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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 F E B R UA R Y 2 0 , 2 0 2 3 workshops. While the 2,395-square-foot leased area is comparable in square foot- age to the former location at 221 Lisbon St., the new site is on one floor rather than two levels. In 1988, LA Arts was designated by the two city governments as their local arts agency. As the number of arts and cultural venues has grown, LA Arts has shifted focus to supporting regional cultural partners and present- ing local artists, makers and performers in the LA Arts Gallery, the Downstage and in community venues. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N The Professional Logging Contractors of Maine in Augusta said it raised a re- cord $262,403 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine in 2022 through its annual Log A Load for Maine Kids fundraising efforts. Kennebec Savings Bank named Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney recipients of its Catalyst Grants. Each nonprofit organization received $30,000 to support creative concepts that might otherwise not be possible. Norway Savings Bank said its "2nd Annual Patricia Weigel Pay It Forward This is Briggs. We were there when he opened his one-man shop. We're here now as he grows his boat-building business. Someday he'll retire and sail to Bermuda. And when that day arrives, we'll be there. 1-800-447-4559 | bathsavings.bank MEMBER FDIC EQUAL HOUSING LENDER A S K AC E A n s w e r e d b y T o m R e n e h a n The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a non-profit association of independent consultants who value "Success through Collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Q: How do I prepare for a first conversation with a new sales prospect? ACE advises: Customers' pain points may vary widely but most people buying a product or service are in hope of solving a problem they may have in their organization. Some examples of pain points (or needs) can be financial, process, organizational or support issues in the organiza- tion. As a seller of goods or services those who understand their customer or potential customers needs will be more successful in converting leads to sales. When do I look for customer pain points? According to Jennifer Frye, CEO of Appreciated Asset, "I take a bit of a different approach with these conversations. When I am pros- pecting for my own business or for my clients, I like to find out the prospect's worry points prior to our discovery call. Because we do almost all of our prospecting over the phone, when I reach out to set the discovery call, I will list a few of those common areas of concern and ask if any of them resonate. Doing this gives me the opportunity to respond directly to those concerns and set the discovery call with more information. It also changes the dynamic of the interaction from a classic 'sales volley' to an actual conversation setting the tone for the discovery call." In summary, it is important to understand your clients' pain points. Asking the right questions during prospecting or discovery will help you get to their needs and improve your chances of closing the sale. Tom Renehan, an ACE board member, is a Yarmouth-based Certified Professional Coach who works with individuals and groups to improve their leadership skills. He is certified in Leadership Effectiveness 360 and is a part time lecturer at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University. He can be reached at tom@tomrenehan.com If you are interested in learning more on this topic, check out Jennifer Frey's video on the ACE website at consultexpertise.com/webinars-public @ Understand your clients' pain points

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