Peter Winick explains why sending the same follow-up material to every prospect fails. Match your response to where they are: educational resources if they're learning the problem, a capabilities deck if they're evaluating fit, or a proposal if budget and timeline are already discussed.
Hi there, it's Peter Winick. I'm the founder and CEO at Thought Leadership Leverage, and today the idea that I'd like to share with you is this: as a thought leader, as an author, as an expert in your space, do you have the right systems and processes in place to effectively respond after you've had a conversation, typically an initial conversation, with a potential client, with a prospect? What do I mean by this? Oftentimes I see thought leaders have a one-size-fits-all approach. So they have a call with a client and they'll send a capability stack, or they have a call with a client and they'll send them something that will educate them a little bit. Here's a couple links to some things that I've done that speak to my work, etc. Or they always default to, great, I'll write a proposal. Well, none of those responses or reactions are necessarily correct unless you're reading the situation properly. So I think there are 3— potential outcomes after an initial conversation with a prospect. One might be sending some educational materials. Hey, let me send you a couple of links because it sounds like we, my organization, me, have solved this problem before, and it's a little early on in the process for you to be in the buy side, on the buy stage. So take a look at this, and this might help you understand and shape sort of how you view the problem, Mr. or Ms. Client. Second one might be, ah, okay, you're trying to feel us out, seeing if we're a good fit for you. Let me send you a capabilities deck. Let me send you an overview of who we are, what we do, the types of problems that we solve. Maybe somebody else sent you or advised you to reach out to us, but you really don't understand the breadth and depth of who we are and what we do. In that situation, you want to send out something that's representative of your capabilities. And the third one is great. Let me send you a proposal. We've actually shaped out what a solution would look like. We've identified a problem. We've probably touched on budget during the conversation, and we've touched on timing, and we've discussed ownership of the decision-making process. So anyway, be thoughtful about what you send and when you send it relative to the situation that you're in. And if you're not sure, take some time to think about where it might fit and what might be most effective for you and for that potential client. Love to hear your thoughts.
