Tell me if this scenario is true in your sales efforts. You
have been working to gain a new client. You followed a lead and have met and
called this contact time and again. Your contact says he has an interest, but
isn’t ready yet. You continue this cycle - call, not ready, call back, still
not ready. One day you call and find out he gave the business to your
competitor. "Why?” you ask. He answers, "The other salesman just came in the
door on the day I was ready, dumb luck. His timing was perfect.”
One of the smartest things you can do in marketing your
products and services is to be the master of time. Being the guy who walks in
the door the moment the client has a need may happen to you every now and then.
However, I have found that timing in marketing may have more to do with
personality types and how well you know the customer. Let me give you my theory
of the Bear, Lion and Eagle.
A bear, by its very nature, is a creature of cycles. Every
year it goes through a season of eating and growth, followed by a season of
hibernation, followed by a season of awakening. If you are a deer, the best
time to approach a bear is in the middle of the winter. The bear does not hunt
during the winter, it sleeps. The worst time for the deer to approach the bear
is in the springtime when he is really hungry from a winter of not eating and
will hunt anything that moves.
A lion hunts in a group, or pride. When food sources are
getting low, the dominant lion will send the pride out to make a kill. They eat
as a group and then wait until their resources get low again. They follow herds
of their prey and eat year round. However, lions will not make a kill until
they get hungry and are running out of food. And they do not hunt until the
head lion takes account of the situation, (i.e. the number of mouths to feed
vs. the resources available).
Eagles are precision hunters. Unlike most carnivores, the
eagle has two distinct qualities that make it effective. First is its ability
in flight. The eagle can fly higher than other predators. This gives it a
distinct viewpoint that others do not have. It also can dive, strike and carry
large prey with its massive wings. Secondly, it has keen eyesight that sees
opportunities great distances ahead. Flying high above their prey, they can see
the slightest movement of a tiny mouse miles away. They see food sources before
any other predators know they are available.
In business, we also deal with people who are bears, lions
and eagles. Bears work on a cycle. If it is not time to buy, you cannot move
them an inch toward a sale. The key is to figure out when their "hungry” season
will be and approach them at that time. Bears are clock watchers. I had a
client that wanted to promote their strong customer service to their clients.
Every day at 5 p.m. everyone quickly vacated the parking lot. In fact, they
stopped answering customer calls by 4:45 so they could make their exit at
5:00 on the dot. The office was run by a bear. He could not bring himself to
realize that if a client called with an order in that last 15 minutes of the
day, the negative impression of his customer service crew not taking the call
cost them revenue and handed their competition a new client. The key to selling
to a bear is to become part of their cycle. Approach them when they are ready
to order and leave them alone when they are not.
Lions are the watchers of the bottom line. You can never
give a lion enough scenarios, price structures, revised quotes and the like
while they try to work out their best deal. Watch out for the low-balling
techniques of a lion. Quality should always be your guide, not underbidding
your competition at the lower end of the quality chain. Lions know that quality
is important, but can be enticed by a lower bid. However, keep in touch even
when you know the lion is stalking the lowest bidder. Keep your ears open for
discontent. When the pride is hungry, approach the lion. Be a connector for
business information the lion can use to make a sale. You will find that when
you can help a lion make an easy kill for the good of the group, you will have
a loyal client.
Eagles are forward-thinking visionaries and typically make
strong leaders. They have great creative minds. They hear a news clip and
figure out how it will affect the company. They see new opportunities before
anyone else sees them. If you can position yourself as the expert in your field
who will work with them to find a creative solution, eagles will come back to
you time and again.
So who
are you dealing with; bears, lions or eagles? Your marketing approach should
mirror their personality. Happy hunting!