Over these years I have worked with numerous clients, individuals, small to large organizations across multiple organizations coming from various parts of the globe. In this short article, I have tried to summarize certain basics in pre-sales and sales to be followed when approaching a client or prospect.
Check – Listen – Understand – Question – Analyse and Suggest – Don’t hesitate – Stay connected
STEP ‘0’ – Check
Before approaching a client you need to know his business vertical and the industry he works in. Knowing the client before the first interaction always helps in creating a trust level in the client’s mind when approached and also eases the sales process.
STEP 1- Listen
It is the first instance when the client interacts with the company whose image he has created in his mind and tries to map that image with how you treat him. So, listen first to what the client has to say. Listen to his problem in as detail as possible with patience.
STEP 2- Understand
This step goes along with Step 1. Understanding what the client is briefing about does make a difference. You need to understand first and think by keeping yourself in the client’s shoes.
STEP 3- Question
Ask relevant questions to make the client open up with more details, expectations, and limitations in regards to his required solution. You should have clear and detailed answers to What is he looking for? and Why? How he is handling the problem presently? Is there any solution he has/ had taken to resolve the pain area?
STEP 4- Analyse and Suggest
Gathering all the information shared by the client and analyzing them thoroughly with an SME involved. Draft a solution around the client’s requirement first, and then map your available products and services with it. It should never be the other way around i.e. first drafting a solution around your available products and services, and then mapping them with the client’s requirement. This will not lead to an optimal solution and might result in failed system delivery.
STEP 5- Be honest and do not hesitate
Be honest and share what you have and what you don’t have. Do not hesitate to say ‘no’ when you don’t have the products and/or services that fit into the required solution. But make sure you have shown your expertise and capabilities to the client. Then give him a direction about how to fulfill the requirement. By now the client has built trust in you and your company’s capabilities and with the solution, you drafted even if you fulfill 50% of the requirement (30%-40% in case of large clients) the client will be inclined towards you.
STEP 6- Stay Connected and Don’t leave the client
Once a deal is done and handed over to the implementation team, do not run away or simply vanish from the client interactions. Stay connected, casually if not officially, with the client and the team working on it. Be ready to guide/ help them with the solution pitched/ solution delivered/ processes/ escalations or even something casual.
Pre-Sales and Sales are highly process-driven yet unpredictable when dealing with genuine clients. Often every client brings a new challenge, learning, and also a new way of doing business in the same vertical. Therefore, the above-mentioned steps are not necessary to be followed one after the other. There can be scenarios where Steps 1 to 5 are followed in the same interaction, especially where the closure cycle is short (days and weeks). Certain cases where closure cycles run into months often require a POC (paid or unpaid) to finalize the scope document of the final project even in such cases these steps are required to be followed.
Always keep in mind that with these steps when followed consistently with patience and utmost professionalism with a personal touch then even if you don’t close a deal with the customer, he will be your qualified source of future business or referrals.
