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 Campagnolo Record Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $555.00 Time Remaining: 25d 19h 38m Buy It Now for only: $555.00 |
 Campagnolo Record Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $555.00 Time Remaining: 23d 19h 26m Buy It Now for only: $555.00 |
 Campagnolo Record Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $462.12 Time Remaining: 27d 18h 48m Buy It Now for only: $462.12 |
 CAMPAGNOLO SUPER RECORD 11S REAR DERAILLEUR SHORT $454.99 Time Remaining: 10d 20h 2m Buy It Now for only: $454.99 |
 Campagnolo Record Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $442.99 Time Remaining: 14d 4h 50m Buy It Now for only: $442.99 |
 SRAM Rival 3pc Shifter Front Clamp On 32mm Rear Short Cage Derailleur Group Set $425.00 Time Remaining: 5d 10h 46m Buy It Now for only: $425.00 |
 Campagnolo Chorus Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $370.00 Time Remaining: 25d 18h 13m Buy It Now for only: $370.00 |
 SRAM X0 DH 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Black Red $365.70 Time Remaining: 25d 15h 28m Buy It Now for only: $365.70 |
 SRAM X0 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Red $365.70 Time Remaining: 25d 21h 3m Buy It Now for only: $365.70 |
 Campagnolo Chorus Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $370.00 Time Remaining: 23d 18h 56m Buy It Now for only: $370.00 |
 CAMPAGNOLO RECORD 11 SPEED REAR DERAILLEUR SHORT $369.99 Time Remaining: 19d 19m Buy It Now for only: $369.99 |
 Campagnolo Record Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $355.91 Time Remaining: 17d 40m Buy It Now for only: $355.91 |
 SRAM X0 9 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $354.20 Time Remaining: 25d 21h 3m Buy It Now for only: $354.20 |
 SRAM 2012 Red 10 speed Road Bike Carbon Rear Derailleur Short Cage $357.95 Time Remaining: 19d 5h 4m Buy It Now for only: $357.95 |
 SRAM RED REAR DERAILLEUR 2012 AERO GLIDE SHORT CAGE $349.99 Time Remaining: 17d 4h 28m Buy It Now for only: $349.99 |
 CAMPAGNOLO 08 RECORD 10 REAR DERAILLEUR SHORT CAGE $339.99 Time Remaining: 18d 2h 12m Buy It Now for only: $339.99 |
 SRAM X0 DH 10 SPEED SHORT CAGE REAR DERAILLEUR REAR X0 SHIFTER COMBO RED X0 XO $339.57 Time Remaining: 14d 21h 6m Buy It Now for only: $339.57 |
 Campagnolo Chorus Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $310.61 Time Remaining: 27d 18h 43m Buy It Now for only: $310.61 |
 New 2010 Campagnolo Record Carbon 11 Speed Rear Derailleur Short Cage $310.00 Time Remaining: 19d 12h 21m Buy It Now for only: $310.00 |
 Campagnolo Chorus Carbon 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $297.99 Time Remaining: 7d 16h 43m Buy It Now for only: $297.99 |
 Sram Red Rear Derailleur 10 Speed Short Cage $299.00 Time Remaining: 25d 19h 16m Buy It Now for only: $299.00 |
 SRAM Red Rear Derailleur 10spd 10 Speed Carbon Short Cage Team Green Road Bike $299.00 Time Remaining: 28d 20h 8m Buy It Now for only: $299.00 |
 NEW 2012 Campagnolo RECORD 10 speed Rear Derailleur RD4 REXS Short Cage $298.95 Time Remaining: 1d 19h 52m Buy It Now for only: $298.95 |
 SRAM RED Rear derailleur Short cage black $269.00 Time Remaining: 4d 21h 14m Buy It Now for only: $269.00 |
 Campagnolo 10 Speed Chorus 10s short cage 55mm Alloy Derailleur New Old Stock $279.90 Time Remaining: 5d 3h 32m Buy It Now for only: $279.90 |
 SRAM X0 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Red $260.91 Time Remaining: 3h 4m Buy It Now for only: $260.91 |
 SRAM Select Rear Mech Derailleur 9 Speed spd X0 Super Short Cage X0 XO MTB Bike $268.64 Time Remaining: 7d 20h 1m Buy It Now for only: $268.64 |
 NOS Campagnolo Chorus Carbon 10 Speed Rear Derailleur Short Cage $259.00 Time Remaining: 7d 19h 18m Buy It Now for only: $259.00 |
 SRAM X0 DH 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Black Red $265.00 Time Remaining: 24d 20h 42m Buy It Now for only: $265.00 |
