Harry was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business. He had just found out that his rich father was seriously ill, and on his father’s death he would inherit the family fortune.
Harry had a plan. He would search for a wife with whom he could travel the world and spend the fortune.
He soon spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He approached her with a proposal she couldn’t refuse. “Listen,” he said to her, “I may look like just an ordinary guy, but in a few months time my rich ill father will die and I will inherit his vast fortune. Marry me and let’s travel the world together.”
The woman seemed to be very interested, asked for his business card and ten days later, she became his stepmother.
How often have we put a proposal to our client’s believing they just couldn’t refuse, only to find out that they did not find it so appealing and ended up appointing one of our competitor’s.
During the time the client is evaluating our proposal we need to keep in touch to make sure we haven’t missed something and wherever possible give further details and make our proposal more attractive. It’s often when the client goes quite that doubt sets in. It is at these times and our competitors may secure the project we were so convinced would be ours.
So this tells us that it is critical to find out what the actual needs of the clients are. We need to make sure we totally understand their situation, make sure they have the authority to appoint us and know who else could influence the decision. We also need to know who else they are talking to and what our competitors are likely to offer. When we know this we are able to put forward that irresistible proposal, showing we can deliver what our clients require with added value and benefits. We need to differentiate ourselves, set ourselves apart from the competition and never sit back assuming the job is ours until the contract is signed.
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