Mind Mapping Works – Read More . . .

The Name has Been Changed,
But this Case Study Shows Mind Mapping Works!

I won’t reveal the client’s name, but a real life example of the benefits of Mind Mapping with a professional, knowledgeable of the theory and skilled with Mind Mapping software, is worth a post.

George’s Tech Business – What We Do! / Click to Enlarge!

George:Jack of All Tech
One of the first things I always ask business clients is, “Tell me something about your company.”

This request, and followup questions, remind them, and give me, the ‘view from the sky’.  The history of the business and the industry help clarify the current state of the business.

Another important question I ask is, “Tell me something about yourself.”  I want to know a little about them personally: family, education, work experience and goals.

After learning more about George, the first Mind Map we made was of all the things George offers clients. In this case products and services included: printer repair, phone installation, closed circuit television, software customization, computer networking, etc.

The next step was to prioritize the map two ways; (1) profit and (2) opportunity for profit.  Thru questioning and discussion, several things emerged.  First of all, George was spending some major time on minor opportunities.  Some of his offerings, we decided, should be referred to other companies who would probably be in a similar position with opportunities they could refer to George.  Other products, which had great potential, were not fully being marketed.

It’s important to remember that a business is built two ways; Vertically and Horizontally.  Sell more to present clients and increase your customer base.  Also, and a fact overlooked by many, is your best clients are your present ones!

A Big ‘Aha!’ Moment came when George disclosed that he wasn’t cross-selling his products to clients.  When I asked him if he ever was on a project with a client and realized they had hired someone else to do things he offers, he replied, “It happens all the time!”

Our next step was to make a Sales Mind Map Template of all his offerings.  A map can be customized for each client.  George now explains,  “This is how I work.”  He then asks what they currently do for each of the products and services on the map.  He enters the information so there is a permanent record to be referred to when needed.  (Kind of like a doctor taking your medical history – correct?)  If some items on the map don’t, and will never apply, they are zapped.  Now, George’s clients know everything he offers, and he knows where his opportunities are.  If they are happy with one service, he will be ‘top of mind’ when other needs arise.

One of the valuable features of the software is the ability to link items in the map to:

• Documents that give details of the product of service.
• URLs that might have relevance to an offering.  In George’s case, there is a necessity for certain industries dealing with the government to have ‘cloud’ storage that meets a specific level of security.  There’s actually a regulation that George has linked to his offering of data storage.
• Other Mind Maps that might get into specifics offerings and how they would help the client.

Having everything literally and figuratively on one page, with supporting documentation a click away, is invaluable in saving time and clarifying what George can do for his customers.

George will continually update this map by adding new services and dropping ones that are no longer a fit.

The first thing George now asks when re-visiting a client, and both are looking at his customized product and service Mind Map, is, “What’s changed since we last met?”