Putting Experience To Work

Well, on some things I am very quick on the uptake, on others; like changing the way I do business, it takes me a bit longer to make a move.

As I work with clients, over time we get to know each other and start to see where we can help one another in more areas than talent or freelance help. We talk, we shmooze, and soon find out that they have a need that I can help fill and/or I know someone who can help them out. With my client Anne Marie Concepcion, www.senecadesign.com, it has become a natural way for us to do business. We get together, talk about the daily grind and things come up where we can help each other. Anne Marie has been a great source for clients for my business, people naturally come to her for help because of her training and fantastic newsletter (designgeek - you may want to sign up for this, it’s great!), and when she can’t do the project, she suggests the client contact me.

Conversely, when I have ideas for Anne Marie on how I can help her grow her business, we talk about planning and new markets. I have turned some potential clients onto her and her training, as well as supplied some trainers for her courses.

Since this has been working well for us for a few years, I decided in the spring of 2007 to start talking to my other clients about a similar type of partnership. Every one of them has asked me to come by their office to discuss this option. In the meeting, I ask a bunch of questions and sometimes I give answers. The upshot is that I know a lot more about them and their focus than I did before. Not only can this potentially bring them new clients, but as they grow, they will need the type of talent I provide. A good match, I think.

I know, I know, everyone else is already doing this. I guess that now it is my turn. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I still think that a phone is the most effective negotiating tool and is the fastest and easiest way to resolve a contract negotiation.

I don’t know why it is, but there are people (sometimes clients, sometimes vendors) who think it is more important to document a negotiation, than it is to complete the negotiation and they insist on solely using email to communicate. I firmly believe that once an agreement has been made, it is imperitive for the terms to be written out and approved by both parties. My contractual preference (after watching too much court tv) is to get a comprehensive written contract signed by both parties with the specifics of the agreement.

I have had more than one experience in recent years with clients who are usually harried, their company is usually experiencing a growth spurt and they claim to not have time to read all their emails. Yet, they need my help or the help of one of my vendors and cannot find a minute to just pick up the phone to quickly negotiate for the services.

It is commonly known that emails are generally read as “negative”, especially when there is a negotiation going on and one or both people involved are emotionally attached to the outcome. See the article by the American Psychological Association. This factor keeps email negotiations very low on my list for favorable contractual outcomes.

My most recent experience with this phenomenon ended yesterday. It must have taken the client a total of an hour to write all of the emails he sent to me over the past two days, yet he insisted he was swamped. I suggested a 5 minute phone conversation which would have put his and my concerns to rest, but he would not return my phone call. We eventually resolved the issues via multiple (an not so pleasant emails from his side) emails and we came to an agreement, at which time I wrote him an email outlining our agreement, he agreed, signed and faxed it over, and the project started today.

The point I am getting to is that during the massive amount of email exchanges, he asserted all kinds of unfounded offensive remarks. In my opinion, barraging the opposing party with accusations never moves a situation forward, it usually stymies or kills the negotiation leaving bad feelings on both sides. Bargaining via email, is never a good idea. My suggestion is to Pick Up The Phone and then seal the deal in email. It makes for better partnerships and relationships.

In my next blog, I will address points regarding diffusing hostile or aggressive situations, either via email, by phone or in-person(which usually doesn’t happen, since most people read body language pretty well).

Story: This morning I went to get coffee at the local Starbuck’s and the guy in line in front of me had a familiar face. After getting my traditional latte, I walked up to him and said “you work at the restaurant down the street don’t you?” A nice conversation ensued, and it turns out that he will be leaving his job managing that restaurant this spring to open his own restaurant in Evanston.

So, I took the opportunity to let him know that my company does graphic design and websites, and we could help him not only design his menus, but help with his website. I also mentioned that I do small business consulting, and would you believe that he needs a business plan for his investors. He and I were both happy that we “bumped” into each other. I have a meeting set up with him to go over particulars next week. Selling IS having fun! All I did was say hello to him, with no ulterior motive and something nice came about.

Over the past few years while consulting for various small businesses and when talking with freelancers, the abhorence of the “7 letter word” - SELLING has come up time and again.

What Selling is NOT
When most people talk to me about selling their product or service, what they always describe are salespeople who are “pushing” things on them. Kind of like SPAM which shows up in your email uninvited, or that person calling you from a call center offering you something you neither want nor need. This is a classic old fashioned form of selling - but in today’s market, I am not certain that it is a truly successful option for individuals with a focused market for their product or service. I don’t consider the above to be “selling” I consider it “pushing”.

What Selling IS
The type of selling that I have found to be most effective for my creative and consulting services is: relationship based interaction. When you tell someone about what you do, and then you ask them what they do, then talk a little, you find out very quickly if there is a common ground and perhaps one of you needs the service or product the other provides. This is FUN! You get to talk to someone new, find out something you may not have known before and open the door to a new relationship - hopefully gainfully for you both. Then you need to Close the sale. More about that soon.