 SRAM X0 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Red $263.00 Time Remaining: 29d 20h 33m Buy It Now for only: $263.00 |
 SRAM X0 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Red $262.99 Time Remaining: 21d 19h 41m Buy It Now for only: $262.99 |
 CAMPAGNOLO CHORUS 11 SPEED REAR DERAILLEUR SHORT $259.99 Time Remaining: 10d 20h 13m Buy It Now for only: $259.99 |
 SRAM X0 9 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $256.67 Time Remaining: 24d 20h 42m Buy It Now for only: $256.67 |
 SRAM X0 DH 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Blk Red $254.99 Time Remaining: 7d 19h 45m Buy It Now for only: $254.99 |
 SRAM X0 DH 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Black Red $247.27 Time Remaining: 27d 18h 43m Buy It Now for only: $247.27 |
 Campagnolo Chorus Carbon Short Cage Rear Derailleur $243.91 Time Remaining: 17d 40m Buy It Now for only: $243.91 |
 Campagnolo Chorus 10 Speed Rear Mech Derailleur Short $236.97 Time Remaining: 29d 8h 33m Buy It Now for only: $236.97 |
 SRAM X0 Rear Derailleur 10spd Short Cage Black RDPX6408 $240.19 Time Remaining: 23d 13h 19m Buy It Now for only: $240.19 |
 SRAM X0 Rear Derailleur 10spd Short Cage Silver RDPX8020 $240.19 Time Remaining: 23d 13h 19m Buy It Now for only: $240.19 |
 SRAM X0 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Silver 2012 $249.99 Time Remaining: 16d 8h 39m Buy It Now for only: $249.99 |
 SRAM X0 DH 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Black Red 2012 $249.99 Time Remaining: 17d 4h 59m Buy It Now for only: $249.99 |
 Sram 2011 Red Short Cage Rear Derailleur w black box ceramic bearings $239.99 Time Remaining: 27d 16h 26m Buy It Now for only: $239.99 |
 SRAM Select Rear Derailleur 9spd X0 Super Short Cage RDPX0S $237.03 Time Remaining: 23d 13h 19m Buy It Now for only: $237.03 |
 SRAM X0 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Red $240.91 Time Remaining: 27d 18h 42m Buy It Now for only: $240.91 |
 SRAM 2011 XO 9 speed REAR DERAILLEUR SHORT CAGE X0 XO $246.95 Time Remaining: 28d 5h 16m Buy It Now for only: $246.95 |
 Shimano dura ace rear derailleur 7900 short cage 2012 $220.00 Time Remaining: 11d 21h 20m Buy It Now for only: $220.00 |
 SRAM X0 DH 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Black Red $236.99 Time Remaining: 15d 14h 41m Buy It Now for only: $236.99 |
 CAMPAGNOLO 08 CHORUS 10 REAR DERAILLEUR SHORT CAGE $239.99 Time Remaining: 1h 24m Buy It Now for only: $239.99 |
 SRAM X0 9 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $233.33 Time Remaining: 27d 18h 42m Buy It Now for only: $233.33 |
 SRAM Red Rear Derailleur 10spd Carbon Black Box Short Cage Road Bike 10 Speed $239.00 Time Remaining: 28d 15h 43m Buy It Now for only: $239.00 |
 SRAM X0 10 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Red $230.99 Time Remaining: 7d 16h 53m Buy It Now for only: $230.99 |
 Shimano Dura Ace RD 7900 SS Rear Derailleur 10 speed Short Cage Road Bike New $229.99 Time Remaining: 22d 4h 39m Buy It Now for only: $229.99 |
 SRAM RED REAR DERAILLEUR 10 SPEED SHORT CAGE 10 New in box $219.90 Time Remaining: 10d 5h 46m Buy It Now for only: $219.90 |
 SRAM X0 9 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur $223.99 Time Remaining: 15d 14h 20m Buy It Now for only: $223.99 |
 SRAM X0 DH 10 SPEED SHORT CAGE DERAILLEUR BLACK RED XO X0 XO 10 10spd DOWNHILL $220.99 Time Remaining: 14d 19h 37m Buy It Now for only: $220.99 |
 Sram 2011 X0 XO 10 Speed Rear Derailleur Short Cage Red $219.95 Time Remaining: 20d 16h 55m Buy It Now for only: $219.95 |
 Sram Red Rear Derailleur Short Cage $209.99 Time Remaining: 4d 21h 33m Buy It Now for only: $209.99 |
 Shimano Dura Ace 7900 REAR Derailleur 10spd Short Cage $199.99 Time Remaining: 21d 20h 37m Buy It Now for only: $199.99 |
 NEW Shimano M950 XTR Short Cage Rear Derailleur $200.00 Time Remaining: 26d 22h 58m Buy It Now for only: $200.00 |
