An "Adequate Solution" - You Are The Difference by Joe Murphy

In making any proposal or presenting any solution, I believe all you need is an "Adequate Solution." An adequate solution does not mean an inferior solution, it means that you have a solution that meets the prospective client's needs.

You see, you - if you are pretty good at building relationships through your ability to communicate your skills, abilities, and qualifications - are the difference.

Clients, if you are talking to the right level of person, are looking for an acceptable and appropriate solution. Clients are not looking for the best solution or product leadership, they are looking for a Trusted Consultant. A Trusted Consultant is someone who knows how to get things done. This does not mean they do the work, but it does mean they bring the right people to the project to get it done, in the manner promised.

Your ability to communicate this, is your key to winning business. And when I say "communicate" - I am not necessarily stating that you have to "talk" about how good you are. It can be as simple as having a reputation in the field of your expertise. It can also be as simple as doing what you say you will do - like showing up on time for meetings.

I know this is an oversimplification - but I know those of you who are reading this "get it."

Remember, don't over complicate your solution, by trying to build the best, at the sacrifice of not establishing your reputation to deliver.




Technorati Profile

Winning Business By Preparing & Sitting Where The Client Sits

This may sound a little trite. But I am telling you, a little meeting before the big client meeting is key. When you have project team members coming in from across the country, they all aren't thinking like you, or even thinking about the project.



I am a big advocate of a meeting before the meeting. It needs to be long enough so everyone understands the objective of the client meeting the next day. The objective is of course more than just a successful meeting, because that's too obvious. Any one can say, "The objective of the meeting is too have a good meeting." Duh.



The objective is to build confidence in the project team. The project team's perceived capabilities, experience and the ability to get along with the client could be great objectives, because those are the thing that lead to a successful meeting.



Discussing the objectives and getting agreement is job number one. The key leader must facilitate this discussion to get everyone thinking about this.



The second critical aspect is getting everyone to sit in the chairs of the client tomorrow and think about how would these objectives be proven. A good discussion should ensue hear.



Last, great preparation means again, sit in the chair of the client and ask the question, "What if the client asks you this?" When you get the people to respond to the question it forces their brains to work. It also gives you as a facilitator of the meeting whether your message has sunk through all the stuff they have been wrestling with that is unrelated to your meeting tomorrow.



There is a great quote; "Your statement makes you think. Your question makes me think." Not only that, it makes your mouth connect to your brain.



By the way, your preconceived answer could be usurped by their answer, because it may be even better than yours (surprise, surprise).

The most important fact here is - to meet. Meeting insures a better outcome. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Being casual, brings about casualties.

Good Luck!

A Secret - A Book By Ram Charan On Selling by Joe Murphy

Profitable Growth - a Book By Ram Charan

I picked up Ram Charan's book called Profitable Growth. As I was reading his points, it struck me that this book is about looking "what can be." It is a book about creating the future of a business.

I would not call the book powerful in any sort of way. (Sorry Ram, you are far smarter than I could ever be). But I would say, it's a book that sales and marketing professionals have been waiting for. It is a book about how to take risks to drive top line growth. Anyone who is not an accountant or an HR exec or contracts person will appreciate the fact that businesses spend far too much time with "how do eliminate this little expense here and there." I am a spendthrift, so don't get me wrong. But sometimes I think about how we spend money unwisely in one area and then in another area, like, hiring great sales professionals, we penny-pinch.

I have been working in sales, and business development practically all my life. Recently, over the past 7 years, I have been turning around sales organizations and building new revenue streams. Start-ups within companies is hard work. People are impatient - the people at the top. They go with great gusto, saying "Yes! We need more revenue. About ....hmmmm.... 90 days later, they go, "Where's the revenue? Look at this cost! Do you know how much would go to the bottom line?"

Ram Charan makes his case for growth. He has 10 "essential" tools (really appraches - and mindsets - not really tools like a spreadsheet or a spade - for you people who want "hard" and tangible things).

He talks about hitting singles and doubles, rather just trying to hit home runs every time. I think this is a great expression. Too often management is looking for the quick hit - a home run, a grand slam in some cases. But in reality, give me singles and doubles often enough and I will out score the company hell bent on the big hit - the home run. Why? Because often the supporting mechanisms inside the company cannot support the grand slam and the deal goes south and profitability is impacted. Give me a double and that is enough for the inner workings of the company to get ready and support this smaller endeavor. Once they know how to support this piece of work, they may be ready to hit the homer.

Anyway, get the book. It makes the case, in my point of view, for sales and marketing and how to drive more revenue by focusing peoples' attention, time, and money on growth, and how to do so, without jumping across the Grand Canyon in a single leap. And more importantly, it's from a true consultants' perspective, someone who gets paid a lot of money to advise the best and the brightest.

PS - if you don't know Ram, he is a consultant to the biggest and best companies in the world. His advice is sought after by many CEOs and top executives on how to build a business. Ram is self effacing, but serious. He travels about 350 days a year - helping companies see the obvious and frame situations for managers to understand what they have to do, rather than what they think they should be doing.

Best of luck! Visit my web site http://www.josephbmurphy.com/