Another important thing I learned in entrepreneurship is paying attention and listening to the clients. Clients have been complaining about this more and more recently. The arrival of PR experts to meetings with ready-made offers and copy paste solutions, according to principle: if it works for other clients, why shouldn’t it work for you, is a thing of the past. In such meetings, it immediately becomes apparent that the PR experts did not prepare well, did not identify possible problems the client is facing, and did not examine how these problems and challenges affect the client’s business before proposing a solution.
We should never propose for solutions until we have first asked enough questions to develop strong needs for our service. This is what Neil Rackham teaches us in his excellent book “SPIN Methodology”. This book is based on research and analysis of thousands of sales interactions.
In his research, he emphasizes that we mustn’t talk about solutions too soon. We ask the questions, not the client. The goal is to find out as much as possible about the client’s needs before offering solutions.
But what is also important is the regular evaluation of our meetings with clients, in which we honestly answer whether we have achieved the set goals, what we would change during the conversation, what we have learned and how we can use it in future conversations with potential clients. Since applying this formula, I have increased my effectiveness and built long-lasting partnerships.