Week 1: Introduction
Introduction
Week 6-8: Fear of Being Embarrased
Week 6: Ask Dumb Questions
Week 9-12: Fear of Feeling Inferior
Week 13: Wrap-up

Week 2: Give Away the Business

Week 2

Give Away the Business

Fear of Losing the Business

In Week 2 of our discussion on Patrick Lencioni’s Naked Selling, we delve into the bold principal of “Give Away the Business.” This approach challenges the common fear of losing clients by advocating transparency and generosity, ultimately building trust and loyalty.

Strategy Intro Video

Call Pre-work

Read the quote and respond:

“I had more questions for him. ‘Do you ever worry that you’re going to do too much during your sales call, and that the client will take it and use it and not hire you?’ Dick smiled. ‘That’s exactly what Matt said after his first few sales calls. And no, I don’t worry about it. Very few people are going to do something like that. If they need help, they need help. Even if what I show them makes perfect sense, they usually know they need help implementing it and getting the rest of their team on board.”

Getting Naked, pg 86

Questions:

  • What are the best stories and examples you have seen of this strategy?
  • What are some examples you’ve seen where giving away the business was taken for granted?
  • What are examples where you or someone you worked with stopped short of giving away the business?
  • What were the results and outcomes?
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Additional Quotes from Getting Naked

“The other part of giving away the business is more financial. It entails always erring on the side of the client when it comes to fees….. Instead of pressing for the full amount, my co-worker simply charged them what they expected the work would cost. That client continues to work with our firm today.”
Getting Naked, pg. 202-203

“Dick didn’t seem surprised, but he certainly wasn’t waiting for the question. ‘If you want, we could, I guess. But why don’t I just come next week and we’ll see how it goes. If you decide we can help you, we can figure it out from there.’”
Getting Naked, pg 83

“‘Once they spend some time with the Lighthouse folks, I think they forget about their initial impression and are disarmed by their… humble self-confidence.’”
Getting Naked, pg 155

“‘I mean, sure, if all a client is looking for is one idea, then you’d be better off just giving it to them and letting them burn you and get it over with.’”
Naked Selling, pg 156

“‘Don’t bring them up during the sales call unless they ask. Don’t apologize for what you charge when they do ask. And if there’s ever a dispute about fees, side with the client and charge the lesser amount.’”
Getting Naked, pg 156

“But sometimes we forget that the word ‘service’ shares the same root meaning as ‘servant’ and even ‘subserviences.’ Naked service providers..[should]… purposefully put themselves in a lower position.”
Getting Naked, pg. 200

“The other part of giving away the business is more financial. It entails always erring on the side of the client when it comes to fees….. Instead of pressing for the full amount, my co-worker simply charged them what they expected the work would cost. That client continues to work with our firm today.”
Getting Naked, pg. 202-203

“Dick didn’t seem surprised, but he certainly wasn’t waiting for the question. ‘If you want, we could, I guess. But why don’t I just come next week and we’ll see how it goes. If you decide we can help you, we can figure it out from there.’”
Getting Naked, pg 83

Reflections about giving away the business