 SRAM XO DH 10sp Rear MTB Bicycle Short Derailleur DH BK RD $209.99 Time Remaining: 11d 3h 7m Buy It Now for only: $209.99 |
 NEW 2012 Campagnolo CHORUS 10 speed Rear Derailleur SHORT CAGE $209.95 Time Remaining: 16d 22h 24m Buy It Now for only: $209.95 |
 NEW Shimano XTR RD M972 GS Shadow Rear Derailleur short $208.60 Time Remaining: 14d 12h 15m Buy It Now for only: $208.60 |
 SRAM Select Rear Mech Derailleur 9 Speed spd X0 Super Short Cage X0 XO MTB Bike $204.99 Time Remaining: 7d 22h 23m Buy It Now for only: $204.99 |
 2012 SHIMANO DURA ACE RD 7900 SS 10 SPEED REAR DERAILLEUR SHORT CAGE $203.59 Time Remaining: 27d 19h 39m Buy It Now for only: $203.59 |
 Shimano Dura Ace RD 7900 Rear Derailleur SS Short Road Bike 10 speed $197.99 Time Remaining: 21d 3h 13m Buy It Now for only: $197.99 |
 New SRAM Red 10S Short Titanium Rear Derailleur $189.99 Time Remaining: 16d 18h 14m Buy It Now for only: $189.99 |
 SRAM Red Rear Derailleur ROAD BIKE 10 SPEED CARBON FIBER SHORT CAGE ONLY 153g $195.00 Time Remaining: 15d 21h 46m Buy It Now for only: $195.00 |
 SRAM 09 X0 Short Cage Rear Derailleur $189.93 Time Remaining: 21d 34m Buy It Now for only: $189.93 |
 SRAM X0 9 Speed Short Cage Rear Derailleur Red $179.99 Time Remaining: 29d 16h 5m Buy It Now for only: $179.99 |
 2012 Sram XO 10 Speed Rear Derailleur Short Cage Black Red $179.90 Time Remaining: 18d 14h 51m Buy It Now for only: $179.90 |
 New 2011 Sram Red Black Rear Derailleur No Reserve Short Cage $162.50 (18 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 18m |
 NEW Shimano XTR RD M980 10s Rear Derailleur GS Short Cage $169.95 Time Remaining: 14d 17h 53m Buy It Now for only: $169.95 |
 Shimano Saint RD M810 9 Speed MTB Rear Derailleur Short Cage SS $156.95 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 18m Buy It Now for only: $156.95 |
 Campy Veloce 10 Speed Rear Derailleur Short Cage Black $153.91 Time Remaining: 4h 25m Buy It Now for only: $153.91 |
 Campy Veloce 10 Speed Rear Derailleur Short Cage Silver $153.91 Time Remaining: 7h 24m Buy It Now for only: $153.91 |
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Earn the Right to Speak to Your Clients
Think about it: people that you want for clients start out as strangers. They don't know about you and your firm. So you can't expect them to jump into a long-term relationship with you before they move from stranger, to acquaintance, to friend, to lover, and then to loyal partner.
I don't need to spell out the analogy to dating in detail for you to get the idea, but this point is key: don't expect strangers to commit to your professional services until you move them through the trust- building phases of developing a relationship.
Think of marketing as a path to earning your clients' commitment. For definitions of each phase, read on. For ideas on how to move through each phase, read the rest of this article.
Strangers. Strangers don't know who you are and don't see the difference between you and others offering your same service. At first glance, you might be another pretty face in the crowd, but that's about it. The key here is to catch and hold attention from the right kinds of prospects.
Acquaintances. In the business world, Acquaintances shop based on price and availability. They won't pay for value and want the goods fast. Off-the-shelf is fine, with no customization required. You get little or no loyalty from Acquaintances. While not the way to grow a professional service firm, there are ways to serve this market, as well as move through this segment.
Friends. At this phase, you might be working closely with a client, or you might still be earning their trust. In general, Friends tend to have some kind of working agreement in place that includes pricing, service and deliverables. Whether you've done one project or a small amount of work for a Friend, there are still other fish in the sea.
