Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants

The Art of the Client Interview

When I was asked to single out the one piece of advice I thought was essential for selling professional services, mastering the art of the client interview ended up at the top of my list of must-have skills.

Whether it's done by phone or a personal visit, a sales interview with a prospective client kicks sets the stage for what--if anything--you will get the chance to do for that client.

This month’s Guerrilla Consultant article focuses on why the client interview can make or break a sales opportunity, and how to use the client interview to make a great first impression and gather the information you need to win the work.

Enjoy the article, and let me know what you think.

The Path to Profit

It's hard to argue with the notion that the shortest path to new business is to expand your services with existing clients. After all, an incumbent consultant with a strong track record should have an advantage. 

For many consultants, though, it's tough to convert that advantage into profit on a consistent basis. 

I recently presented some thoughts on this subject at a webinar hosted by Primavera Systems. In the session, we discussed five account management strategies that can transform single-project transactions into multi-project, long-term relationships.

The webcast is free, so have a listen.

Fly Me to the Moon

Few consultants would ignore an opportunity to boost the productivity and creativity of a project team. With the non-stop emphasis on efficiency, service quality, and billable hours, managers are always looking for anything that can help.

Some firms have encouraged consultants and their clients to don crash helmets and hit a ropes course, while others participate in cooking schools or scavenger hunts in an effort to “build” a team.

If these activities don’t suit you, here's an interesting possibility some consultants are trying: Sing your way to success.

One UK-based office of Deloitte (my former firm) hired “corporate singing” consultants to help a group of banking consultants brush up on their arias and bond with each other.  "It's a fast way of bringing together individuals, energizing them and making them more productive," says Graham Singleton, the session leader.

Will finding your inner-Pavarotti help you become a better consultant? Probably not, but who knows what other career opportunities it could open.

Your Leadership Legacy

“What kind of an idiot do you think I am?”

The client executive’s tirade was so loud that I could hear the gory details from my seat in his outer office. The executive’s assistant glanced my way and shrugged as if to say this latest purple-faced temper tantrum was all in a day’s work.

Sadly, some people are just tough to work with. I’m still not sure who the villain was in the little drama I overheard, but I’m pretty sure someone in that room was a jerk. So how do you handle the outraged client?

This month in Management Consulting News, we have some answers. In the fifth installment of their Crucial Conversations series, Kerry Patterson and Eric Patten give us some pointers on how to talk with “difficult” people about anything without holding back your concerns.

Many clients struggle to find the answer to the question, “How can I improve the performance of my team?” This month, Alan Weiss asks whether teams are really a good thing, and whether all that effort to build a team is really worth it.

We’ve got something for everyone this month. We’re featuring articles on what form of legal entity makes sense for your consulting practice, building eminence in your market, and we continue Mark Satterfield’s marketing series with an article on using free reports to build relationships. Plus, if you’ve ever wondered how to establish a retirement program, financial adviser Harry Veldkamp has some solid advice for you.

This month’s MasterMind interview is with Rob Galford and Regina Maruca, authors of the new book, Your Leadership Legacy.

And we have new podcasts: We discuss how consultants can use e-newsletters with Michael Katz, a specialist in using email for marketing professional services; Stewart Emery, coauthor of Success Built to Last, shares his views and research on creating a life that matters.

Read the October issue of Management Consulting News.

Note to Customer Service Consultants

If your client uses telephones for customer service--and what company doesn't--here's a quick idea.

According to a recent study, 75 percent of callers to businesses are placed on hold. Ouch. If your client doesn't have the capability--or the interest--to field calls without using the hold button, remember that telling people how long they can expect to wait doesn't improve their mood.

Also, if customers like the music they hear while on hold, their perceived wait time is shorter than the actual wait time.

If you compare the telephone hold times experienced by someone calling a company's customer service operation with the hold times experienced by callers contacting the sales group, I'd guess there's a BIG difference.

Lots of organizations are missing the opportunities that emerge when working with existing customers. You might want to point that out.