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Published March 12, 2003 "I didn't know you do that!" A few months ago I was talking to a friend I've known for about five years. I mentioned in passing some sales training I was doing for a group. "I didn't know you do sales training," he said. Now how did I had let that happen? Later (after the spot on my forehead I'd smacked stopped smarting) I asked myself, "How many clients and contacts don't know the things our companies can do that might be really important to them?" Often in building a business or practice, we open the doors with an array of products or services we believe are useful, appealing, and potentially profitable. A lot of other people are offering the same things we are, of course, but we make our way through the wins and losses and learn what seems to work along the way. After a while, we develop an expectation of what our existing clients usually buy, and the bigger picture of our service scope may get ignored by them as well as us. Frank Fairly is a tax prep client. The Cooper poodle is a clip and dip. Babette Quidam is four cases of lemon seltzer every week. In that comfort zone of steadily buying clients, there can be a lot of disconnects concealing missed opportunities for profit. Have we ever really talked with Frank about what he wants to do when he retires? What kind of kibble is the Cooper poodle eating these days. Where does Babette buy her straws? When was the last time we had a real conversation that would have let us know any of these things? Wouldn't you hate to find out later about all the business you never even tried to get? Here are some questions fundamental to making the most of all of your business: What is there about your business that makes your customers love it? What are you able to do with what makes your business special, and who could you be doing it for? If you could do this for someone, why would they care about your doing it? How do you let them know about what you could do for them in such a way that they can care about your doing it for them? How do you find out what makes them care about something? You won't have all of the answers on your own. Here's a Blinding Flash of the Obvious (but not the Easy): If you want to find out what your clients love about your business, ASK THEM… then don't believe the first thing they say. Engage your existing clients in Care-Full Conversation™ and get down to the reality of what makes your business special for them. Let them discover with you a new reason to love doing even more business with you. Offer what's special about your business to those who could care about it in such a way that they can care about it. If you need to work on the right questions to ask and the ways to ask them, maybe you should talk to your coach. Yes, we do that. Click here contact us via email or call us at 817-261-2108.

JUMProductions po box 522 arlington, tx 76004 vox 817.261.2108   fax 801.881.2717 contact us via email copyright 2003 JUMProductions/Michael J. Stammer, All Rights Reserved JUMProductions, the JUMProductions wordmark and the gyroscope logo are all trademarks of JUMProductions and Michael J Stammer.