You need to "No!" (and to know too!)

What do I mean by “You need to “No!”“?

Just a little introduction to frame you:

UpSideUp is in business since 2011 and I have been doing a win-loss analysis for the last 3 years. I am happy to say that we close more than 2/3 of our business proposals and I hear many people in the business talking about much lower success rates.

So, what are we doing right?

Well, lets see:

• Our prices are fair!
• Quality is generally very good!
• Innovation is always present!
• We never failed!
• We have good customer references!
• All testimonials are positive!
• We have an average evaluation over 90/100!
• We never got late to a meeting!
• We write each proposal from scratch on a white page!
• We have a good Code of Conduct!
• Our Services are clear and all Conditions are transparent!
• We think about each customer’s needs!
• We establish good personal relations!
• …

But… will these aspects be enough?

Maybe not! So I needed to go deeper…

By asking several customers what influenced their decision for us, I found out that we ask a lot of questions! They also told me that not talking too much about us is good, as it shows we care for them! Not using a Powerpoint presentation on first meetings was also much appreciated.

And one the most interesting discoveries was that many customers valued the fact that we ask if what they are requesting us to do is really what they want and need, and sometimes we even ask, in advance, if they have budget (and I mean enough money) to pay for our services.

But the most amazing discovery was the fact that some customers valued our courage to tell them “NO, I WILL NOT DO THAT JOB AS I DON’T BELIEVE IT WILL SUCCEED OR YOU’LL GET THE EXPECTED RESULTS!”.

Just think about the power of the positive NO. Now you know!

See you around.

Daniel Lança Perdigão, Strategist and Visual Thinker @ UpSideUp.pt