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 Business surprises are hard to manage and always costly. Like having a flight canceled that gets you're entire trip thrown off, everyone goes into disaster recovery mode. Some surprises - like this - are out of your control. But when you get surprised by a client, "Did I forget to mention we're taking next week off and you'll need to get us that research by Friday?" it is a shame-on-you moment. That's where questions, questions and more questions become your best friends. The $300/hour corporate term is discovery. Here are some suggestions to better qualify your potential clients and even current clients as they grow with you.
I Need a Proposal: There are countless prospects who will suck the free information out of you whenever possible. You need to plan ahead for them. When you make it more difficult to get to you, your value grows and they are forced to get serious. To get to talk to me you need to fill out an appointment questionnaire. This serves two purposes:
1. The client qualifies themselves and provides key information that prepares us for an intelligent conversation, and;
2. It presents a barrier that most sales people will avoid. (Though, I did have one fill out bogus information. I hung up on him.)
Weed out your prospects early in the process. It's okay to turn people away. The law of supply demand will bring you more and better. It never fails - really. Trust it. Trust yourself.
My Budget is Small: That is prospect-speak for, "I'm running out of money and you are my last hope." Run away as fast as you can. Better yet, have levels of products/services that might fulfill their needs and budget without taking a lot of your time. Better to have affiliate relationships with others who you respect that will take them. Often, smaller businesses haven't laid the ground work before they want to fly. I'm often asked to help with a specific project when I can plainly see that no viability studies or research have been done. What are the minimum requirements clients need to work with you effectively? If you don't think you have any, think again. It might be geography, age, access to technology. Make sure this is clear before your time is wasted.
No - It Needs to be Pinker: Have you ever worked really hard only to get told you didn't get it just right? Each client has their own preconceived definition of right and unfortunately, most of us are not clairvoyant. I'm like most CEOs - get it 80% right and if needed we can iron out the rest later because the law of diminishing returns kicks in at that point. Because of this viewpoint, I need to learn up front how precise my clients expect us to be. If they are anywhere over 80% we need to come to early agreements of what the additional 20% entails and why they feel it's worth it. From my perspective, I need to charge more because I know that last 20% is going to take us twice as long as the first 80% and will give us ulcers.
Moral of the story: anticipate each and every conceivable quirk your clients could have. Deter time-wasting prospects with hoops and public disclosure of your fees. If some keep coming back insisting, "I'm ready this time, but just need a little more information," charge them a consultation fee that is refundable when they hire you. Don't be afraid to keep them honest. I can share that each and every time my gut said not to take a client and I do, another one shows up that's even better in the next week. No lie. The universe hates a vacuum and always fills it.
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Paula Pollock is CEO of the Pollock Marketing Group, further assisting good companies in becoming great through outsourced marketing services with her team of professionals. PMG supports business marketing at all levels from DIY, short-term projects and Virtual CMO/Marketing Department. You can sign up to receive her Marketing Tips newsletter at www.paulapollock.com
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