What do I mean by this? Even though I think things like content and ROI on spend are important, for others, it’s simply a case of ‘how it looks’. A phrase that remains with me from the session is “What’s important to you about…”

As simple as it sounds, isn’t it easy how these things can get overlooked? I know it has been for me on this subject. What if, after developing rapport, I could establish what exactly is important about their project and stick to those points?

A good example during the day was comment someone mentioned about a recent purchase of a kitchen and how she is miffed she could not remember the cost of all the bits that made up the kitchen. After a bit of scrutiny, it turned out it wasn’t really that important-a-factor for her in the scheme of things.

Don’t get me wrong, I can (and do) convert business. But how much more potent could I be if I could develop even more flexibility in my approach?

That said, I do have a caveat. I will still continue to refuse a web project if I think (and who am I to judge?) that the things the prospect wants to focus on is not money not-well-spent in terms of the project as a whole and their marketing spend: For me, marketing spend is about measurable return.

I could take the low road and accept every project whatever the request, after all, it’s not my money, but I personally believe that you won’t build a quality reputation this way.

Anyway, back to my point. I have just been looking at a website for a project that we lost out on a pitch to and it turned out to be a good looking website with all the right bits in the right place. But, the key aspect of the website – good clear content and basic SEO – has been overlooked in my opinion.

Is it still a nice website? Yes. Is the client happy? No doubt. Did I potentially lose the pitch due to my lack of flexibility in my sales approach…. I am guessing yes.

Nobody’s perfect But, the key is to continually learn.

I have been promoting a scheme recently and telling everyone who will listen what a great deal it is. I personally would buy one of these ‘things’ as an individual.

But, there is also a company version of the product in question and the client suggested that I buy one recently. Suddenly, I could not justify the business case.

I sell marketing as part of my job. Everyone needs it right? Nope. Turns out, some small companies get along fine without a marketing strategy.

Ask yourself. If you had to pay to have what your company offers, at the prices you charge – would you?

If not… there could just be an reason to modify your sales pitch.

At first glance, it seems like an unrealistic situation – that a client wouldn’t know what they are buying, but when you think about it, it’s probably the norm.

Last week, my car was in the garage having a windscreen wiper motor replaced. Only when I got the bill did I realise how expensive it was with me expecting a bill of around £60 and getting one for £120. A widget like this is a fixed price from the factory, so what must it be like if you are buying a product or service which is not identical supplier to supplier?

If I think about what I sell, for instance – websites – why should someone understand what they are actually buying and how much it should cost, especially when they are getting different sales pitches from different potential vendors?

From the client perspective, being objective when buying a website becomes a whole lot harder: A website is a website right? To me, as the vendor, I am potentially offering so much more, but:

1. The client can’t really compare the projects – they are both just ideas still.
2. If they go with me, they will have to wait until a few months after the delivery to wonder if they got value for money and even then , they still can’t compare it to the competitors solution because it was an either/or buy.

What’s the answer?

A sales pitch needs to change with every project – answering the wants, the needs and the pains of the client – not a generic product sell.

Testing this idea, I am finding that if I am marketing and selling products (or services), I need to refine the message more and more. On the web, this could mean multiple micro-sites for one company, each selling an appropriate message, eg. vertical markets. For lead generation, I am going for a more one-on-one approach, doing research before I even approach a prospect.

What’s more, it becomes very obvious that education plays a massive part in selling a complex product. We have been doing it for quite some time at The Escape with whitepapers and seminars and it can add a massive amount of weight behind your credibility as a potential supplier.

At the end of the day, no-one likes to feel stupid. Potential clients ( and I mean the individuals involved) are investing / taking a chance / putting their job or reputation on the line by choosing you – the more you can allow them to see the odds are stacked in your favour, the better the chance of winning the project – and delivering.

I went to an interesting round table yesterday about public sector and charities engaging with business (and vice versa). One specific comment in particular raised was the need to speak in a relevant language to “the other side” and how to begin a conversation in the first place.

