There is one question that I keep flip-flopping on when it comes to selling 3D imaging: Should you sell the process or the deliverable?
I started, as I assume most do, by selling the process. The tech was new and it was what I was interested in, so it never crossed my mind to do anything else. However, after one too many rejections along the lines of, ‘That seems really complicated/difficult/unproven/expensive,’ I started moving my focus to the deliverable.
At the time it, again, seemed obvious. When I sold any other work I didn’t brag about what model GPS I had or the range of my total station. Why should scanning be any different? As you can imagine, it didn’t take long to find myself in a conversation with a potential client who was telling me that a competitor (who was using a disto, tape measure, and legal pad) could give him the same deliverable at a lower price. It was not the same deliverable for multiple reasons, not the least of which included concepts such as accuracy, but I digress.
So, I went back to talking about the hardware, but making sure that the deliverable was the thing that I sold. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. I’d love to tell you that I’ve figured out the balance, but it’s definitely a work in progress. In fact, I feel like I work it out on the fly every time I meet someone new. Maybe that’s the way it needs to be.
I think we all recognize that a lot of the success of a sales call has to do with the interpersonal relationship between the two parties. No two people are the same, so why should your pitch be the same every time? I have some clients that always talk basketball, others that prefer politics, some are all business. If we can keep up with those types of variations, surely we can add who is a techy versus those in need of a solution without a care as to how it is achieved. After all, your success may depend upon it.
