Turn Conversations into Fee Paying Clients

The 7 step method to convert ‘conversations’ to clients.

You probably have many conversations with potential clients in your agency. Perhaps on a daily basis? How many of them progress to become actual fee paying clients? How many of them end up being just ‘good conversations’?

There is a process that you can take people through that is so effective it will give you a huge advantage over any of your competitors to convert conversations to fee paying clients.

By the time you’ve taken people through this method they will be ready to buy from you.

Step 1: Listen / question / respond
Arguably the most important phase of any new conversation. This is the time to listen and learn. Ensure you always ask to speak to the client once they’ve invited you to pitch. Either in person (if they will agree to it) or via a phone call.

Often neither of these will be permitted. In which case ask to send through a list of questions. If the client still refuses to answer any questions be very wary. Is this something you realistically have a chance of winning? Most likely not and you could just be making up the numbers. You can always decline the conversation or pitch.

Step 2: Challenge & interrogate
There is a place for appropriately challenging and testing thoughts or ideas. As long as you have good rapport with the client you can ask relatively direct questions back in response. This is the time to go a bit deeper with the thinking or questioning.

“If we suggested X,Y,Z, how would that feel?” Another great question to ask is, “On a scale of 1-10 where do you want to be creatively? 1 being very safe and conservative. 10 being off the scale creatively” You will always get very different responses to this question! Their answers and reactions will help shape your creative at a later stage so make sure you take the time to do this.

Step 3: Interpret & create
Once you’ve understood their thinking you can now go away and begin your creative development. This is your time to start interpreting and translating it into your ideas. Do what you do best, that’s probably why they’re interested in you.

Step 4: Question
By now you should be confident in what the client is looking for and in your ability to win the pitch. If you’re not confident at this stage, ask yourself is it time to bow out? Would your time be better off spent elsewhere?

Once a plan is beginning to formulate in your mind can you go back to the client and test the water? By checking your thinking with them you can sense check if they like it. It’s also a great way of keeping the dialogue going with them.

If they’re happy to keep chatting (which they often are) – do it! However, make sure you don’t give away the big reveal until you need to. Keep most of the big creative back for now.

Step 5: Evaluate
Ask yourself as you go, are we fulfilling the brief here? Your job as the sales lead is to become the eyes and ears of the client. Sometimes creatives will get fixated on an idea that you know is not right.

This happens quite often and it’s your job to challenge back internally. It isn’t always an easy conversation to have but trust me it’s much better than losing the pitch because you didn’t say anything. Always try to think like the client and use their success factor and objectives. Evaluate as you go and don’t be afraid to change course if you need to.

Step 6: Deliver
You’ve come up with a brilliant creative idea or proposal. Now you have to go and deliver it. Decide who is going to be in the room. Think about the personalities involved and avoid any clashes. You want your best self, or your A team delivering their A game. So choose a time that best suits you. Try to avoid the middle slot if clients are block booking. Going either first or last is usually a better bet for making an impact. This is surprisingly effective at helping win more pitches – especially if you know you’ve nailed the creative! Get in there early, dazzle them and leave everyone else looking average. It works!

You should know who will be in the room from their side and what their individual agenda is. Are they focussed on the budget or the creative? Do they want the detail or the sizzle? You should know this because you’ve asked the question. Be ready for the difficult, challenging questions – embrace them head on, don’t fear them.

Step 7: Win!
By doing all of this and following the process you will have now built a dialogue with the client throughout. By the time you walk into that room, or send it digitally via email, you will be so aligned that you are making it very easy for them to say yes.

You have framed your company, your team and you as the only people that they should be awarding this project to. It is the natural choice for them to say yes, press the big green GO button! You have made it easy for them to buy from you.

This is ultimately what effective selling is all about.

The Client Key – A New Way, for New Business.