Simple fact though is that many companies simply fail to start conversations in the first place, which can lead to the question at the head of this post.

With Blogs, email, Twitter, etc. there is no excuse for SMEs to not engage with their clients and the world in general. And then there is the telephone…

What if, as a small business marketer or sales person, you committed to contact one person each day, just for a catchup maybe, or to listen to what’s happening with them.

And, to make it easier; make that call with no sales angle. Just a simple catchup and chat.

It’d be interesting to see the results over a month.

Larger companies and consumer products/services probably need to lead from the brand, but in the world of small business B2B, people buy people, so I tend to advocate the use of personal profiles for the individuals.

But, here comes a dichotomy for me. With my personal brand online, such as this Blog and my Twitter profile, my personal traits have a tendency to rear their heads… I can sometimes be blunt, impatient and defensive. Questions is, if I suppress these, am I not being genuine?

My problem (and this may be a good thing) is that I don’t. If someone asks a question, I may choose to offer an opinion in my field of expertise, even if it’s not what they want to hear. If I am battling for a cause, I will stand my ground and debate.

When everyone has a voice online, you are bound to get clashes due to styles of engagement. For instance, I hate people selling on Twitter. And, sometimes, even if they think they are doing nothing wrong, the sales person shines through, it’s in their nature: Like the serial networkers of BNI and Ecadamy, et al. It may work for them, but it certainly does not float my boat and the guard goes up.

Although they are closely linked, marketing is not sales, and I think this point sometimes loses it’s way online. In a social environment, do people want to be sold to?

I once overheard an ‘old school’ gentleman say something at a gathering and although the context is different, it sticks with me. “They are not our kind of people” he told someone about another family (it wasn’t a bigoted remark BTW).

With the number of people on the social media channels, you will obviously get people you like and people you don’t like and perhaps the less vanilla you are the more likelihood you will engage with the people who really ‘get’ you.

Of course, a great part of the whole social media machine is control… you just switch off the ones you don’t connect with. And, if the boot is on the other foot and I am not your bag, I’m sure you will be switching me off too.

For instance, two years ago, I was suggesting Blogging as a great tool for small businesses to interact with their clients. Now, I would suggest that it doesn’t reap enough reward for the amount of effort it involves. I had a tried and tested ‘marketing model’ that needs to be put on the shelf because the recession is dictating a speedier sales lead time.

I change my mind when it is necessary. Whether that’s when I learn a new viewpoint or when the external circumstances dictate that I need more flexibility.

It’s a bit like when a news interviewer questions a politician about a sound-byte they said [maybe] ten years ago. “But, Mr X, that’s not what you said in the 2000 election, quite the opposite in fact.”

This kind of contradiction is often cited as being a weakness, showing “lack of commitment” or the like.

But, it’s inevitable that as you see more points of view in your life through experience, your view point changes – usually expanding – as you understand more about the other sides of a story or realising a ‘fact’ you knew isn’t 100%.

We see this contradiction in all walks of life, whether it’s the type of mortgage that you “really should get right now” or the latest fashions of “what to wear” or, one close to my heart, the “rules” of marketing. Things change… change is the only constant.

That said, it seems that human beings aren’t big fans of change, many preferring a reversion back to the “way it was”, which is of course impossible. Just look at the outcry this week down to the changing interface of Facebook.

Circle Of Understanding

As we walk through life in our little circles of understanding we collide with other people’s knowledge and influence and we are (of course) affected by the interaction. How we use the change, and the strength we give ourselves to accept that our viewpoint can change in the first place, the more rounded our appreciation of life in general can improve.

