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Upcoming Events with Michael McLaughlin
September 17, 2009, 12-1pm EST
Global Consulting Forum Webcast: Success Strategies for Lead Generation. Details and Registration .
September 30, 2009, 1-2pm EST
MindShare Consulting Webcast: The Power of Fact-Based Selling. Details and Registration .
October 21, 2009, 5-6pm EST
Independent Computer Consultants Association (ICCA) Webcast: Stop Selling and Win More. Details and Registration Available Soon.
Friday-Sunday, November 13-15, 2009, San Francisco, CA
32nd ICCA National Conference Presentation: Send Me a Proposal: Winning Strategies for Technology Consultants. Details and Registration.
Available now - RainToday Podcast:
Don't Let Your Sales Proposal Turn into a Horror Story.
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Guerrilla Consulting Moment
Some employers may have cut too far, or believe the economy may soon turn around:
"More than half (52 percent) of employers are now more concerned about retaining their top performers and
critical-skill employees than they were before the economic crisis hit."
Source: Watson Wyatt Survey, August 2009
Guerrilla
ConsultingSM Web site
Beating Feast or Famine blog |
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The
Guerrilla Consultant -
a newsletter dedicated to applying the principles
of Guerrilla Marketing to the work and lives of
consultants.
A Fact Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
I often hear consultants bemoan clients' resistance to implementing recommendations. It's easy to blame clients for not taking the right course of action--as you see it. Most often, though, a client's reticence means that you have failed to make a powerful enough case for change.
It's straightforward to rectify this problem, assuming you're willing to make the effort. This month, we'll take a look at how you can and should use the power of facts to help clients understand and follow the path you're recommending.
Enjoy the article, and
let
me know what you think.
Mike
McLaughlin
Coauthor, Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants Principal, MindShare Consulting LLC
Stay in Touch:
Just the Facts
Your competence, client relationships, and perceived value are, of course, essential to building a consulting practice. But to ensure your long-term success, you also have to get clients to accept and act on your recommendations. You might be surprised by how many consultants struggle with this aspect of client work.
Your skill in managing the facts of an engagement plays a vital role in client acceptance of your recommendations. That skill includes gathering, analyzing, identifying the most relevant, and communicating about those facts.
Clients may want to make a change, but that desire rarely becomes a client need (and a sale) until you offer a compelling case for change that you anchor with inarguable facts.
Most clients--especially those who would be most affected by your solutions--are going to be skeptical of recommendations from an outsider to begin with. The burden of proof is on you, so it's not surprising that client skepticism manifests itself in healthy questioning of your view of the facts.
If those facts (and your conclusions) make sense to clients, they will at least listen to you. But if the discussion bogs down over the validity of your facts, you can pretty much forget getting a fair hearing.
For one client, the consultant's facts didn't add up and the result was a disaster. The meeting started well and after some discussion, the consultant slid a report across the conference table saying, "Our analysis shows that your revenue per employee is falling, while it is growing for your primary competitors. We have recommendations to solve this problem."
The client quickly pointed out that errors in the reported number of employees and revenue invalidated the basis of the consultant's recommendations.
If you end up arguing with a client over the credibility of the facts, you will have great difficulty returning to the subject of your recommendations. Even if you can get clients back to that topic, it's often to point out the flaws in your argument and what additional work you need to do before the client will consider your opinions.
Even worse, once the client disputes the facts, or more correctly, your interpretation of the facts, expect the client to question the validity of every other assertion you make. By contrast, having the right facts, at the right time, helps you build trust and credibility with clients.
| Fact: Information that has an objective reality. |
Experience Is Not Enough
Some experienced consultants assume that their track record will carry enough weight to convince clients to pursue a specific course of action. That is a risky assumption. Your assessment of the clients' situation may be right on target, but that's no guarantee they will listen to you.
In one especially heated client meeting, a senior consultant proposed that the client executives reduce the number of the company’s stores by 30 percent. The drastic cut was necessary, the consultant argued, because of the company's dire financial straits.
| "Your assessment of the clients' situation may be right on target, but that's no guarantee they will listen to you." |
The client executives asked how the consultant had arrived at that number of store closures. In response, he described, in detail, his experience in three similar situations. The clients pressed for alternatives to store closures and again asked the consultant how he had determined the number of stores to axe.
Finally, the consultant's frustration boiled over and he said, "I've been doing this for 25 years, and your business in on the rocks. I think my suggestions will breathe life back into this business. Isn't that what you want?"
Of course, that is an extreme example, and the consultant lost the sale. The point is that the consultant didn't think he needed to gather facts before making the sale. Without the relevant facts, he failed to persuade the clients to listen to him, in spite of his extensive experience.
What's easy to miss is that the value of your expertise grows when you support it with an insightful base of facts. It's not enough to be right; you have to bring others along to the same conclusion.
Make Sure Your Clients Can Handle the Truth
Always review the facts and your understanding of them with your client before you present any recommendation. Listen carefully to the feedback on those facts and be ready to adjust your thinking if you need to.
As you test your interpretation of the facts, your client will provide clues about how others in the organization are likely to respond to your perspectives. And the client will also begin to understand the degree of change to expect. Plus, if your facts are off target, you'll know long before you draw conclusions.
| "A strong base of facts does far more than help you sell a recommendation." |
When the conversation gets to the specifics of your recommendation, you and the client will be better equipped to understand the implications because you established agreement on the facts that support your ideas.
A strong base of facts does far more than help you sell a recommendation. Discussion of the facts also helps you assess the complexity of implementing your solution and build a foundation for lasting change.
The Facts Will Set You Free
When you're certain of the facts, your creativity can flourish. Not distracted by what ifs, you'll develop solutions that are more relevant, targeted, and sustainable. And you can focus any resistance on the solution, instead of on the facts. You should welcome debate on the merits of any recommendation you put forth. Avoid disputes about the facts like the plague.
As you develop your foundation of facts, consider three things. First, rely on multiple sources. Don't go solely by information you receive from your client sponsor--or any other single source. Your independent perspective is of great value to clients; be sure to look for external sources of data that can shed light on the client's issue.
Remember, your clients have access to multiple sources of information, just as you do. So take the extra steps to uncover facts that may not be immediately apparent. That additional effort can help you develop insights that others will miss.
| "I can't tell you how many consultants trip themselves up on their facts." |
Second, be sure you have cross-checked and verified every fact in your presentation, proposal, or other communication. Whenever possible, be able to cite two different sources of validation for every fact. If you can't do that, be wary of basing your conclusions on those facts.
Finally, never forget that "facts" can be manipulated and misused. Be sure that your facts are objective and that your conclusions are free from the bias of preconceived ideas--yours and the client's.
I can't tell you how many consultants trip themselves up on their facts. As you develop any recommendation you're planning to make, scrutinize your facts. How reliable are they? Do your conclusions follow logically from them? Do the facts and your conclusions support your recommendations?
Your ability to sell your recommendations and your services improves dramatically when your reasoning is unassailable. And that's a fact.
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