Written by: Vickie Sullivan | May 30, 2019
Why Your Best Clients Might Hate Your New Platform
It’s tempting to ask your best clients for feedback on your next-level idea, especially if you’ve worked with them for a long time. After all, they know you well. They also know what’s out there, so they can compare your new platform accurately, right? Um….nope.
This is a risky conversation for two reasons:
• They have a vested interest in the status quo. For example, if you are a sales guru whose material can also help the executive suite, then your current sales clients may not get it. They see you as a sales expert and don’t understand why you would want to broaden your appeal. The big question in their minds: Isn’t the sales sector enough? And what’s going to happen to our work now?
Listen: How to Move Resistant Clients to Your New Direction
• They have unconscious expectations of you. If you can’t apply your new direction to their situation effortlessly, you’ll look unsure. If they depend on your confidence and expertise, then is this a heads-up that you won’t be as “good.” Even if you are brainstorming, the appearance of “not as” will worry even the best clients.
Your best move forward: Don’t depend on your clients’ perspective. Expand your feedback gathering to trusted sources outside your industry. Ask yourself: Who knows the market but can also think beyond the clients I already have? Who can I trust not to use my new idea for themselves or for their clients?
Now Read This:
- How to Use Your Platform In Sales Conversations
- Strategic Sounding Boards Give Real-World Advice for When the Rubber Meets the Road