Do our prospects always tell the truth? Some think not and they may be right. As I offer professional services I need a new client to be as committed to our relationship as I would be.
Over the years I have been in practice I have had apparently successful meetings with people who assured me they would be delighted to have me act for them, only to find that I never hear from them again. Should I keep following up and leaving messages? I am inclined to think I should not, because if they are avoiding me they do not wish to commit to me and I need to be paid at some point if I do the work.
So why do some positively encourage us to spend a long time with them with the prospect, in our mind at least, of a happy business relationship? There are two possible explanations. One is that they are not as comfortable with us as we are with them. The other is that they think they can pump more information out of us without having to pay for it. The truth from my side is that often we can fall into the trap of giving useful information which proves to be free in simply selling our services.
For example, if my prospect says that he is unhappy with the tactics used by his current professional in a tax investigation, if I honestly agree that the incumbent adviser is on the right track I will say so. However, if I suggest that I would take a different line, I might hope that I would get the business, but the prospect might simply suggest that his current practitioner change tack in the way I had suggested.
In another instance I came across, the prospect signed up and got past my usually reliable intuition when it comes to spotting hidden agendas. Our relationship did not last long because he would not share vital information with me, and I can only suppose he had some ulterior motive for consulting me in the first place; perhaps a family dispute.
If we keep honesty on our side in terms of what we can do for prospective clients, we will sign up most of them, assuming we are comfortable with them. We must not let such knock-backs from people who are using us get us down. On the contrary, we should be happy we can rise above them. Do you rise enough?
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