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Upcoming Events with Michael McLaughlin
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.
November 16, 2009, 1:00pm EST
Indie Business Radio Show: The Art of Selling Professional Services. Details.
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Guerrilla Consulting Moment
According to a recent study, readers have only a 50-50 chance of correctly interpreting the tone of an email message, even though they believe they've understood that tone 90 percent of the time.
Source: Wired magazine
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ConsultingSM Web site
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The
Guerrilla Consultant -
a newsletter dedicated to applying the principles
of Guerrilla Marketing to the work and lives of
consultants.
Staying One Step Ahead
Consultants often define their practices by the services they offer to the market. Some might describe themselves as problem solvers, change managers, business strategists, or technology specialists, to name a few.
Thinking about what you do in those terms may cause you to overlook the fact that every consulting practice, no matter its size, is largely an information business. Of course, you have to master the skills of service delivery, marketing, sales, communication, and many others.
But you'll struggle to get the work you want if you don't excel at creating compelling, market-ready perspectives on the issues your clients face. To do that, you need a systematic way to stay on top of what's happening in the market.
And that's the subject of this month's newsletter.
Enjoy the article, and
let
me know what you think.
Mike
McLaughlin
Coauthor, Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants Principal, MindShare Consulting LLC
Stay in Touch:
The Information Advantage
It wasn't too long ago that unequal access to key information was typical in the relationship between client and consultant. Consultants were able to draw on proprietary research, academic studies, and other sources to build subject matter expertise and design client service offerings.
Clients, on the other hand, often lacked access to that same information, and the result was the "black box" consulting engagement. Clients weren't always sure how the consultants came up with their recommendations, but they took them at their word.
Those days are over.
Clients are now flooded with information--and they are using it. They have access to every periodical, research report, speech, article, and more on just about any topic. If you search Google for advice on how to reduce IT costs, for instance, you'll find pages of results. And the top search results, which are usually all anyone looks at, are detailed articles and reports by thought leaders in the field.
Of course, that doesn't mean your clients will read what's available (though some will). What it does mean is that, to keep up with the market, you need a fool-proof way to gather, assimilate, and, most importantly, interpret the information that is essential to the success of your clients.
If you're not great at all aspects of managing that information, your practice is destined for a painful slide into mediocrity.
Commoditization of the Basics
One result of the free flow of information is that the fundamentals on most subjects are now a commodity. You'll find thousands of articles that give readers three tips for leading teams, or four strategies of effective conflict resolution. Such articles are a dime a dozen, and people are still churning them out.
| "Too often, consultants fall into the commodity trap because they don't have their finger on the pulse of the market. " |
We know how clients view any consultant they believe is offering a commodity--they move on. Too often, consultants fall into the commodity trap because they don't have their finger on the pulse of the market. They're not adept enough at sorting through, digesting, and interpreting relevant market information and then getting it to their clients.
Here's an example. When I recently saw an article about the need for "dramatic change" in sales training for professional services providers, the catchy headline and the subject led me to keep reading. The article laid out several imperatives for change, including the need to develop interpersonal skills and written action plans for marketing activities.
I'm not suggesting that those points are invalid, but they are givens. Clients have seen all that; they get it, and it doesn't help them. Making matters worse, emphasizing interpersonal skills for a sales training effort is hardly advocating dramatic change.
If the author had quickly covered the basics and then offered a new idea or two for making sales training more effective, readers would take notice. Instead, they are likely to just scan the article and then forget it.
Whatever your consulting discipline, it's a safe bet that your clients believe they have a solid grasp of the basics--even if you don't agree. Assume that your fundamental information is already a commodity in your client's eyes, and take it to the next level--quickly.
Lose sight of that imperative, and you will write articles that don't matter, give speeches that don't draw clients to you, and design services that fail to meet the market demand.
What's most unfortunate is when consultants find that their ideas don't get traction in the market and blame that failure on a pre-conceived notion that marketing doesn't work. So they give up. More likely, it's the market sending a message that the ideas aren't good enough, so try again.
Seeing the Future
One beyond-the-basics subject that clients want to hear about is their future. What do you think will happen in their industry this year or next?
| "One beyond-the-basics subject that clients want to hear about is their future." |
If you do a good job of analyzing the possibilities, your ideas on how future events are likely to disrupt or support your client's plans will always be compelling. Arm yourself with a well-conceived perspective, or point of view, on how emerging trends are likely to affect your clients.
Your perspective on the future can include your ideas on how changes in technology, demographics, regulations, industry competition, and customer preferences will impact your client's strategy. You could also focus on trends in your client's supplier base, product design process, or financial management. The list goes on and on.
What matters most is that your perspective is well thought-out, logical, and relevant. If you're going to present a radically different future, make sure your argument supports that view. Remember, your clients already know the basics. Your job is to take them well beyond that.
Taking the Long View
Coming up with your view of tomorrow, or any other new idea, isn't difficult. But it can be time-consuming. You'll never get over the commodity hurdle by relying solely on search engines and mainstream business periodicals as your sources of information.
| "You'll never get over the commodity hurdle by relying solely on search engines and mainstream business periodicals as your sources of information." |
Devise a reliable, systematic way to collect and sort through the volumes of information available. Be a voracious collector of relevant data and ideas; find creative ways to use them in your marketing, selling, and service delivery.
What trips up most people is that this process demands a long-term mindset. One consultant wrote, "I know I should be going to more conferences and doing more reading, but I just can't find the time." This is a common issue for busy professionals. When it seems like there isn't enough time to do everything, you may make a risky trade-off by focusing on short-term, urgent tasks, instead of finding a way to balance those with longer-term priorities.
It's easy to lose sight of the fact that the investment you make in developing high value information for your business pays off in everything else you do.
If you're truly up to speed on the latest thinking in your field, your sales meetings will be more productive and easier to prepare for. Your marketing projects should be easier to complete. And you will improve your ability to work through issues when you are delivering your services.
It's not as hard as it seems. But it takes persistence, discipline, and a commitment to bringing your best ideas to the market.
Another pitfall is the arrogance of experience. I often hear consultants make claims like "I've already seen it all, so there aren't any surprises. I do what I do and it works." Once you become convinced that you know it all, don't be surprised when the market passes you by.
Lots of consultants enter the market because they have a unique skill set. The ones who get to stay are those who use those skills as a starting point. They're driven to stay at least one step ahead by finding effective ways to build and manage information in their practices.
Any other approach is a road to obsolescence. And it's not a matter of if, but when.
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