Welcome to 3 Valued Things where we enable expert marketing, data and consultancy businesses to win work they want that pays them well.
At the heart of a prospect’s decision to appoint a marketing, data or consultancy, supplier is their belief that your team has the expertise required to hit their KPIs, get them their bonus and not land them with a P45. My experience is that true experts that understand a prospect or client’s situation well enough to be selected will be able to arrive at a meeting with three things:
· Something that’s so relevantly aligned to achieving their KPIs that the prospect can buy it straight away
· A clear road-map of future services that map to achieving their longer-term goals
· A piece of knowledge share/learning that helps keep them informed, relevant, looking great to their boss!
Let me explain. Imagine that in a moment of madness you’ve signed up for your first triathlon. Who would you select, pay more for, and feel able to justify to your family and friends? A personal trainer or a specialist triathlon coach?
It’s only politicians, like Matt Hancock who can jump from running digital, culture media and sport to healthcare and get paid well for doing stuff they know little about.
Yet expertise businesses, particularly in the agency sector, have been drawn into the belief that massive investment at pitch can make up for months (sometimes years) of a competitor’s investment in demonstrating their genuine expertise in a focused area, understanding the prospect's situation, and building a trusted relationship. It rarely does. Result? You and your team end up tired, demotivated, and poorer.
Of course, there’s always turning to the apparent ‘quick fixes’ offered by cold calling and ‘speed dating’ lead generation providers. I’ve tried both. And, yes, they will sometimes get you in front of senior people. But mostly they send you on costly wild goose chases that leave you even more knackered.
The 3Valued Things method is based upon the principle that if you’re an expertise-based business then you can’t short-cut building trust that you’re THE people to solve a specific set of challenges.
This is where new business investment should be made. It's the route to avoiding a pitch or ensuring it's stacked in your favour. It’s this up-stream approach, learned from 25 years of successful consultancy selling, that contributes to differentiation, consistent closing, and keeping your business relevant enough to charge a price premium.
I’d be delighted to explore your goals, current situation, and offer an opinion about how 3VT might enable you to secure your long term future.
And Chalkboard Tuesdays? Every week I’ll be sharing 3 minutes of know-how that can help anyone who operates in marketing or sales for expertise-based businesses to be more successful. So sign up now!
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