BRANDUCATION: Think like a shark--Are you or your client a fish in the wrong water?
buzzz worthy. . .
I'm a big fan of the show "Shark Tank." The insight I gain from each episode is practical.
Airing on NBC It's a show where business owners pitch their products to a group of prospective investors who have made multiple millions of dollarsan are willing to invest in new products for a stake in the company. I get excited right after the pitc. That's when the sharks begin to ask questions to decide if they'll make an offer. They invariably want to know how the prospectivebusiness partnrr they o business and if they can work together.
I believe every biusinessconsutnt showldthink like a shrak and ask prosepctie client the right question
Every business needs customers to stay in business. Withoutthem it woudlbe hard to stay It's not always good branding practice for small businesses that operate in an advisory capacity (i.e., coaches, subject matter experts and consultants, ad and pr agencies) to accept every customer.
Fielding customers to make sure they are a good fit for your business is a matter of protecting your reputational assets.
A fish anolgy best illustrates this point.
Literally, all fish are not the same. A fresh water fish was not created to live in salt water and vis ver sa. Unless the fish acclimates to the new water (i.e. environment) they will "drown" fast. So it is in business. Customers are a bsuiensses primary investorsThe best way to avoid a customer clash in the first place is to target the customer you know you can serve best. Once you begin the relationship, you must have a team or partner concept from the start. Beware of the customra business standpoint, making sure you are playing on the same team before either of you wastes valuable tme. One of the key components of the M.O.V.E. (Mastering Optimized Value and Efficiency) Program is mindset.
It's important to know the mentality of your customer before agreeing to represent them. A meeting and a visit or tow to their place of business with a questionnaire in hand will be enough to get an initial read on how they think and operate. This sense of clarity works both ways. The customer should also be familiar with the business model and/or reputation of the agency before signing on. I'm referring to business culture and mindset. At some point in the early part of a businessreleationship the business styles of both parties must conjugate. When deciding what customers to serve and how to serve them, ask the right questions upfront to ascertain theri stage of development and how they do business. Explain your processes and procedures for managing work flow in the beginning to see how they respond.
Try to get teh real scope of the work they want performed and decide if you can commit the resoures to fulfilling the request to the customers satisfaction.
Here are a few examples of the "right" preliminary questions to ask for prospecting purposes
haveou ever worked with an agency bfore?
What are your goals
What is your timeline
Who is the projct ead and decion maker i the company
I'm a big fan of the show "Shark Tank." The insight I gain from each episode is practical.
Airing on NBC It's a show where business owners pitch their products to a group of prospective investors who have made multiple millions of dollarsan are willing to invest in new products for a stake in the company. I get excited right after the pitc. That's when the sharks begin to ask questions to decide if they'll make an offer. They invariably want to know how the prospectivebusiness partnrr they o business and if they can work together.
I believe every biusinessconsutnt showldthink like a shrak and ask prosepctie client the right question
Every business needs customers to stay in business. Withoutthem it woudlbe hard to stay It's not always good branding practice for small businesses that operate in an advisory capacity (i.e., coaches, subject matter experts and consultants, ad and pr agencies) to accept every customer.
Fielding customers to make sure they are a good fit for your business is a matter of protecting your reputational assets.
A fish anolgy best illustrates this point.
Literally, all fish are not the same. A fresh water fish was not created to live in salt water and vis ver sa. Unless the fish acclimates to the new water (i.e. environment) they will "drown" fast. So it is in business. Customers are a bsuiensses primary investorsThe best way to avoid a customer clash in the first place is to target the customer you know you can serve best. Once you begin the relationship, you must have a team or partner concept from the start. Beware of the customra business standpoint, making sure you are playing on the same team before either of you wastes valuable tme. One of the key components of the M.O.V.E. (Mastering Optimized Value and Efficiency) Program is mindset.
It's important to know the mentality of your customer before agreeing to represent them. A meeting and a visit or tow to their place of business with a questionnaire in hand will be enough to get an initial read on how they think and operate. This sense of clarity works both ways. The customer should also be familiar with the business model and/or reputation of the agency before signing on. I'm referring to business culture and mindset. At some point in the early part of a businessreleationship the business styles of both parties must conjugate. When deciding what customers to serve and how to serve them, ask the right questions upfront to ascertain theri stage of development and how they do business. Explain your processes and procedures for managing work flow in the beginning to see how they respond.
Try to get teh real scope of the work they want performed and decide if you can commit the resoures to fulfilling the request to the customers satisfaction.
Here are a few examples of the "right" preliminary questions to ask for prospecting purposes
haveou ever worked with an agency bfore?
What are your goals
What is your timeline
Who is the projct ead and decion maker i the company
