Author and marketing guru Seth Godin has a post today on his blog that rings true for anyone selling anything – including lawyers.
He talks about products where a buyer’s perception of them may not be the reality – leading to frustration after the product is purchased.
His conclusion:
“There are lots of things you can do to make the sale. They often are precisely the opposite of what you should do to generate word of mouth. I know, you can’t have word of mouth unless you have a sale, but a sale that leads to pain is hardly worth it.
My rule of thumb is this: every person you turn away because your product or service isn’t right for them turns into three great customers down the road. Every bad sale costs you five.”
I do this in my own little consulting business. If I think I can’t help someone, or if I don’t think we’re a good fit, I will turn the work down. I’m not good at saying no, so instead of turning them away outright, I try to make a referral to someone I know will be a good fit. I have had great success with this technique, and have boosted my reputation a little from helping to make a few good matches.