One of the benefits of being in a position to authorize purchases of services is the opportunity to be on the receiving end of a lot of sales calls. You can learn a lot which can be passed on to your attorneys just by paying attention to the sales techniques of the sales people who come to hawk their wares.
Sometimes you learn a gold nugget of salesmanship. But sometimes that gold is fool's gold when applied in the wrong way or used in the wrong context. Take the technique of asking open-ended questions to learn about the client's business, as an example.
The prevailing wisdom in legal sales techniques is to compile a list of questions to ask clients or prospects about their companies to learn their 'pain points', what's important to the company, and the industry trends that are keeping them up at night. They are sold by many training guru's as golden questions to discover how you can best help the company. But are these questions really the best way to discover needs? Do they communicate interest in the company and the prospect's time?
I've been on the receiving end of these questions, sometimes offered quite expertly. From experience, I can tell you that the initial impression that the salesperson is really interested in my business is fleeting. The feeling that the questions are standard and rehearsed takes over. The sense that the questions lack a foundation in time researching my firm and industry takes over. The impression that I'm having to educate this salesperson in order for them to sell me begins to taste bitter. The more of these types of questions asked the quicker I begin to fidget in my seat and look for ways to excuse myself from the meeting.
What I respond to best, and what I believe most people respond to best, are questions designed to clarify the research already conducted on the prospects business. Instead of asking questions that can apply to any company's business, ask questions that are specifically relevant to the prospects business. This requires research and analysis of the client's business to formulate meaningful questions. But these questions are more likely to lead to real issues that the company faces.
Think about it. When you are in the initial trust building phases of a new relationship, open ended generic questions require the prospect to divulge company issues. The relationship hasn't been built up well enough to expect this to happen. Instead, prospects respond when the questions are specific to their business, show serious research into their issues and help them think through those issues in ways that help them deal with the issues.
Here's an example to clarify the difference.
Generic question: "What types of issues are you most concerned about today?"
Company relevant question: "Your competitor has had difficulty in getting patents protected in several foreign countries. What are you doing to protect your intellectual assets overseas?"
The more customized the questions, the more the prospect is likely to get something out of the discussion and the greater the impression you make that you understand their business and are ready to hit the ground running if they award you work. Demonstrate your investment in understanding their business and you will gain credibility and trust more quickly.
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Thank You!
© 2011 Eric G. Dewey
