Selling a Complex Service, Part 3
Once in a while, a new business comes along that’s almost a guaranteed winner.
It’s something nobody else has ever done, and people immediately understand it and want it.
Uber is an example. Push a few buttons on your phone, any time of day or night, and within minutes a car pulls up with a driver ready to take you anywhere you want to go. Can you even remember life before Uber?
You might have something brand new that nobody has done before. If this is true, and enough people want your innovation, you could have an easy time becoming rich beyond your wildest dreams.
But what about the rest of us?
What to do if you’re not Uber
Let’s say you’re a real estate broker, a CPA, a divorce attorney or you offer IT solutions. Your prospects know what you can do for them. They know it’s something they need or want.
But they don’t see how you’re any different than your many competitors. In the eyes of your prospects, all of you seem to be promising basically the same thing. They think they’ve heard it all before.
If this is where you’re at, the secret is to focus less on what you do and emphasize how you do it.
You see, your prospects want the service you offer. They want to believe that you can solve their problems and take away their pain. But they’ve heard it all before, and they’ve grown cynical.
All you have to do is give them a reason to believe. Something concrete they can grasp.
It doesn’t even have to be something new or unique, just something your market doesn’t already know about.
Take a look at the process you go through with every new client. Break it down step-by-step. Then find one or more steps that will seem impressive to an outsider:
- “We have software that automates the 17 most common bottlenecks that cost you the most lost time and productivity.”
- “I’ll compare your property to at least 10 comps before I give you a number.”
- “We’ll give you a certificate printed on solid gold and a life-sized chocolate unicorn with your name engraved on it when you complete the program”
Maybe you’re only describing a best practice in your industry. But your prospects may not know this. If you are the first one to enlighten them, you’ve just planted your flag in uncharted territory. You’re now a leader in your field, giving your market fresh new hope.
What’s wrong with this picture?
This whole series is called “How to Sell a Complex service.” You can talk about how you achieve your prospect’s goals, but what if they don’t understand you?
We’re back at square one. But don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging.
In the next post, I’m going to give you one final tool that will make it clear to all your potential clients that you’re the one they should do business with.
The last step will take a little bit of work, but it should be fun. Not to mention, it’s one of the most powerful and effective things you can do.
