Fill and Sign the Checklist Communicating with Prospective Clients Form

Checklist -- Communicating with Prospective Clients Analyzing Characteristics of Prospective Client:  Seeks challenges, initiates activity.  Risk takers, nothing ventured; nothing gained.  Goal oriented, driven by results.  High ego.  High energy.  Wants to win; inherent dislike for losing or failure.  Works hard and longs to be successful.  Seeks their own solutions to problems; in this way their independent nature comes into play.  Creative and active minds; at times, visionary.  Challenges people who volunteer their opinions. Communicating with Prospective Client:  Provide questions, alternatives and choices for making their own decisions.  Be specific and leave nothing to chance.  Give strokes for their involvement.  Provide suggested systems for them to follow.  Be isolated from interruptions.  Ask specific (preferable "what?") questions.  Come prepared with all requirements, objectives and support material in a well organized package.  Most comfortable in environments where constraints can be loosened. Why They Might Say "No"  Don't perceive cost/benefit.  Don't believe the hype; they've been burned before.  The perceived pain outweighs the expected benefit.  Perceived lack of time.  They think they already have the answers.  They think that they've already tapped their co-workers knowledgebase.  View this as another "re-engineering" program.  Don't trust the individual selling it; lack of relationship and credibility.  Thinks their CPA, CFO, etc., is already doing it.  Don't want to risk the "time" even if they have a satisfaction guarantee.  Don't want someone to take them back to "ground zero."  Don't want to risk embarrassment. More “Tips”  Are you clear about the purpose of your communication?  Do you know what you want to happen as a result? (What will people feel or think? What will they do?)  Do you know exactly with whom you need to communicate?  Have you identified the ‘WIIFM factor’ (what’s in it for me)?  Have you mapped out what you want to communicate?  Have you put it in order?  Have you identified what one thing you really want them to hear and remember?  Have you identified the one thing that they will want to know?  Have you identified the right time to deliver the presentation?  Have you identified and prepared any ‘tools’ that might help you (e.g., pictures, stories, evidence)?