Look … times are tough. But I’m very good at what I do and I don’t have to keep selling and proving myself to people who are distrustful, looking for a bargain, so in the dark that they can’t make up their minds, don’t really know what they want or need, so bored or mentally ill that they just want you to keep selling to them … well you get the drift.
Sure, everyone has to sell themselves, their business, their product. But there comes a point where you’re eating into your profit by spending an enormous amount of time convincing someone (usually an entrepreneur or very small business owner) just how good you are. And they often can’t make the purchasing decision … ever … about anybody. This is not a real lead. It’s fishing in a toxic pond. You can’t let it get to you and you shouldn’t act desperate. Let someone else waste their time getting the business … if it’s there to be “got”. And what happens if you do get that kind of business? More of the same … every decision, suggestion, strategy, etc. needs to go through the same process. Just walk away. I do. And I sleep better at night for it.
I’m not talking about people who hire you (if you’re a consultant) and then all their fears and hidden neuroses emerge. Those people just require a huge amount of handholding and explanations but they really do want to get the job done. I’m talking about the ones who put out just enough bait but can never close the deal in their own mind … much less in reality.
My services are comparatively expensive. But what clients get for their money is a job done with strategy and not just a pair of hands or a templated off-the-shelf solution. Some clients who came to me have literally said, “I know you’re more expensive but I want the job done correctly.” They are very happy with the product. And continue to tell me so. Especially after I’ve increased their business by 6-fold or 10-fold. You don’t get those kind of results from cheap. Or off-the-shelf. No one tells clients that. So you have to. That is just before you walk away.
Your company or product is your special baby. Why treat it anything less than special?
Sandra Holtzman teaches CEO 035: Licensing.
She is the author of Lies Startups Tell Themselves to Avoid Marketing.