Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants

Chasing Clients?

In a recent poll by Miller Heiman, almost half of sales professionals reported that they never abandon a sales prospect. You read that right--never. That means that many sellers are chasing leads and using scarce resources on opportunities that are unlikely to result in sales.

In professional services, it pays to stay in contact with prospective clients over the longer term. But sometimes you have to realize there's not going to be a sale, no matter how much you want it and think it would be right for the client. Granted, most of us can tell at least one story of a seemingly hopeless situation that turned into a successful sale, but that's the exception, not the rule.

Too often, service providers cling to unlikely opportunities because they don't have a reliable process for qualifying leads. Every sales situation you face is different, but it pays to answer three questions about every opportunity as objectively as you can:

First, what is the likelihood that the project in question will ever be awarded to anyone? Second, does the client's business case offer a compelling reason to undertake the project? Finally, do you have reasonable access to the decision makers?

Your answers to these questions can help guide your thinking about how to invest your resources in any sales opportunity. There is a time to stick with it and a time to move on. Successful consultants know when to do both.

Listen

When researchers asked prospective buyers about their biggest problem with service providers who are trying to sell to them, the answer came back that the seller "did not listen to me."

Yes, you read that right. According to the RainToday report, How Clients Buy, prospective buyers say professional service providers aren't listening to them.

I can see two plausible explanations for this finding. First, some people really aren't listening to their clients. And second, others are listening, but the clients can't tell. I'm going to skip the people in the first group. If they're not listening to their clients, it's pretty unlikely that they're reading this.

For those in the second group, here are some quick thoughts. If clients doubt you are listening, it should be easy to fix that. Maybe you're not active or responsive enough in your client interviews. It's not uncommon for people to think they're not being heard, even when they are.

Think about how you acknowledged what someone just said to you. You don't have to be a head-bobber to confirm your understanding with clients as they talk. Summarize what you know. Ask clarifying questions. Take notes on significant points. Any of these techniques will signal that you're keeping up.

It's also possible that a client feels unheard because your sales proposal or report doesn't reflect the issues the way the client wanted. In that case, the client could conclude that you didn't listen.

For some sellers, lack of appropriate detail can result from ineffective tools for gathering data during the sales process. If you don't have a systematic way to capture clients' information as they talk, it's easy to lose track of the details. You may want to consider how you prepare for client interviews so you do retain those details in the future.

There are lots of reasons why you might lose a sale. But to be called out for not listening is inexcusable.

How Many Ways Can You Ask How?

Once you have a sales lead, it's easy to get swept up in the thrill of the moment. Even the most veteran consultants get excited when the chance for a new project or a new client presents itself.

As you proceed through the sales process, you'll find that one simple question, asked at just the right time, can open up your sales conversations and lead to new insights on the issue the client is facing.

That one question is the topic of this month's newsletter.

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

How Do Women Buy Services?

Do women behave differently than men when buying professional services? Yes, according to executives at Deloitte, the global professional services firm.

Since women now occupy almost half of all managerial and professional positions in the US, Deloitte believed that understanding any differences between the buying behaviors of men and women could help its own professionals be more successful.

Among the findings of Deloitte's research: Women buyers want to know and trust their consultants personally--not just professionally; they generally prefer business lunches to dinners; and they often want to meet all of the people who will work on a consulting assignment, not just the leadership team.

Deloitte's findings have drawn some skeptical comments but, given that more than 40 percent of purchasing managers are women, the question is worth asking.

One Piece of Sales Advice You Can't Live Without

Well, there are actually eleven pieces of advice in RainToday's free, 34-page ebook titled, The One Piece of Sales Advice You Can't Sell Without. The eBook was authored by eleven people--me included--who have opinions on what it takes to sell professional services.

What's great about this eBook is its focus on selling professional services, not cell phones, copiers, or twin screw extruders. You'll find insightful articles by Keith Ferrazzi, Alan Weiss, Jill Konrath, and many others in this handy book.

So grab a copy. It's free for the asking.

Read The One Piece of Sales Advice You Can't Sell Without.

A Client is Not "Just a Wallet with Legs"

Charles Green, author of the new book, Trust-based Selling®, insists that “Trust-based selling is not an oxymoron." In an interview in the April 2006 issue of Management Consulting News, Green challenges the conventional wisdom about selling complex services.

Green says trust must take center stage in such sales. Trust-based selling, Green tells us, is “about relationships and not transactions. Trust is built on the personal: You must connect with others as individual human beings. You should not view a client as just a wallet with legs.”

He also disagrees with the usual advice to avoid quoting price early on. He feels you should “get price out in the open sooner rather than later. From a trust perspective, price is the biggest bugaboo—the topic we’re all afraid of broaching.” Green believes that avoiding the subject of price “causes more damage to the creation of trust than the mention of the number itself.”

