Make It Count clients are often full of potential that never fully materializes. Although they align with your company’s culture and values, making them some of your favorite clients to work with, they habitually fall short of meeting your financial expectations.
While these clients may promise growth, they can end up draining valuable resources and causing significant financial strain. Picture a salesperson in a meeting, enthusiastically discussing all the “land and expand” possibilities, only for time to pass with little to no change in engagement. Without thoughtful account management and a strategic focus on Blue Chip business development, a roster full of these clients can lead to financial death by a thousand cuts.
As a Prospect
If you haven’t already, clearly define your Blue Chip client profile (ideal clients) and your Graveyard client profile (clients you want to avoid). Include clear pricing targets and minimums in these profiles.
During the qualification stage, address pricing early. Blair Enns , author of Pricing Creativity, advises to “say a price before you show a price.” Providing pricing guidance through a range or minimum level of engagement helps prevent investing excessive time and energy, which can lead to late-stage discounting to salvage a deal—resulting in financially misaligned clients.
As a Client
Make It Count clients can be an easy trap to fall into because they’re pleasant to work with. You may find yourself inclined to invest more time and resources than they’re worth, despite the limited financial return.
Remember, each Make It Count client consumes valuable resources and impacts your bottom line. To manage these clients effectively, keep the following in mind:
Account Management (Farming)
Avoid assuming that "land & expand" will happen just because you won the initial opportunity. Instead, develop a clear plan for upselling, cross-selling, and earning referrals. Too often, salespeople find themselves back where they started or face requests for discounts or scope reductions from clients who don’t fully appreciate the value being delivered.
Conduct a Share of Wallet exercises to identify opportunities for upselling or cross-selling. This helps you maximize the value from Make It Count clients. Additionally, these clients can serve as excellent training grounds for new or junior team members.
Ultimately, your time, talent, and resources should be focused on your Blue Chip clients.
Business Development (Hunting)
Build a strong, healthy pipeline of Blue Chip clients to reduce dependency on Make It Count clients. When you have a healthy pipeline, you can maintain pricing integrity and avoid discounting and desperation. Proactively seek new business to avoid becoming reliant on clients who don’t align with your financial goals.
Conclusion
While Make It Count clients may be some of your favorites, they can cause significant financial stress. To thrive, be clear on your pricing, tactful in negotiations, and focus on upselling, cross-selling, and earning referrals. Continuously build a pipeline of ideal clients to ensure financial stability and growth.
Nexts Steps
If you or your sales team are struggling to maximize time with your best prospects and clients, I invite you to join my cohort-based course called: "Beyond the Founder Rainmaker - Building Your Outbound Sales Strategy". You'll gain invaluable insights, practical tools, and actionable strategies to unlock the true potential of your business.
Go Deeper
Carver Peterson helps growth-minded leaders and organizations achieve predictable and sustainable revenue growth through a refined strategy, defined process and aligned structure.
We are systematic and process-driven.
We value unique strengths.
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