On the ladder you climb up to get a new client, you go through many of the same rungs that you do to get a new relationship. If you try to go from the bottom rung to the top rung and skip those in the middle, you will certainly fail. However, if you learn where you are on the ladder from invisible to irresistible -- and what you need to do to move up a rung -- you will succeed.
At the bottom rung is "invisible." In dating, this is when you are at a party and see someone you want to know, and they don't even know you exist. You are invisible to them. The same is true in business, when you want to get a new client and they have never heard of your company or your product. You are invisible to them.
The next rung up the ladder is "insignificant." In dating, I'm not sure which is worse -- being invisible or insignificant. The person you like may see you, but to them, you are insignificant as a potential date and may even be in the dreaded "friend zone." In business -- let's say you sell insurance -- people may know that about you, but they are not in the market for insurance, so you are insignificant.
The next rung up is "interesting." This is when you may say something clever or funny and the potential date is interested to know more about you. They are not ready to go out with you yet, but they are at least interested to know more. The goal of any pitch is to get people interested enough to want to know more. One key phrase to use is "What if ..." and paint a picture of what you could do for them to get them interested to know more.
The next rung up is "intriguing." Perhaps, in the dating world, you paint a picture of what a potential date could look like with a town car and private tour of a landmark. The person is intrigued enough to lean in and starts to see the possibility of how creative you are. In business, you suggest something that is new and exciting, and people are intrigued to see how it works. When I proposed to my client Gensler, the world's largest architecture firm, that they consider producing a podcast as a way to get a relationship with key decision makers before they get invited to pitch, they were intrigued to learn how it could work and how I could help coach their team to be hosts.
At the top of the ladder is "irresistible." In dating, this is when you can't stop thinking about the person and send them text messages before your next date. In the business world, this is when you have proposed something so unique and special the client only wants to work with you. When you are listening to what a potential client needs, ask yourself, "What can I do that nobody else is doing to make working with me irresistible?" When I met Michael Phelps, he told me one of the keys to his swimming success at the Olympics is the fact he was willing to work out on Sundays when everyone else took that day off. That gave him 52 more workouts per year than his competition.
The best way to grow your revenue is to identify your top three accounts at each rung of the ladder and develop a strategy on what to do to move them up. For example, who is an ideal client that you are invisible to or doesn't know about your new product? Who is your biggest fan that thinks of you as irresistible and would only need a nudge to start giving you referrals? Once you have a road map in place, you will be climbing up the ladder of success faster than you might imagine.
