DIY Tip #3: Ask Clients This Question

• Gaurav Rastogi
• 08 Jan. 2018

Early in my career, when I was new to sales, I had a surreal conversation with a recent client I had just won. This was a hard-won deal, and we were all chuffed that our pitch was perfect, the pricing just right, and surely the five-page executive summary would have knocked their socks off. It was a proud moment. At the celebratory lunch, I asked the client, “So, what made you pick us”? I’m glad I asked.

“Your campus landscaping. It’s perfect”.

Excuse, me, I asked, I didn’t get you.

“Your campus landscaping is perfect. All the leaves are pruned just right, and there was no bustle in your hedgerow”. She said. I was still mystified, so I let her continue. “When we came to see you at your large corporate campus, as soon as we stepped out of the car we could see that your campus was well run. The security was quick, the landscaping perfect and people walking around seemed to care for their office. Even before we stepped into your buildings, all of us in the buying team were impressed. If your company pays so much attention to buildings and hedges, we were already sure you would take more care of our contract and our deliverables”.

The moral I took away from this story isn’t that one should have perfect campuses. Of course, you should.

The moral is that you should always ask clients why they picked you.

After this first time, I have asked all my clients this, and I continue to be surprised. The reasons we win, and the reasons we lose...many times these have nothing to do with the usual suspects. Clients pay attention to all sorts of cues, and if you’re not paying attention, you’re probably losing another opportunity to swing the deal in your favor.

Go ahead, ask your clients why they picked you. Take notes. Write back here in comments.