SENDING SIGNALS: The Ugly Truth About Those Small-Ticket, "Bargain-Hunter" Clients...

Sending Signals with Douglas Castle

Greetings, Noble Readers:

Fact: You'll do more work and incur more liability for a $100.00 transaction or client relationship than you will for a $10,000.00 transaction or client relationship. Here are several of the reasons, several of the strategies to deploy and several new ways to view "selling" your expert services to any client.

1. Clients who are bargain-hunting feel that they are doing you a good turn by "favoring" you with their "important business". They are possessed of an inherent feeling of entitlement at the outset of the relationship.

2. The poorer the client, the pettier the issues. Since their budgets are so severely constrained, they will demand more of you; they will be obsessive about getting their "money's worth".

3. Clients believe (sometimes subconsciously) that you "get what you pay for." Therefore, the less they pay, the less they respect you. No matter what is said, they will perceive you as desperate for courting and accepting their business.

4. The less a client pays, the more you are viewed as a "substitutable utility," or a "tradeable commodity," and the less you are viewed as a professional, an expert or as a success in your field.

5. Quoting Groucho Marx, "I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me as a member." Clients inherently resent consultants and service providers who would reduce their professional stature and dignity to accommodate an undesirable or inherently recalcitrant client.

6. A client who is able to obtain a rate concession from you with any degree of ease (and without a substantial quid pro quo) will continue to follow this precedent with further negotiations and concessions demanded of you.

7. Quote your own rates and remain firm. It is important to set a precedent of inflexibility in all matters which could bear some reflection on your self-worth. Make it a point to cite that your services are not inexpensive.

8. Always hesitate before accepting a prospect as a client, citing your unwillingness to take on an assignment that does not suit you, or to engage with a client with whom you don't know if you'll have adequate time. Be a bit of a snob -- a prima donna. Establish that a) your time is very valuable, and b) that you do not have much time to spare.

9. Make your prospective client "sell" himself or herself to "you." A client should feel as if he or she has won a grand prize when you've agreed to take on a proffered engagement.

10. Never invest a great deal of time in promoting yourself to a client. The longer you spend, the less valuable his or her perception of you, and the less regard for your time.

11. If a client puts you in the interrogation chair, immediately turn the situation around and ask a sensitive or humiliating question of him or her. Do not ever justify yourself or spend excessive time citing your experience or qualifications. I have found that the best way to deal with a client who tries to put you in the "hot seat," is to be quite cold and say, "I would think it most appropriate if you would conduct your own due diligence with respect to my work. When you've satisfied yourself as to my credentials, please telephone me then." If you are truly masterful, you might even say, "there are any number of firms/consultants who, I am certain, would make themselves available for your engagement -- in fact, maybe one of those firms/consultants would be more accommodating to your budget and needs." [This is actually quite insulting if it is said with a slight Thurston Howell III lockjaw accompanied by body language signalling aloofness -- you may wish to modify or tone down this approach. I just happen to enjoy it "as is"]

12) As a general rule, a prospective client who does not feel that he or she has had to win your confidence, attention and interest will always be difficult to work with. [I've ended a sentence with a preposition, just to impress you with the fact that I don't have to impress you...]. Let your client feel that he or she has found and retained the very best.

Starting a Client relationship is always business first, with familiarity and friendship much further down on your list of priorities. To purposefully misquote an old aphorism, "Too much familiarity breeds disrespect."

Stop throwing pitches and start catching clients. Don't sell -- educate, tantalize and aim very high.

Don't be enslaved by a whining galley of ungrateful, low-paying clients. They will ultimately destroy your reputation, and far worse...they will damage your precious self-esteem. No one has that right. Remember that.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/
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TERMS: pricing, fee structure, presentation, self-esteem, negotiations, perception, professionalism, education versus sales, over-selling, credibility, arrogance, indignity, respect, power, posturing, THE NATIONAL NETWORKER, blogs by Douglas Castle, familiarity, budgeting time, choosing clients, picking your battles, winning, negotiation, compromise, the value of your time, setting precedents...

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SENDING SIGNALS: The Ugly Truth About Those Small-Ticket, "Bargain-Hunter" Clients...