Find a champion that wins you 💰💰 clients

I tweeted this earlier:

It got some great responses. I want to explore these a bit deeper. I am going to write an article on each response (it’s rising, what have I done).

The aim of this is to equip you with the commentors insights, as well as my own thoughts on securing high ticket deals. Let’s start with…

Paul Xue (500K agency)

It was 10PM UK time, so obviously I completely missed Paul’s point:

But the real value is his reply:

Let’s break it down:

What is a Champion?

• Someone who supports and ‘champions’ your cause. It could be a friend in a B2B FinTech, or your dog.

When do you need one?

• In the context of accessing high ticket B2B:

  • You are in the darkness a.k.a you have no idea where or how to start, and you don’t think you know anyone in the industry). Commonly known as the valley of DESPAIR

  

  *Gulp*

• Pre-pitch: 

  • Extremely useful to have someone on the inside - or an existing consultancy partner of your prospect - vouch for you. Don’t believe about ‘fair and equitable’. Ppl that like you WILL talk you up to a prospect if they have a good relationship

• During pitch:

  • I was on an RFP once (buyer side) and the consultants that we worked with were on every single call, including the workshops with vendors. The point above remains.

• Post-pitch:

  • To keep you updated on the situation ‘from the inside’

Who is a champion?

• Consultants

• Friends

• Colleagues

• Former colleagues / bosses

• Advisors

• Industry Contacts

Where & How do I get one?

especially since u have 0 contacts. or do u?..

Your brain is a funny thing. It remembers what it wants (think of that random ice cream you ate 4 years ago) but can’t recall details from an hour ago. It is a wonderful, faulty, messy treasure trove of hidden gems. You just need to give it a lil’ kick.

Grab a pen and paper (or just C&P the below) and list out contacts from your past across:

Former colleagues / bosses / education

• Industry peers [literally just copy & paste this list and type against each one. it takes 5 minutes]

• Competitors

• Former employers

• Corporate alumni networks

• Mentors

• Consultants you’ve worked with

• University alumni

• Professors

• Former classmates

Business Partners

• Previous clients and customers

• Vendors and supplier

Friends and Family

• Friends with industry connections

• Family members in relevant fields

Customer Base

• Live customers coming to the end of their project (that’s gone well)

• Clients who have provided testimonials / referred you stuff before

OK. What now? Msg them using 1 of the below..

• Value First Approach

  If semi-okish rapport (i.e. you haven’t spoken to them in a year, and you said hello in the hallway) reach out with value first DMs. This could be:

  • A short Loom video saying ‘hi, I know X company experienced this pain (cos u worked there), here’s how I’m working to solve it’ or some shi-

  • Or just do the above in an email / LinkedIn DM

  • Genuinely just asking how the company is doing

  • A little on your biz, and you’d love feedback in exchange or a free trial or the whole thing free

  • The goal is to get a call with them and see if the convo naturally heads towards a gr8 time to ask for a referral

2. Str8 in 4 the kill. I’m doing it 4 a thrill.

   • If you have a high rapport relationship, just go straight in

   • Talk about what you’re doing (ask them how they are doing too lol)

   • Say you’re looking for honest feedback, and any referrals to companies in the niche you’re targeting. Even as a warm intro. A toe in the water. That’s fine.

   • If you can, talk about it on a call.

   • If you DO get an intro via email (congratz btw), make sure to respond and cc your buddy thanking them, and then send a few bullets to the dream customer (do not overwhelm them).

Example:

Firstly, thank you [buddy] for the connection. Much appreciated.

Hey [name]

Good to meet you. Was speaking with [buddy] last week about [insert topic relevant to pain] and he mentioned that’s something your company is [experiencing / trying to achieve].

Would love to share some insights on how to solve [pain]. Here’s 1 tip:

• Insert small, valuable, actionable tip

Happy to chat through some of my other insights. Let me know if you’d like to.

Cheers,

[Your name]

(only do this if your buddy has briefed you before and given the go-ahead. bonus points for finding out a pressing need they haven’t solved, that YOU can solve. check with your buddy on if it’s all good to mention or run the email by them before. they don’t want to look stupid)

Why do I need a champion again???

• You don’t have to. But the chances of competing against established big dogs and pally pally i-scratch-ur-back-u-scratch-my-back relationships will crush your spirit. Look close to home to avoid this.

• Oh, and also - human emotions and endorsements build confidence. Do you respond to the 57 spam emails from random ppl, or even better - the ‘I can make you $30k MRR - what do you say???’ crowd?

…

thought so.

This was 1 out (depends on how many replies I get lol). Stay tuned for more which will be…

TheCustomer/DomainGuy himself. ;)

Bye!