Archive | Client Relationships RSS feed for this section

How to Sell to a Geezer

By Michael W. McLaughlin on January 2, 2012 in Client Relationships, Selling

Let’s say you’re meeting with some prospective clients. And, as you look around the room, everyone seems years (maybe decades) older than you.

The word that might flash through your mind for the people in the group is geezers.

You know who I’m talking about. Some haven’t changed their hair styles since the Carter administration, and think anyone under 40 “looks like they’re 12.” You sense that they might discount your ideas–both because of your perceived lack of experience and that you’re not one of them.

But, unfortunately, being judgmental isn’t the exclusive domain of so-called geezers. You can be selling an idea, project, or a recommendation to a person from another generation or another planet, and your approach doesn’t really need to change.

The strength of your ideas can bridge gaps in age and neutralize wrong-headed, preconceived notions. For your ideas to be heard, though, you’ve got to get three things straight in your own mind.

For starters, you need to think of yourself as the peer of anyone you work with. The age, title, and accomplishments of others don’t define the value of ideas. Presumably, you’re in the room because you know something the clients don’t.

Next, keep in mind that you can’t know it all. The ideas or recommendations you pulled together yesterday or last week may need to change on the fly in the meeting.

As they say, “S**t happens,” and you won’t be privy to every detail that could impact your ideas. So keep an open mind and be willing to retool your ideas (in real-time) as new information comes your way.

Finally, remember the law of averages. In any group, there’s a strong possibility that someone isn’t going to like what you have to say. Don’t let that person make it your problem.

You don’t have to satisfy every naysayer for the entire group to understand your ideas. Let your supporters deal with nitpickers.

You’re going to run into geezers (and those who act the part), on a regular basis. It just goes with the territory. To deal with them most effectively, adjust your own mindset.

Comments { 0 }

Sharing

By Michael W. McLaughlin on December 18, 2011 in Client Relationships, Selling

The thought of sharing their intellectual property causes some hand-wringing among consultants. How much should you give to a new client? Should you hold something back until you make the sale?

Some consultants worry that clients will pilfer their ideas and use them without any help. Others are concerned that competitors could get their hands on proprietary information and figure out a way to profit from it. A few consultants believe that clients should pay before getting the “good stuff.”

Such concerns are not unreasonable. I’ve seen clients “borrow” ideas, and ethically-challenged consulting firms have been known to “adapt” other people’s work and call it their own. Fortunately, these are exceptions, not the rule.

Clients buy your expertise. Your best ideas are the foundation of the value you offer. If you hold them back, you put yourself at a disadvantage with clients. Plus, hopefully, no one can execute a project using your ideas as well as you can.

My advice is to share your best ideas freely. Clients will appreciate your commitment and you’ll have better luck closing sales. When asked if it wouldn’t be better to wait on providing ideas to clients, a colleague summed it up by saying, “They can take my ideas. I’ll come up with others.”

Comments { 0 }

Who Decides?

By Michael W. McLaughlin on July 18, 2011 in Client Relationships, Selling

We all know that clients buy perceived value when they hire a service provider.

Your efforts during the sales process contribute to your client’s perception of value, of course, but other sources of influence can be equally critical to your client’s buying decision. Before most people make a big purchase, they seek out advice from those they trust–a colleague, mentor, boss, or even a family member.

I’m not talking about people who have an “official” role in approving the sale, but those in your client’s network who are likely to get your client’s ear. It’s possible that you’re not aware of these people and how they could shape the sales process.

Not long ago, for instance, I worked with a prospective client on a project that never got off the ground. Why? I found out later that one of the client’s influential colleagues questioned the project’s value and that was the end of it.

It’s not always possible to know which individuals could sway a client, but you can ask questions to help identify them and their potential concerns.

For example, to understand the perspective of your client’s colleagues, ask how your proposed project fits with other ongoing or planned initiatives. Is your project complementary with others or competing? You can also ask directly how your client’s colleagues view the value of your proposed project.

To get a better understanding of how the client’s staff might influence the buying decision, you can ask what the most influential staff people think of the project–and the potential organizational change it would bring. Will they view the project as essential, somewhat important, or just another initiative?

You can come up with similar questions to figure out how your project may be viewed by others in your client’s network.

Use the answers to these questions to shape a value proposition that includes the impact of the project on the people who aren’t directly involved in the decision process but who are important to the sale.

Comments { 1 }

Podcast Interview: Peter Block

By Michael W. McLaughlin on June 21, 2011 in Client Relationships, Podcasts

Peter Block

“Consulting cannot be done without genuine caring for the client, and the challenge is to find ways to embody our care in the way we do the work.”

I had an opportunity to talk with Peter Block, author of the landmark bestseller, Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used. For many of us, Block helped define how to effectively manage the client/consultant relationship for project success.

Block has just released the 3^rd edition of Flawless Consulting, so I thought it would be a good time to ask him about his thoughts on how the professional services industry is evolving and what that means for service providers.

The Consultant’s Goals

For each assignment, you should consider how to achieve four goals:

Establish a collaborative relationship. This permits maximum use of people’s resources—both the client’s and the consultant’s.
Solve problems so they stay solved. Help clients learn how to solve the problems that are likely to emerge once a solution is put into place.
Ensure attention is given to the technical/business problem and the relationships. Work with clients to address the underlying people and process issues of each problem.
Develop client commitment.Your impact will be driven by your ability to help your client commit to the solutions you’ve developed.

Adapted from Flawless Consulting, by Peter Block.

Podcast run time: 21:53
Intro music exluna by Jakub Koter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Comments { 0 }

10 Things Not to Say at Your Next Sales Meeting

By Michael W. McLaughlin on June 8, 2011 in Client Relationships, Selling

source: IMLS DCC

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, the wrong words slip out in a client meeting. If you’re like me, you’ve had times when you wished you could take the words back just as soon as they passed your lips.

