I recently asked a client what had most influenced his decision to license Practice Boomers for the lawyers in his firm. I was expecting him to say that our e-learning approach was "innovative" or that the videos were "engaging" or that the pricing was "cost-effective" or that we had a good reputation among firms in the marketplace. After all, those were the characteristics I had highlighted when I'd pitched him the program. But he just shrugged and said, "It's transparent." He was referring to the monthly reports that show him which of his lawyers are using the program. The reports. That's the least sexy aspect of the program, in my opinion.
But my client's opinion is the one that counts.
I posed the same question to another licensee. She cited the group coaching. Again, not a feature I emphasize in my pitch.
This underscored a disconnect that we as the sellers of our services often suffer—we assume that our clients are excited about the same things we are. This is why our pitches don't always resonate with our prospects (even when we thought we were brilliant). So, instead of telling ourselves that we know best how to sell our services and that any prospect who doesn't buy "just doesn't get it," we would be wise to remember that, when it comes to the effectiveness of our pitch, they are the experts. To that end, ask your clients what most influenced their decision to work with you and consider that their response is far more likely to be the selling point your market wants to hear.
