We specialize in a comprehensive growth strategy for accounting firms that encompasses lead development, niche creation or expansion, identification and closure of firms to acquire or merge, as well as image refinement; websites, literature and email strategies. Our firm does not just design a plan we implement it for you by making the calls to the CFO, Controllers and other executives you are targeting. We help coach your professionals on how to handle leads that are developed, which creates a sales culture and defined sales strategies for firms.

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Don’t think negatively when fees are brought up. This is the single greatest buying sign in the world. 99 out of 100 prospects do not want a fee quote. They want to make a change. The fee quote is just to see how crazy in or out of line you will be based on what they have been paying. If you think it’s a $20,000 opportunity and the prospect is paying $10,000 now, then either you mispriced the opportunity, the prospect is getting something at a great deal, or the prospect and you are not on the same page as to exactly what needs to be purchased. I’d rather know immediately that ...]]> When most people hear a prospect wants a fee quote, they think the prospect is shopping and wants a low-ball provider. There’s some truth to that, but here’s what you should be hearing when they mention fees. “Great, this means they are probably having service issues or a relationship break or change has occurred and they are now in the process of seeing what someone else can offer.”

Don’t think negatively when fees are brought up. This is the single greatest buying sign in the world. 99 out of 100 prospects do not want a fee quote. They want to make a change. The fee quote is just to see how crazy in or out of line you will be based on what they have been paying. If you think it’s a $20,000 opportunity and the prospect is paying $10,000 now, then either you mispriced the opportunity, the prospect is getting something at a great deal, or the prospect and you are not on the same page as to exactly what needs to be purchased. I’d rather know immediately that there is a pricing issue and move onto the next prospect.

Keep in mind that most clients do not want to switch providers. They switch because of a service issue, relationship change or fee problem. And, it normally takes several incidents to occur before they decide to switch, so if a prospect talks price, pay attention because it might close fast.

This is where the fiery ball of success or failure comes into play. By being too conservative in your approach and not asking for the business, you can lose the opportunity to overcome the perceived obstacle that the prospect may have in their mind. If you take the passionate route and ask how we can begin working together, you can begin to flush out the obstacles. Is price an issue? Is the service or product not a good ...]]> When selling, most people take one of two paths. They either are conservative in their approach; less aggressive, more passive. Or they take a more aggressive approach; showing greater passion, exerting a greater amount of control and being more active. The safest route to take is the conservative one. It’s less intimidating and typically the rejection is not as immediate because of the conservative approach. The passionate approach is more dangerous because you run the risk of getting an immediate rejection, which most people don’t like to have happen to them, but there is more upside to the passionate approach than downside.

This is where the fiery ball of success or failure comes into play. By being too conservative in your approach and not asking for the business, you can lose the opportunity to overcome the perceived obstacle that the prospect may have in their mind. If you take the passionate route and ask how we can begin working together, you can begin to flush out the obstacles. Is price an issue? Is the service or product not a good fit? Is there a personality clash or some other issue that prospect is thinking, but did not want to say?

Get it out on the table immediately. See if there is a resolution. If price is a problem, talk about it. Maybe there is another solution. It could be that the prospect thinks your firm is too small or does not have the right experience. By getting the issues on the table you can get to an answer quickly. The answer might be the fireball of failure and then you agree to part ways. But, at least you know the outcome. The upside is the prospect tells you what obstacles they believe are in the way and you can resolve them and they buy from you. The fiery ball of success.

This process works. You don’t want to think you have business that is not real. It’s better to have a pipeline of zero prospects than one full of false ones that never will materialize. Plus you will add clients that would have walked away otherwise by having a real and honest conversation with them.

Most sales professionals understand the reason why this occurs. It’s the eagle versus the farmer principle. Every business has the eagle. If they are lucky, they have a few. The eagles fly and soar high. They knock down doors, say the right things and live for the kill. They thrive on winning and get their most professional enjoyment selling the really hard prospect. The one that tried to get away, but the eagle reeled them back in.

The farmers are the professionals in the firm that work best servicing the client. They are often the technicians who get the tax returns done, the audit out the door ...]]> Typically, a small percentage of partners and staff bring in the majority of the new business. A lot of people in the firm bring in some business, but every firm has the one main rainmaker or a few others that keep the new influx of revenue flowing. Losing them can be a crippling blow and firms have been trying to figure out for decades how to teach others to bring in more business.

Most sales professionals understand the reason why this occurs. It’s the eagle versus the farmer principle. Every business has the eagle. If they are lucky, they have a few. The eagles fly and soar high. They knock down doors, say the right things and live for the kill. They thrive on winning and get their most professional enjoyment selling the really hard prospect. The one that tried to get away, but the eagle reeled them back in.

