When Can You Start?

And how do you like to be paid?

That is how I frequently begin presentations to consultant, lawyer, financial advisor or accounting groups focused on business development.

I then follow with, “How often does a prospective client say that at the end of your first interaction with them?”

Dead silence.

“That’s right,” I reply, “it never happens!”

Well those two questions are in that prospective client’s mind.

Your challenge is to find out where they are and have him or her ask them.

How do you make that happen?

BTW there is a simple way to find that place in their minds and then have them ask those two questions… but then you’d have to hire me.

Okay, I must admit, that was a little glib, if not passive-aggressive.

So here is something for you to think about to get closer to a prospective client asking you those two questions at the end of a first meeting.

As you may know, I am a great believer in the compelling and engaging power of focusing on what others are listening for, that they’re not consciously telling you.

“When can you start and how do you like to be paid?’ is not what they’re listening for. That is what they’ll reward you with if you accurately get what they’re listening for without they’re telling you and deliver on them.

RED Zone Communication

RED is an acronym for what they are actually listening for, where RED stands for the following:

  1. Relevant – Is what you’re saying or speaking to them about immediately relevant to their situation, either by helping to solve an immediate problem, be it a technical or interpersonal challenge in their job, or their need to bring in more business?
  2. Effective – Is what you’re discussing with them something that will make them immediately more effective and successful at solving that immediate problem or in their bringing in more business?
  3. Doable – And finally is what you’re talking about something that will actually be immediately doable by them, so that they can realize the positive results it promises?

Provide them with an answer or solution that is immediately relevant, effective and doable to a pressing urgent need that they haven’t been able to solve and there is a good chance that they will ask you, “When can you start and how do you like to be paid?”

That is something you can also hire us to help you figure out as well as the best way to communicate it.

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