Oh what a year it has been.
2008 has come to a close and the hollow echo of ’2008 is going to be great’ has long faded off into the abyss.
It is time to start planning for the New Year.
What will you do to crush the competition?
Commit to Transparency – This word has been front and center over the last many months. Barack Obama invoked it in his bid for the presidency. Congress has called for it when evaluating the success of the recent bailout packages.
Clients demand transparency, especially after the financial debacle that 2008 has been.
In 2009 commit to transparency in all that you do.
Make certain your client communications are clear, that your product explanations are concise.
Error on the side of giving more decision making information vs. less.
If part of your sales and marketing approach is to hide, temper, lessen, be vague, or otherwise shy away from the complete set of facts as you know them you will fail in the end.
Increase Responsiveness – self doubt and concern about so many things – jobs, incomes, investment returns, and housing prices – have not been greater in my memory. During these times people appreciate professionals that are highly responsive.
The benefit of your increased response time is that your client or prospect can move on to their next issue, problem, inquiry, or concern and move you off of their radar – in a positive way.
Why be the additional source of anxiety or stress – albeit unintentionally – with anyone you wish to advance a relationship with?
Listen More Intently – are you hearing what your sender is saying or simply waiting for the opening to speak yourself? People notice when other people listen.
With times as sketchy as they are, people want to be truly heard more than ever.
Take a bit more time in your interactions to check in. Go a shade beyond the business topic and ask about family, friends, and pets – and listen to the answer.
You might be stressed, and they might be stressed, and in those circumstances we need to treat each other with an extra dose of caring.
Sure, crushing your competition will always be about product, price, value, service, smarts, hustle, etc., etc.
In 2009 it will also be about transparency, responsiveness and listening.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve found some some good success when you combine the 3 attributes you mention.
If you can be amazingly responsive in times where your client is requesting information about your company (or maybe you hear them voice concern about the general state of an industry), and you are as transparent as legally possible, you will be able to establish trust in a time where trust isn’t as plentiful as it was even a year ago.
Was Bernard Madoff tranparent, responsive and did he listen? Well, he probably was responsive and listened to the fact the people were looking for returns. We will all pay the price for the fact that he wasn’t transparent, and will need to break through the damage that he has done.
@Ryan
Great point. Most of the MQs are inter-twined. It is the sum of all that make you especially memorable.
They also cut both ways, don’t they? Maybe I should look at some of the great scam artists – likely I’ll uncover that they had many of the attributes but used them for evil vs. good.