There are two kinds of buyers:
- Those who want a position filled
- Those who want to hire an expert
With the first kind of buyer, you have no negotiating leverage.
They just need someone to do a function that, to them, is relatively low stakes. In their eyes, the function can be easily solved by many people.
You want to work with the second kind of buyer.
They have real business problems and are looking to do things the right way. They can’t afford not to.
These buyers tend to:
- Do their research
- Ask around for referrals
- Want someone specialized and proven
- Want to de-risk their high-stakes projects
- Pay a premium for the best possible solution
You want this type of buyer to think of you first (or only).
Ideally, you want to be positioned in a way that got them to notice you a long time ago.
You want to have shared your expertise consistently and showed up in enough places that they already know, like, and trust you.
You want them to not be shopping around when they talk to you.
You want to be the “only” real option in mind.
So much of our work comes down to the way we position ourselves. When we pick a tight focus, we become better at our jobs—and word spreads about it.
It not only makes it easier to attract the right people—they’ll often pay more, try harder to work with you, and get better results in the process.
When you do it right, you have most—if not all—of the negotiating leverage in a sales conversation.
Sure, they could go to a general alternative, but if they want their specific problem solved—you’re the person. There’s nobody else you can think of who does it better.
This is what allows you to maintain a price premium. This is what gets word of mouth going. This is what gets people to pay attention to your every word.
That’s because you don’t solve all problems, you solve sub-specific ones.
Problems precisely like the ones they need solving. And that means you can’t be easily interchanged when the stakes are high.
And because you’ve done it so many times, you’re actually good at it. You’re a master of the nuances.
Your expertise is therefore rare, scarce, and valuable.
—kevin
