Chapter 7: All the Wrong Places

Question 1

• I believe that we get what we pay for. There’s always going to be a trade-off between best, fast, and cheap. You can only pick two. (use as a close)

Caving on price will drag you down. It will cause you to do the following:

• Lose Your Credibility
• Lose Your Reputation
• Lose Your Best Customers

In my business, I have three criteria for my Ideal Customer:

• I must have the expertise for the project.
• The client must value my expertise.
• The project and the client must be fun.

If clients don’t meet these criteria, I refer them to someone else, or I decline the work with a valid excuse.

When he asks for referrals, he will ask for exactly the opposite—a customer who is educated, values his time, and is willing to hold several policies with his company.

For me—and for you—it’s not about the number of proposals we write or the number of clients we have. It’s about getting those clients who are the opposite of PITA. You want clients who value what you have to offer, communicate well, are forward-thinking, are reasonable, have a good sense of humor, and will give the time, money, and resources to make the project successful.

My ideal customer profile / My Ideal Referral is…

• Excellent credit
• Great attitude
• Young families
• Wolfinites
• Be easy to work with
• Would currently want to trade up
• Well connected in the community/charity oriented
• Previous Customers I want more of:
  
  • Julie Pepper
  • David Bilson
  • MacDevitt’s
  • Other guys
• Business Unit or Function:
  
  • Professionals, top and upper management, CFO
• Kind of person:
  
  • Good sense of humor
• Situation or Need:
  
  • More space for their growing families
  • Want something fun and cool to drive for a good value
  • Appreciate aesthetics, not just price