15: Persevere – with Dave Kaprielian of Mercer
You’ll Hear ‘No’ a lot!
Nicole chats with David Kaprielian, a Principal, with Mercer.
Growth strategy: Ensure current clients are solid. You want to grow not just fill gaps with new business.
Tactical best practices: With strong technical skills you can rely on yourself to look at information and make decisions. It’s important to have a client team with separate and distinct skills.
Less than Success Story: Assigned to an unhappy client David used focus and effort to turn negative feedback positive. Then it wasn’t, he had become complacent, had reduced his sense of urgency, and hadn’t asked for feedback. Today he asks frequently and brings others in regularly to check client satisfaction.
Fixed Fee Pricing: To get from point A to point B with a fixed price you assume a straight line. In reality projects twist and turn – they add time, which equals money. If you can ask the client for more, they feel nickel-and-dimed. If you hold to your price, you feel nickel-and-dimed.
How is business development in professional services different from business development in other B2B businesses: Selling consulting, you’re selling yourself, not a product – it’s personal. Build a business relationship with clients for the long term.
Millennial, Mobile, Global: Keep your energy, focus and enthusiasm. Understand what you want and remain true to yourself.