professional services pressure points.  The client tourniquet process is priceless. In one day you will change your approach to marketing and business development forever.