There is an old saying that is just about the purest description of selling at the highest level there is . . .
“If you can grow my business you can have my business.”
Think about that for a moment, because when we cut through all the levels and layers and get down to what really drives the whole transaction dynamic, this really is the bottom line.
And it is the level, by the way, where the most important people in any given company live and breathe every day.
Often, our value propositions fall short of connecting to how our products and services can help a client grow their business.
On the surface, it may seem to be more about cost control, efficiency or productivity. But, of course, if we look deeper, all of these elements tie back to freeing up capital to apply to the income side of the business . . . to marketing and sales and new business development.
And those are not only the highest leverage areas of the business . . . they are also the most fun for business owners and senior managers to talk about and dream about.
When we were leasing expensive office space on high floors to law firms, we spent a lot of time steering the conversation to the impression the views would have on bright young recruits who would come into the firm and generate income.
Smart bankers emphasize the many contacts they can introduce their clients to in the private dining rooms they have and the exclusive roundtables they hold.
The best insurance salespeople match different clients with possible common interests at lunches and golf outings.
Everybody is looking for a fair price for goods and services. That is the ante into the sales game.
Then they look for a decisive advantage, and that advantage can be gained by showing a prospect how we will not only help him on the efficiency side, but how we will help him generate income in far more creative and robust ways than our less strategic competitors.