Lovers...are highly bonded business partners in explicitly negotiated, contractually defined relationships of commitment and trust. They enjoy all the benefits of a trust-based relationship including regular, frequent and open communication, insider benefits, discounts, and customized solutions.
Loyal Partners...have been working together for some time, usually years. They easily refer business back and forth to each other and truly believe that they are the best solution in the market for the niche they serve. They've learned a lot from each other and each is better for having known and worked with the other.
To move your prospects and clients from Strangers to Loyal Partners, give these things a try:
To catch a Stranger's eye: You've got to turn heads. This means knowing whom you want to attract, and then communicating the right things to get and hold their attention. In other words, you've got to position yourself well against the competition, and speak (or write) in terms of your target audience's WIIFM (What's In It For Me?).
Get the first 10 words dead right, or it won't matter how brilliant your next 100 words are because your prospect won't stick around. It's like the difference between a cheesy pick-up line and a thoughtful conversation-starter. When you introduce yourself, put content on your homepage, or write the headline of an article, communicate with your target audience's interests in mind.
To move from Strangers to Acquaintances: You've attracted attention, so now what? You must keep your prospect engaged. The best way to do that is to ask them questions about themselves, related to problems you can solve. At this point in the "conversation" (while networking, on your website, in an article, through direct mail, on the phone, in a sales meeting) it should be all about them, not about you.
Instead of going on about your services, use short questionnaires, self-assessments and attentive questions to...
* Ask about what they struggle with, wish they could do better, or want from your kind of professional service;
* Learn as much as you can about their world and reciprocate slowly by answering their questions;
* Let them control the pacing, without overwhelming them with too much information that they haven't asked for.
* Determine if you can send an article related to their needs that they might find of value.
Basic (but effective) relationship-building tactics include a hand- written follow-up note, sending the article you mentioned, and politely gauging interest in more contact. At this point, it may be appropriate to take another step to get to know each other better (a first date!) in the form of a follow up call, meeting over coffee, or office visit.
To move from Acquaintances to Friends: This may be where a prospect decides to buy your services, but probably not. It's too early - you haven't built your case yet for how you're uniquely qualified to do a better job at meeting your prospect's needs than anyone else in your field.
To build your case, you need to demonstrate your reliability, staying power and visibility (i.e., through a WIIFM-oriented e- newsletter); authority (through credentials, testimonials, case studies, and awards); value (by clearly communicating outcomes and results, and demystifying how you'll work together); and minimize the buyer's risk (through guarantees, references, follow through).
This could be when a prospect is willing to spend a little bit of money with you on something perceived as low-risk. For example, you could sell your expertise packaged into information-based products such as workbooks, lessons or talks on tape or CD, and premium reports. All of these things let prospects get to know you better, deepen trust, and help move their confidence in you to the next level.
To move from Friends to Lovers: You've built your case, demonstrated to your client's satisfaction that you're a safe bet, and continue to stand out from the crowd. You've discussed the tough things like money, decision-making authority, and possible derailleurs. Deepening the commitment with you feels natural, safe and like the right thing to do.
As Lovers, you'll be engaged in regular and long-term business. You'll learn a lot about each other, communication preferences, how to navigate conflict, and how to manage expectations. You'll only sustain the relationship at this level if you keep it fresh by continuing to gauge and meet their needs. You can't take their business for granted. Innovation is important, based on what your best clients ask for or struggle with.
To move from Lovers to Loyal Partners: Newer, flashier competitors may come on the scene, but your Loyal Partners aren't going anywhere. You alone are their number one choice for the professional service your firm provides. If someone else approaches them, they'll let you know about it and give you a chance to meet their needs first. As with any successful long-term relationship, you've learned to use conflict constructively, don't take their loyalty for granted, and continue to reward them for their trust and commitment.
In a worthwhile relationship, you can't rush something good. Think about moving through these phases over time - not in one conversation or even two meetings. When it's too good too soon, relationships are usually hollow or troubled (with clients and in love!). I've learned to slow down, pace the conversation, and ask a lot of questions. The results are consistently better and longer lasting.
Whatever you do, your message and actions have got to be authentic and in your clients' best interests. Any smart prospect or client will see right through the "lines" of a Player - someone who's only out for the score. I doubt that's how you want to be positioned in the marketplace, and it's certainly no way to build a business.
If this sounds like a lot of work, you're right. But consider the payoff: rock solid, long lasting relationships with clients that deepen and enrich everyone over time.
About the Author
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