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The Subtle Difference

By Alan Weiss

There is a subtle but dramatic difference between thinking you are trying to sell a client something, and believing that you are one of the few people who can really help the client.

That debate occurs strictly inside of your own head, but it’s the kind of “self-talk” which differentiates the pedestrian salesperson from the client partner in consulting. An overwhelming number of consultants I meet seem to think that they are engaged in an adversarial duel, with one side “winning” and the other “losing.” Therefore, they believe their personal worth is on the line, and will do anything to avoid rejection and a bruised ego, including:

            • Lowering the fee.
            • Making concessions about expenses.
            • Taking on conflicting objectives (raise morale while we downsize).
            • Being relegated to the HR department.
            • Working on an hourly rate.
            • Becoming merely an implementer and pair of hands.

The Right Mindset

Those of us who believe that we have value to offer that the client can’t really acquire elsewhere (that’s our self-talk) create a different dynamic with the client. We take these positions:

            • Jointly create objectives and metrics of success.
            • Don’t talk about fee, only about value and improvement.
            • Create a partnership with the economic buyer.
            • Establish peer relationships at the executive level.
            • Assign fees based on value.
            • Reduce our labor intensity.

It’s just astounding how many consultants believe they are fortunate to get business; have no right making demands of clients; want to please everyone, including trainers and HR people; and are afraid to charge too much. They need to shift to the right mindset.

The reason that we all need a value proposition (specifically—How is the client better off once you walk away?) is that the value proposition is our focal point for how and why we add value. It’s only partially for the client’s consumption. It’s more for our navigation to True North: The prospect is fortunate we are there, because our value and results will make a profound difference in the client’s condition. If that’s NOT true, then why are we in the business?

If I hire someone to design a new den for me, I don’t care how he or she secures the raw materials, what kind of personal appearances the designer will make at my home, or how often the person will send me a bill. What I care about is how comfortable, utilitarian, restful, impressive, and so on my new den will be. I expect the designer to consult with me about furnishings and materials, meet the deadlines, and disengage when done. (And if I like the work, I’ll refer that designer to friends and maybe ask him or her to do the master bedroom.)

Yet We Cede Control

Clients—that is, true buyers, not low-level people—seek the equivalent. They need business issues improved, and they will gladly invest in external help if they believe:

            1. They cannot do it as well themselves internally.
            2. The results provide a dramatic return on the investment.
            3. The outside help is credible and authoritative.
            4. They are dealing with a successful peer.

Ironically, we control most of those factors, but we often surrender them. Even the first point is one that I can usually argue successfully, and the other three are a piece of cake. But the first sale is to yourself. You have to believe that the client will be honest-to-goodness better off once you’re done, and that doesn’t mean that there’s been another training program, focus group, or survey. It means that sales are improved, retention is increased, repute is enhanced, stress is alleviated, and so forth.

I don’t believe that the correct response to “What can you do for me?” is “What do you need?” I believe it’s, “I don’t know; why don’t we explore that together?” Some clients I can’t help, because I lack the expertise (rare), the project doesn’t interest me (occasional), or the buyer doesn’t really want to be helped or share the accountability (situational). By discriminating, and not being all things to all people, we emphasize the true value that we can provide when we deem the circumstances are correct.

Whether you are new to this profession or a veteran, the key to long-term success is the ability to believe in and project your value, supported by your maturity as your buyer’s peer. The playing field for those initiatives is between your ears.

Want to read more by Alan Weiss? Visit his author page.

Alan Weiss, Ph.D. is the author of twenty-five books—including Million Dollar Consulting—which appear in seven languages. He runs the unique Million Dollar Consulting™ Colleges three times a year, and has a global mentoring program. You can reach him at www.summitconsulting.com. He has won dozens of writing and consulting awards and is a member of the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame®.

Visit his blog at www.contrarianconsulting.com.