You might be the most creative genius in the business. Perhaps, as a pleasant addition, you even have the charisma for the job. So how come you don’t always get the results that you want? You’ve probably heard a myriad of reasons: the client doesn’t have the funds; there’s just not enough time to roll out the products; it’s simply not enough. Have you ever thought that maybe the reason behind your failures is not that you’re ill-equipped, but that you don’t create the person’s next move?
I mean, sure, you’re totally in control of your own actions, your sales pitch, and your strategy. But all these may amount to practically nothing if you don’t provide the client or the customer with what he has to do. It is clear, therefore, that you have to avoid your instinct that says, “I’m going to show them what I’m capable of” and instead move towards a mindset says, “I will push them to their immediate limit, that tipping point where they can simply not refuse the offer.”
- What are their perceptions? Try to get a feel of their attitudes and beliefs. What’s most important is for you to determine how much they believe you are capable of helping them at this point.
- What are their limits? It’s simpler than you think: make a proposal and just see how far they are willing to go as they negotiate.
- What are their monitoring cues? You likewise have to take note of their nonverbal signals—every raise of an eyebrow, a shift in movement, and a furtive smile means something.
There’s a clear value in having the ability to monitor people’s styles. It allows you to calculate the next best move.
For one, it will tell you to be more realistic. Once you’ve identified what the immediate limit of a person is, you can then proceed to making realistic solutions for that person. That solution will necessarily be based on the problem, which you must break apart to its fundamentals. You don’t solve the problem head on, because it would simply be too daunting and intimidating. Instead, you must be able to break the problem apart to its fundamental blocks and solve them one after the other. Lastly, don’t even attempt to make a masterplan without going into the small details first. The plan must be carefully detailed, and go into the nitty gritty before anything else.