May 13, 2018

Uncovering objections

List member Brent Giesler wrote in to ask (shared with permission):

Hey Jonathan. I really like the idea of outreach but I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around how to make the Why Convo work there. Maybe an example would help? Specifically how to handle “why me”. Thanks friend. Brent

Thanks for asking, Brent!

I get this question a lot because the idea of The Why Conversation (especially the “Why Me?” part) seems incompatible with the idea of cold outreach.

But it doesn’t have to be. Here’s an example:

If your initial outreach is along these lines:

“I help people like you with problems like these. Should we have a quick call to see if there’s a good fit?”

...then toward the end of the call, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask something like:

“Tackling this issue with someone like me is probably the most effective approach for your situation, but it’s definitely not the cheapest. Before I put together a proposal, have you considered X, Y, and Z?”

...where X, Y, and Z are slower or lower quality or higher risk, etc - i.e., less valuable than hiring you.

I know the notion “trying to talk the client out of hiring you” feels counterintuitive, but doing it on the call allows you to surface and address concerns before you write a proposal.

NOTE: Not surfacing price objections doesn’t make them go away. They’ll be there one way or the other. Discussing them on the call increases the likelihood that you’ll write a proposal that gets accepted at an equitable price.

Yours,

—J

P.S. Do you run a dev shop, agency or firm and don’t know how to grow your profits to the next level? My private coaching program might be for you: https://jonathanstark.com/coaching