A friend, Daryll Scott, when faced with a question about his subject will answer “My current understanding/belief is…”

Me, I love nothing more than sitting in a meeting and professing that “I don’t know” or saying “now, if you’d asked me the same question last month…”

One thing I am ‘always’ good at is seeing ‘big picture’ and having a bloody good guess at where something may be going. For instance, about five years ago, I suggested that our design business had to develop because the web would expedite a drop in the requirement for printed products. It has. Also, in October 2007, we started planning for a recession that came in 2008.

Both of these suggestions now seem ridiculously obvious and maybe they were so at the time and as I am half way through an excellent book called The Black Swan – about predictability (or impossibility at predicting) – I would suggest that both ideas were lucky guesses to some extent.

Other examples of long-term thinking have been free ‘gift’ projects I’ve done at The Escape with a view to elevating our profile, which in turn has turned into paying work. This process creates a pipeline of business that’s worthwhile, but it takes a hell of a long time to turn to cash and only about 20% of these projects evolve into business. That said, when it comes down to return on investment – the plan works.

So, I can fool myself into thinking I am good at long term planning.

But, one thing that is becoming more and more apparent is my lack of being more ‘pushy’ (for want of a better word) – of closing the sale, or of making the hard business decision sooner rather than later.

I’m not talking about becoming agressive. I’m talking about taking action sooner and doing short term planning.

Luckily, my business partner complements my current skillset in this paradigm, but, coming back to honesty with myself – it’s an area that needs a bit of focus. The great thing about working with someone who is very good at ‘short-term’, I’ve got someone to copy.

But, how to you generate a new and engaging sales proposition… again and again?

Vertical Marketing

Well, you could go down the route of creating sales propositions for vertical markets within your existing client base. After all, it’s easier to sell to an audience you know about.

A contact I met once had a great tactic of segmenting her client base and then approaching each market, asking about current industry related problems that they were facing. She’d then go back to the drawing board and create a bespoke marketing proposition for the problems in the form of white papers for publishing. Great way to utilise PR and gain relevant market attention.

But I Don’t Know What To Talk About!

A constant theme when I introduce people to Blogging is content.

In fact, I’d argue that most clients struggle with content as an ongoing problem, even after they have insisted (and invested) in a Content Management System so they can continuously update their website themselves.

A Problem Is An Opportunity

I don’t know about you, but I have problems almost daily in one shape or form. Problems that can be converted into a sales proposition. In fact my example above is prime for a webmastering or content generation service.

I’m not sure if some marketers are waiting to be slapped around the face with the ”bleedin’ obvious” or what. All I know, is that behind every problem (whether it’s mine or a clients) is a sales proposition waiting to happen.

Client retention is the new “new business” for 2009.

Maybe it’s the old 80/20 rule:

• 80% of your income will come from 20% of your clients
• 80% effort to get new clients / 20% to keep what you have

I love new business and I think it’s essential to any company. The nature of client relationships are such that there is always a need to attract new business to replace the business you will organically lose over time – there is a cycle.

But, I wonder how much business is lost too soon by taking clients for granted, not being hungry enough to treat them like they’re new.

It’s like when you get a new person in your life – the sex is amazing and after a while familiarity changes that initial excitement and it goes one of two ways. You either lose interest and go through the motions, or, you discover new ways of pleasing the peron that you love.

Tim Coleman, County Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses made a cracking comment (paraphrased) in response:

“if you are sitting waiting for work to fall on your desk from the sky, you’ll be waiting a very long time.”

Forget marketing, some small businesses and their owners seem to expect the orders to come to them! What happened to good old fashioned sales?

It reminds me of the time I built someone a website back in 2000 and he wanted to sue me because his phone didn’t start ringing the day after his website went live.

The thing is, there is work out there. There are sales to be had even during a recession, but we need to go out and find the leads. We need to be tenacious and chase them down… hard.

Any business owner who goes bust during the recession (or during anytime) will no doubt want to blame anyone but themselves, but really, they’ll only have themselves to blame.

Time to look in the mirror everyone, but not for too long. Best to start looking outwards for those opportunitues that do exist… before it’s too late.