The farmers are the professionals in the firm that work best servicing the client. They are often the technicians who get the tax returns done, the audit out the door and deal with the details that the eagles do not have time to address anymore. Farmers are great professionals who often lack the experience the eagle has or are not comfortable in a sales oriented role. Let’s face it, most accountants, engineers, doctors, and technically oriented professionals studied their fields and because they really did not want to go into sales or be in a role where they are in front of people talking as the primary part of their job. It’s not their natural comfort zone. However, within every profession some “technicians” transform, or their natural sales personalities that have always been there emerge and the rainmaker is born.

Where firms struggle with this eagle and farmer concept is eagles do not always understand why farmers cannot be eagles. If you put a bunch of eagles in a room to discuss this, they just would sit there perplexed trying to figure out what’s wrong with the farmers. The farmers on the other hand look at the eagle and wonder how that person just always knows what to say, when to say it and how to “rip a situation apart” on the spot in seconds. To the farmer that just seems almost unfair. What most farmers do not understand is the eagle got this way because he or she tried and failed many times and with each failure they refined, learned and improved.

So what happens in most firms is the years pass by. Eagles start flying higher. Farmers dig deeper in their “crops.” The gap between selling abilities grows so much that farmers almost never get brought into selling situations because the risk is too high when we know the eagle will do it so much better. The only way to get a farmer to “eagle” more is for the eagle to let them try and fail or for the eagle to co-pilot the sales call and let the farmer lead the meeting. It’s best to do this with small prospects first.

Here’s the set up. First, you need to go into the store without your wife, significant other or probably any female. Lack of a female being present is key to this selling technique. Second, you need to be approached by a male employee. I am pretty sure the “I’m a guy, you’re a guy” pitch is not used by female sales staff. Third, after the introductory banter by the sales rep is finished and you appear to express real interest, they will ask you the key question “are you going to buy today?” If you answer “yes” like I did, then ...]]> I have to start this by saying I do not condone it, but this is a real pitch that was used on me. And, as I tell this story, I have confirmation of it from other “guys” (you need to say it like “guiz”) that it has been used on them. Keep in mind, I did buy from this store and bought on the spot. Buying on the spot is key to this technique from what I can understand.

Here’s the set up. First, you need to go into the store without your wife, significant other or probably any female. Lack of a female being present is key to this selling technique. Second, you need to be approached by a male employee. I am pretty sure the “I’m a guy, you’re a guy” pitch is not used by female sales staff. Third, after the introductory banter by the sales rep is finished and you appear to express real interest, they will ask you the key question “are you going to buy today?” If you answer “yes” like I did, then the game begins.

I was buying a mattress for one of our rooms. My wife did not go because it was not a big deal and we just wanted to knock this off the list.

• Buyer – me. I just need a mattress so I ask what will it cost? Keep in mind the two piece set together was $550. I need to mention these were the special “holiday” prices already. The actual list was like $800 plus.
• Sales Rep (S.R). “Let me check.” He comes back “the mattress alone will cost $395.”
• Buyer. “Thanks. I need to look around a little longer.” (Here’s where it got interesting)
• S.R. “Are you going to buy today?”
• Buyer. “Yes, I am, but this price is a little higher than I wanted to go.”
• S.R. “Look I’m a guy, you’re a guy (remember to say it like “guiz”). If I could get a lower price would you buy it now?”
• Buyer. “Yes. I am going across the street to look at the other store now and I can put the mattress in my car.”
• S.R. “Let me see what I can do. I will check with my manager.” I suspect he went in the backroom and started laughing to one of the other sales people. Probably to another “guiz.”
• S.R. “I can get that price to $325.”
• Buyer. “I appreciate that, but I was at (insert any large buying club store by you) and they had a similar product for $195.”
• S.R. “Why didn’t you buy it there?” (Actually his second of three good things he did right in this situation).
• Buyer.  “My car was too full so after I go across the street I will be going there probably to buy it.”
• S.R. Again, you’re a guy, I’m a guy. (Somehow the fact that we were both males and I must have passed his man test that this informal, exclusive “guiz club” we apparently were in gives me pricing that women or “non-guizes” cannot get). “Non-guizes” must be those men that actually go to the store with a female.  Let me check with the “District” Manager.
• S.R. “He said I can go to $204.”

I bought it. From $395 to $204 in about 5 minutes and in only 2 “I’m a guy” pitches. Let me state this is a national brand product from a large chain. Not a mattress made in the back room of Bob’s House of Beds and Other Stuff.

The lesson here? Not 100% sure. I guess in some situations when buying products there can be a lot of negotiating room. I don’t recommend this strategy for professional service firms, but maybe some aspects of the story can be selectively applied to your sales opportunities.