Go on, show them you care

Selling professional services has distinct challenges.  Knowledge is undoubtedly a hard thing to sell.  Buying decisions in this sector are based on building trust, demonstrating understanding and personal chemistry.  So, a successful sale is unlikely to be achieved through a cheap and cheerful generic email shot or price driven special offers.  It’s all about relationships.  And with all firms raising their game, it’s harder than ever to compete and differentiate your offer.

But let’s not get too preoccupied with the challenges.  Self-absorbed analysis of the difficulties and procrastination are not remedies.  It’s a proactive approach and positive solutions that will drive successful sales activity.  Although it’s easy to be reactive and take the “they’ll call me if they need me” approach, in a competitive market place you can’t rely on this to deliver.  Focus needs to shift to getting out there, understanding the issues your clients face and proactively providing them with solutions – good reasons to buy your services. 

It’s more important than ever to keep contact going with your clients – existing and potential.  If you’re not talking to your contacts regularly, there’s a good chance one of your competitors is.  Many businesses are facing tough times.  It’s a slight cliché but people buy people.  We prefer to work with people we like and who care about what we are trying to achieve.  So, why not call a contact and ask how things are going? Offer congratulations or a sympathetic ear depending on the tone of their news; people will remember who supported them through the bad times as well as the good. 

And don't make the contact a one-off. Keep it regular, keep it relevant and keep it coming!