I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had companies come pitch me for work I was outsourcing but they made the presentation all about them.
They had a really nice PowerPoint with their bios, company information and statistics but they didn’t really show me that they understood my organization and my business needs.
Sometimes it even just seems like they took a standard presentation deck and put my company name on it and presented it to me.
On the flip side, the ones that really stood out were when they were specifically tailored to me.
When you make it all about you and your capabilities versus shifting to a client-centric mindset, you can alienate your prospective client.
Talk about their needs and challenges first. Make it about THEM.
You already got the meeting – you are on the short list. You don’t need to sell yourself – you need to prove why you are the right company for the job. You need to show your prospect that you get them and that you care about them.
Essentially throw away everything you used to do and start with the prospect.
Let them know that you understand their business needs and that you did the due diligence about them – going the extra mile to learn about their pain points, competitors, challenges and opportunities.
There’s plenty of time to talk about your company and why you are a good fit for them, but don’t lead with that or you may lose their interest and make them think you aren’t putting them first.
Show your potential client just how much you understand their business, care about them and that you took the time to research them. Do the due diligence.
Show me you know me. It’s that simple.
That is what will separate you from anyone else that is also in the running to work with them.
Being client-centric should be part of your every day and who you are as an organization.
Try adopting this mindset in all of your interactions both personal and professional and see how things change for the better.
Have you ever been on a job interview or a date where the other person talked about themselves the whole time and yet you wound up getting a job offer or a second date? And they told you things went exceptionally well?
Maybe you were dumbfounded but it’s because they had the opportunity to talk about themselves and to be in the spotlight. This would be especially the case if you asked them questions.
Adopting a centric-centric mindset and strategy will always be the right choice.