Jason Leister: Working With Clients Like A Ninja (Part II)

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Last week Jason introduced you to the principles of working with clients like a ninja. Now learn the last three…

PRINCIPLE TWO: Be Willing to Walk Away… ALWAYS

He who wants it least has the power. It’s a rough rode to attempt to change the way you feel, so I don’t recommend that as a quick route to success here. Instead, you just have to control the actions you take and the words you say. You don’t do things that express need.

The cool part about this is that, over time, this habit of action you are forming does actually invade your feelings. Eventually, when you’ve done it enough, you will find yourself developing a complete indifference to whether or not a particular piece of business closes. This is the position you want to be in. This is the position of power.

PRINCIPLE THREE: Always Think About the 4th Sale

I first heard that phrase from consultant Alan Weiss, from whom I’ve learned a ton over the years. The underlying principle, however, is a business strategy known by many successful entrepreneurs for centuries.

Always take the long view. That’s obvious right? But for service providers, it’s even more important. When you’re selling widgets, the primary motivation for buying comes from the widget. The customer sees the widget on the shelf and says, “I want that.”

When you’re selling yourself, though, things get a whole lot weirder. Now we’ve got humans involved, with emotions, fears, desires, insecurities, baggage, ISSUES.

This makes taking the long view even more important. But I’m not speaking about this in terms of “you want your client to come back.” The main idea I want you to think about is that HOW YOU ACT ON THE FIRST SALE is going to affect the size, ease and profitability of future sales.

That’s what makes “the entry” so important. It’s truly setting the tone for everything to come.

PRINCIPLE FOUR: “By the Seat of Your Pants” Is Not the Way to Fly

I wasted a lot of opportunity and time “flying by the seat of my pants” when it came to engaging with new clients. In the past, my goal was to “sell the client.” So I navigated my way through the situation trying to get to that goal.

Over the years, that approach has shifted as I began developing more of a PROCESS for entering a relationship with a new client. Now it’s more about the client going through the process than it is about me selling them. So as you are working through this part of your business, understand that the goal is to end up with a process you can follow.

This keeps emotion out of it. This allows deliberate movements that you’ve already thought through. This keeps you from reacting and keeps you focused on ACTING.