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5 Integral Steps to Help Secure Every Potential Contract

Posted December 21, 2007 in Business, How-To 8 Rockin' Comments »

Have you ever lost a prospective client before?

If you answered “yes”, then there’s a good chance you’ve experienced the feeling of a lost opportunity. Ignoring the fact that it may be a blessing in disguise sometimes, you don’t want to be in the habit of missing out on potential business.

What if I was to tell you, you could considerably cut down your chance of losing possible clients, just by changing a few simple aspects of your approach?

Going The Second Mile

I’ve always been a believer in the power of sincerity. Thankfully, it’s something that is completely natural to me. I’ve never had to try to be sincere, I just am. I guess I have my mother to thank.

Sincerity on its own can go a long way in gaining the confidence of people. Nevertheless, it’s not always enough. What you say can be as vital as how you say it, in gaining the confidence of the potential client, and securing the contract.

1. Make It Personal

When you begin to dialogue with someone who is interested in your services, show that you are interested in them right from the outset - not just their needs and money. You can do this by addressing them personally. Be aware of their name, and address them with it.

However, be careful. Just because you know their name is ‘John’, doesn’t mean you can assume you ought to address him as ‘John’. It may be Dr. Smith. If they have a title, address them with it, unless they tell you otherwise.

2. Let Them Feel Comfortable

You’re a freelancer; your time is very precious to you. However, if you make your potential client feel like your time is more precious to you than they are, then they’re not going to feel comfortable around you. The trick here is to use an icebreaker.

Now you may choose what icebreaker you’d like to use, but I’d advise against the clichéd ones. For example, everyone knows that when the checkout assistant asks, “How are you today?” they aren’t really interested in how you’re feeling. If you want, you can prove this by telling them of all your woes and trials the next time they ask. Do this, and you can be sure you’ll be the hot topic of discussion at the next smoke break!

If at all possible, know a little about who you’re talking to. If they are the boss of their own business, say something like, “I hear you’ve just started out this year, how are things going?” Or, if they work to someone else, you could say, “How long have you been working for [enter company name]?”

3. Find A Connection

This leads on from the last point. It’s not absolutely necessary, but I have seen it work so well time and time again, and it is a gem for cold calling work. However, it’s also useful for winning clients who are already interested.

The idea is, find something in common with them. The best is a family connection.

If you recognize the family name, and have a feeling that you went to school with their brother, mention it (unless you really didn’t get on with him). If you somehow figure out that your dad worked with theirs, casually make them aware that you know. It can help develop not only an easy flow of comfortable conversation, (you can continue with something like, “What’s he doing now?”) but it also builds a bridge between you. It’ll subconsciously make them feel like you’ll probably do a better job for them, simply because you have a connection.

If you don’t know them, or their family in any way, maybe you know they play golf. If so, ask them what they play off (handicap). If you know they play tennis, ask them if they’re going to be watching the Australian Open next month.

The point is, make an effort to build bridges which make them more comfortable. It’ll make securing the deal later on, a lot easier.

4. Create An Atmosphere of Mutuality

Right from the beginning, both of you are aware that you’re going to be doing some negotiating. But, the trick is to never negotiate like you’re negotiating. If you say, “Let’s negotiate this”, it’ll immediately make both of you possess a defensive attitude. There’s nothing relaxed or liberal about negotiating. So, rather than make it obvious that you’re negotiating, use phrases like:

• “Let’s discuss this, and come up with a solution which works for both of us”
• “This is going to be a bit of a challenge. Let’s find a solution together.”
• “Let’s give this some consideration, and I’m sure we’ll figure out the best option.”

The key here, as you can see from the above examples, is to avoid ‘I’ as much as possible. You don’t want them to feel you’re only concerned with your own requirements.

5. Never Promise What You Can’t Guarantee

As you get down to discussing the details of your business with each other, and what services you can provide the potential client with, be careful not to build the wrong atmosphere. People aren’t stupid. If you oversell, you’re either going to make yourself look like you’re desperate, or, if you manage to get their business, you’ll look stupid when you under-deliver.

I say again, never promise what you can’t guarantee.

If you are a web designer, do not say, “I promise you, you will be delighted with what I’ll produce for you.” That’s just asking for trouble, especially with something so subjective as web design. What’s more appropriate, is to say, “I promise you, I will do my best to create what will cater to your exact needs.” You can guarantee your best effort, but not how much they will like it.

Finally

Your approach to potential clients is almost as vital to the survival of your business, as the service/product you provide. I’ve deliberately concentrated on aspects of your verbal approach. However, there are heaps of other little details which can compliment these steps, such as taking them out for lunch, making them a coffee, and doing other intuitive things, which make them feel important to you.

Also be aware, that all these steps apply to written communication (letter, fax, email), as well as speaking over the phone, and face-to-face meetings.

Any tips?

Have you any tried and tested tips, which help you to seal-the-deal? Please share them. I’m always on the look out for tips, which will help me to secure every potential client.

Armen

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About the author: Armen Thomassian is an aspiring designer who is currently living in South Australia. He’s recently released a premium WordPress theme for Charity

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Pictures used in this post: Pïcture #1 - Picture #2