*** From the Archives ***

This article is from February 19, 2016, and is no longer current.

Sales 101 for Creatives: Harness the power of “Tell me more”

This is the fourth article in a series called “Sales for Creatives.

“Tell me more” are the three most powerful words and the key question to consultative and relationship selling.

I know you might be thinking “But I’m not a salesperson,” but the reality is everyone who is trying to propose a solution/concept is in sales.

It’s all about understanding what the client is looking for and then presenting a solution that not only answers their need but also builds trust so you become a trusted designer, consultant, trainer and/or supplier.

Note: For the purpose of this article I use the word client, but that can easily be replaced by the word manager, director or “boss.”

The purpose: Scratching the surface

Whether you are trying to sell them your service, move them to a new technology or pitching a new idea, you’ll want to focus on questions that will help you understand why they need you. Generally they are looking to do one or all of these 3:

  1. Accomplish a goal or target
  2. Fix/resolve a problem
  3. Prepare for a challenge or avoid a past mistake

Information without direct questions

Prompting someone with “tell me more” allows you to delve deeper and gain specific information that will not only help you fit a client need by answer their pain points, but will also set you apart from anyone else who is competing with you. For example:

  • Can you tell me more about who this ad is specifically geared to?
    Insight: Your design/campaign can have a target client focus others may not consider, therefore giving your pitch an edge.
  • Would you tell me a little more about the capabilities of your staff? Can they do XYZ?
    Insight: You may uncover opportunities for additional training, or blocks in the process you can now account for when putting a plan together.
  • Tell me more about the best campaign (or the worst campaign) you’ve ever done.
    Insight: Ensure that the key things they measured success by are included in your idea or avoid duplicating a past mistake that would derail your pitch before you even make it.
  • Tell me more about why this idea doesn’t work for you.
    Insight: Allows you to re-open an opportunity that the client said no to or re-adjust a pitch.

The variations are endless. 

When “tell me more” is dangerous

It isn’t a replacement for research. Going in without having researched the client, the solutions and their problem before asking them to “tell you more” is almost sure to backfire on you. Take the time to research online, review information they sent to you and highlight areas where you’d like to expand before you head into the meeting.

The second place “tell me more” can be problematic is in conversations with technical people such as engineers. Knowing all the technical details may actually hinder and bog you down. In this case, I pass on my grandmother’s sage advice: “Don’t ask a question if you aren’t prepared to hear the answer”!

Insight and benefits gained

The biggest benefit to the “tell me more” technique is that it shows a client that you are interested in them, and that you want to help them find the best fit that works for them. That can only lead to stronger relationships with more opportunity to work together.  Other side benefits include:

  • Helping continue conversations
  • Allowing the client to follow a thought and uncover hidden needs
  • Clarifying components and scope, and finding alternatives other competitors may miss
  • Explore points the customer isn’t comfortable with or problems they aren’t aware of
  • Seeing firsthand how they think about their problems and how they articulate them
  • Uncovering long-term goals suitable for maintenance plans or future projects

The benefit list is wide and varied. This open ended question is adaptable and allows you to be responsive to a person or company’s need in a real way and in the end that’s what resonates with people.

Tell us more about what has worked for you

This article was to help spark ideas for creatives, let’s keep it going!

Have you used questions like “Tell me more” with your clients/colleagues/bosses? What questions have worked for you in meetings? What benefits did you find?

Please share your experiences in the comments!

>