7 Things "Suits" Can Teach Us About Sales & Marketing

One of my favorite shows for the past two summers has been Suits.  Suits, a television drama on USA, is based on two lawyers: senior partner Harvey Specter and his associate Mike Ross.  As I was watching this over the past weeks, it struck me that as different as the world of marketing/social media and law are, the core foundations of acquiring and keeping business are the same for all companies. After watching the most recent episode, I made a list of 7 things that Suits can teach us about marketing and sales.

Be creative to get the end results needed


How are you going to get the new business that you want? What makes your product stand out? How are you going to get the end results that you want? Whether it is playing tennis or getting lunch with a potential client or thinking outside of the box to creatively win a lawsuit, Harvey and Mike know to never settle for average.  They want to stand out, and know that being creative helps all aspects of their business.  Think about how to overcome obstacles.  Expect and predict how the market will pan out.  Use many different options to get new business, such as promotional events, advertising, networking, and online presence through a website, blog or social media.

Be confident as a person and salesperson


While there is a huge difference between confidence and arrogance, you must believe in yourself and  product or service to be successful.  Harvey is a lawyer with a witty humor and confidence, but he believes in himself and know that his product is the best.  This is why he knows he can win, because he backs it up and has proved it.  Why would anyone buy something from you if you seem unsure about it? Being passionate for the product you are selling or marketing definitely helps.  Believe in it and believe in yourself, and your chances are a lot better and succeeding.

Care about the consumer

While Harvey believes that he cannot get emotionally attached to a client and that he must focus on the facts and the law, Mike Ross is an emotional lawyer that listens to and believes his clients.  Giving bad customer service, ignoring your client, or not listening to the consumer will get your business nowhere.  If a customer is treated like a king, they remember it and will spread their experience through word of mouth marketing.  In contrast, if they are treated poorly, they will most likely find a rival to take your place while telling others to not use your product or service.

Ask for help if you need it


Since Mike did not go to law school and was thrown into his job immediately, he was inexperienced and did not know many simple things about the law office.  While learning on the fly, he had to ask for help from the receptionist, the paralegal, and other associates.  It is alright to not know how to do something, but figure out how to make it happen! Ask people for help and do not be embarrassed.  Especially if you are new to the industry or company, it is better to do something right with help than to do it wrong by yourself.

Give a simple message


Harvey makes all of his clients know: Hire me and win.  It is that simple.  Using too many words or an inconsistent message will confuse people.  They may not be able to know what service they are getting.  They may not be able to know what the product does.  Being intentional with your message and marketing and making it easy to understand will go a long way in getting and keeping business.

Make people happy


This goes along with caring about the customer, but it is actually acting it out.  They are your clients.  You are offering your product or services.  Make sure that you remember, they do not necessarily need you.  You need them.  They are the ones that choose whether to give your business a chance, so treat them well.  Make sure that you respect them, their opinion, and do your best to get them the results that they expect, just like Harvey and Mike.

Create trust through honesty


Harvey and Mike are always honest with their clients.  In the world of sales and marketing, being deceptive or exaggerating can be easy, but it can also create trust issues.  In the long run, these things will come back to bite you rather than help.  If you are honest with your customers, showing them respect and building trust, then they will go to bat for you.  Another thing: if you mess up, create a bad batch of products, or offer a bad service, be honest about it.  It can be humiliating or tough, but if you mess up, you have to take responsibility for your mistakes.