Green also tells us why selling shouldn’t be viewed as a business process and why elevator speeches should be sent to the basement.

Check out the interview with Charles Green.

The April 2006 issue of Management Consulting News also features:

• The Best and Worst Ways to Create Trust in a Business
• Why Executives Leave Their Jobs
• Hot Topic in the Boardroom: Measuring ROI for Technology Investments
• How to Design a “Talent Market” for Employees
• Why Nobody Seems to Care about Executive Compensation
• Extreme Makeovers for Businesses Recommended by CEOs

Read the April 2006 issue of Management Consulting News.

What Clients Want

When clients evaluate consultants, they review qualifications, references, and the consultant’s case studies. But they also need answers to specific questions. Meet these questions head-on and you’ll be a step ahead of your competitors:

Can you deliver the promised results?
It’s not enough to assert your ability to deliver. You must prove it.

Who will actually do the work?
Consultants are notorious for changing the players on their teams, and clients are rightly concerned about this. Be completely forthcoming with the details of your staffing plan.

What are the risks of the project?
Some consultants downplay a discussion of risk for fear of jeopardizing the sale. Risk is always on the client’s mind, so get the subject on the table as early as possible.

How will the consultants interact with us?
Client decision makers want to know how the consultants plan to work with their people. Clarify the roles, expectations, and time commitments for the client’s team members. And clarify your working style.

Can the consultant keep fees under control?
Every client’s nightmare is a consulting project that runs amok. Whatever fee arrangement you’ve made, the client wants assurance that you will meet the project goals within the budget.

It’s best to be explicit with your responses. Even if a prospective client doesn’t articulate these questions outright, you still need to answer them. It’s what clients want.

When to Fire a Client

Consultants’ professional lives are defined by the clients we work with and the projects we tackle. As a new year approaches, it’s a great time to reflect on whether your current clients are contributing to your practice. It may be time to prune your client list.

It may seem crazy to “fire” a client, but it might be the best strategic move you can make. Few things damage the long-term vibrancy of your business more than an unproductive client relationship. Remember, sometimes the client-consultant relationship just doesn’t work. Or maybe the effort to keep a client happy isn’t worth it.

Here are five telltale signs that you might want to fire a client:

•    You’ve stopped growing professionally from the client’s projects
•    The client has disengaged from your project, leaving decisions to others in the company
•    It’s tough to get a meeting with your key client sponsor
•    Your project profit margin is eroding
•    The client nit-picks your invoices or payments are consistently late.

Disengaging from a client relationship is easier said than done, though, so expect it to take some time and courage. It’s tough to drop a paying client, but the upside can be enormous. You’ll likely replace that client with one or more projects that stretch you professionally, make positive changes in your new client’s business, and boost your profitability.

So take a look at your client list. Is there an opportunity for growth through reducing the size of that list?

Why Solution Selling Fails

Jeff Thull, author of The  Prime Solution, suggests that most consultants’ approach to business development is like doctors requiring patients to diagnose their own ailments.

Part of the problem is an overdose of “solution-based” selling, which Thull believes is a losing approach to differentiation.

Thull has an antidote for this problem, and he shares it with us in this month’s issue of Management Consulting News. Read the interview with Jeff Thull.

Five Mistakes Every Consultant Should Avoid

When a client asks for a meeting to discuss services, many consultants make five avoidable mistakes. I know because I've made all of them at one time or another.

1. Rely on your pedigree. Academic credentials, a blue chip business card, or a flashy brochure rarely win over a client. Sure, you need this stuff somewhere in your briefcase, but clients want to know how you work and how you'll fit with their culture.
2. Ask rinky-dink questions. Preparation is the key to a successful first meeting with a prospective client. If you're winging it on that first call by asking how many employees a company has, or what lines of business a client is in, you're already toast. Take the time to fully prepare before the meeting. Create ten insightful, open-ended questions that you can't find answers for on the client's Web site.
3. Talk more than you listen. In your first meetings, be sure to give the client plenty of chances to fully describe what needs to be done. Don't even think about selling until you're sure what problem you're trying to solve. If you find yourself talking more than half the time during a meeting, shut up and let the client speak.
4. Agree to a proposal before qualifying the opportunity. Some clients will ask for a proposal simply to get you out of their office. Don't agree to write a proposal until you're convinced you've got a qualified lead with at least a 40% chance of winning the work.
5. Talk about price in the first meeting. Most clients will ask for a price, even if it's just an estimate. Resist the temptation. Politely ask clients to allow you time to absorb the information provided, and set a firm date to get a price back to them. If you quote a price too early, you'll be stuck with it, or you'll have some explaining to do later on if your actual price is higher than your initial estimate.