I was reading “12 Timeless Principles of Selling” by Josh Braun and “Principle 5: Don’t Chase Cats” reminded me of a prospect meeting I had while running my digital agency.
A cold enquiry came from a prospect in an industry in which we had no experience. I was convinced that the meet up would be a time waster, because we had a 100% loss rate when it came to this type of manufacturing business up until that point.
I took the meeting despite my instinct to decline. Since I had zero expectations, I wasn’t trying AT ALL. I just chatted away with them, like I would with a friend who wanted to share an idea over a coffee.
I completely detached myself from the outcome and even explained why we weren’t a good fit given their scope, budget and desire to hire one firm that does it all.
Following that meeting, they told us they only wanted to work with us — despite the fact we were the most expensive firm they had talked to. They let us change the scope, bring in a specialist partner, and charge a price well above their original budget.
Lesson learned? Selling works best when you are not selling.
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