for both individuals and organizations. When there’s more competition and less differentiation
in the marketplace, clients are
demanding more value at less
cost. They want to achieve more
results with fewer resources.
Helping them think differently about the future.
Highlight the major market forces
or competitive factors that
make behavioral change a must (non-negotiable), rather than
a “should” (when it’s convenient). Specifically, explain the
risks of not changing while extolling the future rewards of
making behavioral changes.
Persuade the audience to act. Persuade your audience to
take action by defining the benefits of change and giving
them a path for moving forward. Focus the audience’s attention on small actions that can produce big results for both
individuals and their organization. Change isn’t easy, but it’s
no longer an option given the business case for change. Identify new and different actions participants must take to
improve their performance and results. Customize your recommendations to their market and mission.
Propose solutions for change. Propose solutions and identify specific steps for facilitating change, including a follow-up conference call for updates within 30 days of training.
Deliver your suggestions in small chunks, each building on
the next. There’s an old joke that goes “How do you eat an
elephant (large meal)? Answer: One bite at a time. The same
is true for digesting new information—too much at one time
can be overwhelming and intimidating.
The training manager
responsible for approving
this million-dollar campaign
was concerned about the ROI
for this training and how it
would be embraced by her
colleagues. It was obvious
that this client had high
expectations and no patience
for mistakes.
Another trainer on my
team delivered the first training session in Atlanta, Ga.
Although he was a highly competent trainer, the client’s ini-
tial response was “I think we’ve made a mistake.” Unfortu-
nately, the program’s design and my teammate’s delivery did
not meet the client’s expectations. As a result, the client con-
sidered canceling this plum engagement. The campaign’s
future was contingent upon the results of the second training
event, which I was scheduled to deliver. Talk about pressure!
I understood the risks and rewards of my delivery. Fortunately, I hit a home run and became the client’s exclusive
sales trainer.
I credit my success to applying the 3-P model. I adjusted the
content and delivery throughout the two-day sales training to
ensure that I motivated my audience to think, act and win. In
this way, I was able to drive more value and, as a result, I got
more business. Creating value is the key to attracting and
retaining clients.
Persuade your audience to
take action by defining the
benefits of change and
giving them a path for
moving forward.
It Really Works
You may be asking yourself, “Does this really work or is it just theory?” The following anecdote supports the model’s effectiveness.
A couple of years ago, I was a sales trainer on a six-member
team for an Internet search giant. We were asked to conduct
seminars for hundreds of smart, young executives in Mountain
View, N. Y., and other company locations. These training sessions were designed to help the client rapidly improve performance and results. This particular client had already achieved
revolutionary results on its own, yet it continued to raise the
performance bar for sales skills.
How to Create Value
To get more business, you must create more value by being
helpful to your clients. The more helpful you are, the more
value you create. There are three ways you can apply the 3-P
model to existing and potential clients to add more value and
stand out from the competition:
Provoke thought. Provide your clients with new ideas on
how to achieve goals and avoid problems in their business.
When you’ve succeeded in creating this kind of value, you
may overhear audience participants saying, “I hadn’t thought
of that before” or “That’s a good point.”
Persuade clients to consider all possibilities. Help clients
understand the business challenges or opportunities they may
have underestimated. When you’ve succeeded, you may hear
your client say, “Oh, now I get it!”
