December 27, 2016
There are five steps in the Decision Making Process, but it’s the application of the decision making process, how we use each step to influence others, that makes the process worth knowing.
Very quickly, the five steps are, Problem Awareness, Options Available, Pros and Cons of each option, Decision, and Follow Up. You must first be aware of a problem or you won’t realize a decision is necessary. This is for every decision from being out of milk to wanting to buy an engagement ring. A very organized person might then write out the options, especially if it the decision requires a large expenditure of time or money. The next step is to weigh the pros and cons of each. Yes, girls in high school and college might have made this list with boys they were dating. You then have to decide, even if your decision is to do nothing. Doing nothing is a decision. The follow up is where you learn if you made a good decision and provides you information for future decisions. This is why I follow up large events with a post-mortem meeting, to learn what we did well and want to repeat, and what wasn’t done well and needs to be improved.
There are a plethora of influences at every step, such as the time involved, costs, immediacy of the need, the number and level of people affected, even your socio-economic background.
But the real question is how to, please excuse the term, manipulate the decision making process. I mean, it’s a great process if you’re trying to decide on a house or car to buy, but you’ve mastered it when you can use the process to increase your business.
In the very first step, problem awareness, you can influence clients’ decisions by making them know they have a problem. Have you ever heard about someone who couldn’t sleep who ended up watching an infomercial and suddenly found themselves desperately in need of a new set of knives or cleaning tools? The infomercial diagnosed a problem/need that the person didn’t even know existed! But once they were aware of their need, and the solution was before them, complete with pros, the decision was easy. Call now! Follow up may not come for several weeks or months, but in time they’ll know if it was a good decision.
You need to do the same thing. When you meet someone new at a network, listen to what they’re saying, and discern whether they need your product or service. While I work as a motivational speaker, I also make myself available as a Business Coach. At new networks I’ll point out that if people aren’t approaching you after a network, it may be because you didn’t express yourself well. Now that they realize the problem is theirs, and fixable, they are suddenly in the market for a coach, and here’s one in front of them! Use your advertising dollars and network connections to let people know they need your services by identifying their needs for, and to, them.
Their next step will be to find the options. Since you identified their need, you’ll naturally be their first stop. For some people, that will be sufficient. Others will want to collect at least three quotes, or maybe collect some references. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best at what you do. Let them collect their information, and be sure to make it clear that your pros greatly outweigh any cons.
Another way to influence the options is to strongly suggest the criteria they use in considering alternatives. If you’re the largest, oldest, strongest in your industry, encourage clients to make those criteria the most important. But, be careful to never say something negative about your competition.
For instance, I run a small, even intimate, network. If someone is looking to meet 80 people at a time, they might find the size of mine to be a con. But when I point out that with 80 people in a room, they’re likely to meet possibly ten people. With 20 people in our room, and since I know every one present, there’s a 100% chance of meeting 100% of the attendees, so you’ll return to the office with 20 new contacts, twice the number of people compared to a group that had four times our number. In addition, because I can make a personal introduction, you’re more likely to find a connection and the meeting will have a higher quality attached to it. So a negative, a smaller group, has become a positive.
If you’ve influenced the problem identification, alternatives, and pros and cons of at least your business, there’s a good chance the decision will fall on you. You can’t control the decision, but you can again influence. First, ask them to not make a final decision without contacting you. That way, if they’re leaning toward someone else, you’ll have the opportunity to ask, “What will it take to choose me, right this minute?” If they share that the price is lower somewhere else, you have the option of meeting that price. If the delivery is sooner, consider whether you can meet it. Whatever the challenge is (problem identification), you are now the decision maker and can consider the options (changing prices, delivery, etc), weigh the pros and cons, and decide if you still want the client. You may not. It’s okay if you’ve done the leg work for a competitor. At least the person is now in your market and you may get the job next time, or it may lead to a different client who is a better match.
Follow up is huge, and even more so when you don’t get the client. It’s also harder when you didn’t win the bid, but let me repeat, it’s more important. You’ll want to learn if the client is happy with their decision.
But let’s take the easy part first. When you do gain a new client, you need to ask what it was about your company that made them choose you. This isn’t an opportunity to pat yourself on the back, although some of that may occur as a bonus. You’re learning here what sets you apart, what clients want, and how you made the best impression. You can obtain this information formally, through a letter or survey, or informally, through a conversation or over lunch.
The clients who opted not to use you are harder, but you have their contact information and need to use it. Again, you can use a more formal, written route, or a casual, conversational call. You can even arrange to bump into them, maybe at the network where you originally met, but don’t stalk them!
What do you need to learn when you contact them, remembering that you may only have one opportunity? First, who did get the job. It’s possible that they used someone in house, which may mean they really weren’t shopping for a vendor, just learning what they could from interviewing you. It’s possible that they chose to do nothing and will let the project go, which means you can contact them again in a few months to see if they like that decision.
If you can learn who they chose, you need to learn two things. What did this company offer that made them more preferable than you? What did you not offer that would have made you the victor? At this point, you’re trying to learn if you can and should change anything about your products and services. You’re also learning how to better communicate your abilities and flexibility if you offered all the same services for the same or lower rate but this wasn’t clearly understood. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told, “I would have done it for less than that price if you had told me.” Well, I guess the seller should make it clear when a price or other terms are negotiable. You’re also trying to learn if there will be another opportunity to work with this client in the not-too-distant future, or if this was a once-in-a-lifetime deal and they’re now out of the market.
All five steps of the decision making process are easily understood, but not easily manipulated. I don’t mean manipulated in a negative way. You can influence others’ decisions at all five steps and with practice you’ll do it without thinking about what you’re doing or why. It will become second nature as you mature in the process.
Lindy is a speaker, coach, and author and available to help you make your best decisions. Contact her today!
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