How much is too much information? Should you just provide them statistical information as to how your efforts are positively affecting their business? Is it "information overload" to provide them with details as to how you are achieving those positive results? Thank you so much in advance!
It really depends where you are "telling them." If you are telling a prospective client over the internet, as in they are looking at your web page, the first level of information should be 90% real benefit and 10% about the process. There are also different kinds of people who always want to know more before they buy. But, you can always have a "find out more" area where you go into more detail. Internet rules are different as you have 3-6 seconds to get a prospective clients attention. If you are giving them information via phone or in person it is best to lead with end result/real benefit and then have a brief 1-5 process etc. Simplicity is always better. A major mistake I see most people make is not even being aware of what the CLIENT needs to hear or would understand not what YOU want to tell them.
Ideally the client will have provided YOU with the metrics they require to know if their investment in your services is a good one.
In other words part of your pre-sale requirements might be that they disclose their expectations (regarding outcomes and how they'd like to track them).
If you enter into an engagement WITHOUT knowing what their goals are and which metrics will be used to track how you are doing - I believe you are failing to set reasonable expectations about what you can and cannot do and potentially setting yourself up for failure and client dissatisfaction (the opposite of retention!).
Many service providers / consultants either fail to provide any metrics or they provide way too many. By making a "setting expectations" a part of your sales process you ensure that (1) you know their desired outcome and can provide them with proof it's being met and (2) you get the chance to walk away from engagements where you know the expectations are unreasonable or simply not attainable via your services. And sometimes it's just as important to know when to say "no" as to know when there's a good fit.
If you are interested in learning about how to create this pre-sale process up as well as creating a discovery process that you can use to help your prospective clients uncover their goals - let's talk.
I wish you great success!
Every client is different. All of them want positive results. Being honest about how you're planning on helping them achieve them is indeed important. This will help you build more trust in the relationship.
Summarizing your efforts and giving them key metrics that display the current ROI is more than enough. Not all clients are technical or have the time to go through data. But there's nothing wrong in telling them that if they wish to receive more advanced data, they can simply ask for it.
I noticed this with my own clients.
Hope this helps!
YOU CAN'T COMMUNICATE TOO MUCH....
Now you can communicate the wrong message (and sound like a moron) but the problem usually isn't that you communicate too much -- unless you're a screwup and talking too much just confirms that to your prospect.
Let them know what you are doing: your STRATEGY >> PROCESS >> TOOLS >> CONNECTIONS. Go into painful details. Clients want to know what you doing and why you think that matters so much.
(BTW, have a backup plan in case your original idea doesn't work that well -- and share that too.)
You should provide them with a weekly or bi-weekly briefing. Make it as long or short as they desire. Make sure that what ever KPIs they are demanding are represented and that you are showing them your story of how you are improving their lives.
Use graphs and clear cut statements. The presentation itself should not have every sales number or statistic. This is a bird's eye view. However, you had best make sure that all the hard statistics, backing up your presentation are at your finder tips and at the customer's so that he can double check every at his own desire. Transparency is key.
