506 - How to get out of presentation mode, master client communication, and price on value with Blair Enns

Live In The Feast

Today’s guest is Blair Enns. Blair is the founder and CEO of Win Without Pitching, a sales training organization for creative professionals. Blair is also the author of two books, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and Pricing Creativity.

While most of Blair’s work is centered around sales and teaching people how to sell, he’s an expert in the specific difficulties creative people have with selling.

A defining moment in Blair’s life was when he left the city and moved his young family to a remote mountain village in British Columbia — a nine-hour drive from Vancouver. He left his job at a design firm and started the initial iteration of Win Without Pitching.

Blair pushes himself to lead by example, following the same principles he talks about in his books, and in his consulting practice. He understands that he has a responsibility to sell to his clients the way he would want them to sell to him.

Blair is currently working on a second edition of Pricing Creativity, and has also started working on several new book projects.

"Curiosity is the most valuable asset when it comes to consultative selling or value based pricing. Let go of any presuppositions and just be curious.”

In this episode Blair talked about:

• How removing distractions from his life enabled him to build his business the way he wanted to.
• Pricing on value, and how to think about pricing in general.
• Why you have to master the conversation before you can master selling.

Main Takeaways

• It’s hard to have a value conversation with a prospective client if you don’t think in terms of value yourself.
• Go into conversations with clients without any presuppositions about what their problems are, what the solution might be, or what the cost of the solution might be.
• Creatives have to learn how to have conversations about value, and improve their conversational skills so they can get out of the “presentation business”.

Important Mentions in this Episode

• Win Without Pitching
• The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
• Pricing Creativity
• Blair Enns on Twitter
• Blair Enns on LinkedIn

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