Whitespace Is the Right Space
First, I hope you all enjoyed a festive, fun, and fulfilling Thanksgiving!
As we enter the last month of the year, it is important to realize that between now and December 19th (because after that, it’s off for Holiday time) is a season of opportunity. Right now, we have the opportunity to pick up share by meeting with clients and reminding them of the accomplishments you achieved together. And, you can present your case for building on that momentum through a discussion of goals that were NOT fully realized yet and new endeavors they are planning for 2022.
Find the Whitespace Gap
To really have an impactful conversation, you’ll need to live in the “whitespace” for a bit. Let me explain…
Whitespace selling means discovering the gap between what your clients need and the services you offer that they are not taking advantage of yet. This requires a careful study of the past engagements your company has taken on and knowledge of your clients’ new goals. Through this study, research and engagement, you may also discover new entities within their organization that could benefit from what your company offers…they just don’t know it yet!
It was said best by Idris Mooteee, CEO of Idea Couture, Inc., “Whitespace is a tool that lets you look at the commercial landscape up and down the value chain with a new lens. It identifies new untouched opportunities. These are profit opportunities where incremental innovation is possible.”
Initiating a Whitespace Review
Right now is the perfect time to engage in a whitespace discovery. Here are a few things you will need to have:
- Knowledge of a client’s needs/challenges/threats and how to make their day-to-day tasks more efficient
- An understanding of what’s most important to them
- A set of clear value propositions that illustrate innovative accretive solutions
- A desire to relationally hunt for areas to contribute to your customer’s commercial success
To action this process with your team, ask these questions:
- How well served is this client or has it been underserved?
- What would be our ideal relationship with this client?
- Where are our gaps?
- What core assumptions of our difference in business can we declare?
- How do our products/services shape our industry?
- Try it and let me know or call me to facilitate your discussion on it.
It’s important as you set YOUR goals for 2022 that you discover the whitespace for all your clients. The new business opportunities you will uncover should set you up well for a successful and prosperous new year! Let me know how it goes.
