Creating Client Turning Points

In your interactions with clients, there are often pivotal moments when decisive change happens. Any services sales, for example, can have multiple turning points, such as the entry of a new competitor or turnover in the client’s executive ranks. Whatever the new wrinkle, you must adjust your thinking and adapt to it.

The most important turning point occurs when the client decides to become your client—which usually happens long before you try to “close” the sale. That pivotal moment results from a subtle shift in mindset: the client no longer sees you as a competing service provider, but as someone who could really help.

It’s possible to create that crucial turning point without even knowing it. Sometimes, you make a single observation or provide an insight, at just the right moment, that resonates with the client and creates an “aha” moment. Most likely, though, the turning point you want occurs because of your deliberate, consistent, and continuous delivery of client value throughout the sales process.

What this means is that you must design your sales process with two factors in mind. First, you have to uncover the real sources of value for each client, and those change from client to client. Your sales methodology won’t help you here. Instead, your analytical skills are your strongest asset.

Second, you need to learn how your client prefers to buy services. If a client wants personal briefings on your services and you trot out the usual dog and pony show, don’t expect to change the client’s view of you. If you can design a tailored buying experience and carefully align that with how your client wants to learn, you’re on your way to creating a turning point.

It’s impossible to predict for certain when (or if) a client will experience the turning point that tips a sale in your favor. But you can create a sales process that sows the seeds for that moment. And if you do that right, expect a higher rate of sales success at a lower cost.

Tagged as: Selling