Copyright © 2009 Judy Murdoch
Have you had this experience recently?
You meet someone and all signs point to "GO" that this person needs your services. Even better, they seem to have a budget and the willingness to hire someone (like you?!) to solve the problem.
After the initial introduction and hearing a little bit about what your prospect is needing, you come to the moment in which your prospect is waiting for you to say something. They may even invite you to talk about your business and how you help customers by saying something like, "So what is it you do exactly?"
And you proceed to tell your prospect exactly what he or she seems to be asking for--HOW you work with clients so they get the results they're wanting.
About halfway into your explanation, you notice that although your prospect is still looking at you and listening politely, their eyes have a glassy look. They may even be sneaking glances around the room.
If you're like me, you may get an awful, panicky feeling, like, "Omigosh, I've lost them."
Unfortunately, when we try to convince prospects we can help by presenting a detailed account of our process, we do, in fact lose them.
We have gotten stuck in PROCESSLAND!
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Getting Stuck in Processland is a Common Problem
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Don't feel bad if you've gotten stuck in processland: you have lots of company.
You see, when a prospect asks you, "what does your company do?" you want to reassure them that they can trust you. That you really can help them solve their problem so they get the results they want.
To reassure them you take them through how you solve their problem so they have lots of evidence that you know what you're doing and you're very good at doing it.
And you're correct, your prospect IS wanting reassurance but not the kind you're giving them.
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What Your Prospect is REALLY Asking For
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When you are in the early stages of developing a business relationship, questions like "What is it your company does?" is customer speak for "Can you help me?" Or more accurately, "Can you help businesses in the situation I'm in?"
Because if they're already liking and trusting you, they really want the answer to be YES. If the answer is yes, they can go on to the next stage to having a business relationship with you.
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How to Avoid Getting Stuck in Processland
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Fortunately, it's pretty easy to avoid marketing that gets you and your prospect stuck in Processland.
In fact, just two easy steps.
Step #1: Stop Answering Prospect Questions with Step-by-Step Process Descriptions
No matter how tempting it may be, if this is your first or even second meeting with a prospect, don't get into step by step process descriptions.
Step #2: Tell a Story Instead
The best response is short results-focused success story. Key parts of the story are:
Here's an example used by a Pilates practitioner:
"One of my clients came to me because she was getting married in six weeks and she was frantic because she had gained some weight and her wedding dress was too tight."
"She was dieting and doing aerobics but was really struggling to get her tummy tighter. She said she had always felt embarrassed by her 'fat stomach'."
"I told her aerobics are great overall but they don't help you with specific 'problem spots'. Pilates would help her get a smaller waistline because the exercises strengthens all of the muscles that hold in her stomach. As a plus she would start to see results from Pilates within a few weeks."
"In four weeks my client's waist was so well-defined that she actually needed to have her dress taken in before she got married and several people wanted to know what diet she used to look so great."
Note the Pilates Instructor never gave details around the type of Pilates she used, she didn't talk about specific muscle groups or give the client an anatomy lesson.
She stuck to the main points so her prospect could feel reassured that Pilates would help.
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Bottom Line
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When a prospect asks "what do you do?" they are asking you to reassure them that you can help people in their particular situation. Avoid answering with detailed step-by-step process descriptions. Instead answer with a short success story about a customer you helped whose situation mirrors that of the prospects.
Answering with a success story will help to reassure your prospect that you can, indeed, help them so they can take the next step to becoming a customer and getting that help.
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