Here are 10 things you might want to avoid saying in your next sales meeting:

Someone should have been fired for that.
Yes, we’ve seen this before. It will be a breeze.
I never would have done that.
You actually hired those people?
If it wasn’t hard, you wouldn’t need me, right?
I’ll only need 90 minutes of your time to preview my qualifications.
I wouldn’t want to work here either.
The terms of this proposal expire in 3 hours.
What were they thinking?
We always lengthen the project time-line when a client wants to “help” us.

Any others you’d like to add? Let me know.

Comments { 1 }

Let Them Take Credit

By Michael W. McLaughlin on June 7, 2011 in Client Relationships, Consulting Process

Ever gone to a meeting and listened with dismay as a client took credit for your best ideas? Or maybe you’ve had to sit through a project wrap-up session in which your team’s effort was marginalzed and someone on the client side snagged the kudos for a job well done.

It’s hard not to fume when your hard work is pilfered. What do you do? Confront the idea thief? Ask the credit grabber to give your team a plug?

Your best option is to bite your tongue and say nothing. Why? I call it the Rule of Client Credit: By giving up the credit, you actually earn credit (and more business).

In any client meeting, you can be certain that the key people in the room know where the ideas they’re hearing came from. Sure, not everyone will get it, but those who matter most will. The same holds true for letting others have the glory for a project’s outcome. The right people are aware that they couldn’t have done it without you.

Instead of demanding equal tribute, allow your clients time in the spotlight. That selfless behavior will earn you something more valuable than short-term gratification: Respect and trust. Besides, you reap other rewards. The most obvious is that you get paid. Plus, you’re doing work you want to do (or you should be).

Of course, you can’t always follow the Rule of Client Credit. It’s not a good idea, for example, to stand by while someone mangles or misrepresents your ideas. In that case, you have to speak up and clarify–for the client’s sake.

For the most part, though, you’ll find that you benefit from letting clients take the credit. That’s not always easy on the ego, but it’s likely to lead to a stronger client relationships and more work. Isn’t that more important?

Comments { 0 }

Facing an “Arms-Crossed” Client

By Michael W. McLaughlin on June 1, 2011 in Client Relationships, Consulting Process

More than once, I’ve had to face “arms-crossed” guy. You may know him (or her) too—the client interviewee whose body language flashes, “I don’t have time for this. I’m not interested. Do we have to do this?” Since reluctant clients often play an important part in piecing together a project, it’s essential to break through the negativity.

Sometimes, no matter what you do, “arms-crossed” guy won’t budge. But if you need that person’s help, you’ve got to try. Here are a few tips for coaxing information from an unwilling interviewee.

Start Easy

If there’s no apparent threat or risk, “arms-crossed” guy may warm up. So start your conversation with the basics. Normally, though, this guy could care less what you think about the plaque on the wall honoring his community contribution seven years ago. Don’t go there.

Instead, begin by stating exactly what you want to learn, who sent you, and how you plan to use the information. Also, confirm how long the meeting will last. You’d probably do this introduction with any interviewee, but it’s critical with semi-hostiles.

Then launch into easy, factual questions, for example, “How many people do you manage?” “How has your business (or function) grown, and who are your best customers?” The point: Start without controversy, show that you listen, care, and have credibility.

Plus, resist the urge to respond to snide comments about the project, your role, or anything else that gets lobbed at you. Once you take that bait, you’ve lost the possibility of turning a bad interview into something useful.

You might be able to pierce the wall of resistance by letting a reluctant interviewee talk. Simple, fact-based questions offer the interviewee an opportunity to thaw. Allow time for an interviewee to expand on answers by pausing for several seconds after each response before you dive into the next question.

Define Your Must-Haves

If your interview isn’t going well and there’s little hope of turning it around, check your interview notes. Identify the essential information you must have from this individual. Usually, you’ll have options for finding what you need elsewhere. Still, zero in on what only this person can give you and ask away.

Keep a brisk pace as you move through your questions, but don’t leave the impression that you’re writing off the interview. Treat the reluctant interviewee as an important part of your process, no matter how hard that is.

Get Closer to the Issue

Once you’ve finished an interview, you’ll need to confirm whatever you learned. Find others who can flesh out your information, interpret what you know, and point you to others who can help. When you’re rebuffed by an interviewee, get closer to the problem. Find people who are directly affected by the issue and seek out their opinions.

No matter how much “arms-crossed” guy resists, you’ve got to stay above the fray. Don’t complain about him to others in the client’s organization—chances are they already know about the attitude. And don’t avoid him in the future. Who knows—“arms-crossed” guy might turn out to be your best ally; treat him well and keep chipping away.

Comments { 4 }

Sanity Check: Minor Things Matter

By Michael W. McLaughlin on May 27, 2011 in Client Relationships, Sanity Checks

A client’s perception of you evolves along with the experiences that client has with you and your team.

Sometimes, seemingly minor things make a lasting impression, like how you talk to a client’s support staff, where you park your car, how loud you talk on the phone, and if you take the last of the coffee from the staff room.

Clients are aware of the little things. Be sure that you are too.

Comments { 2 }

Do You Call Yourself a “Trusted Advisor?”

By Michael W. McLaughlin on May 26, 2011 in Client Relationships, Marketing

In their bestseller, The Trusted Advisor, David Maister, Charles Green, and Rob Galford made the case that professionals need more than just technical expertise to succeed. They must also have the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients.

As the term Trusted Advisor became part of the language of the services business, a funny thing happened. Some firms started using the term as a marketing slogan. Here are some examples:

“Like you, we are much more than ‘just’ service providers to our clients. We are trusted advisors.”

“___________ provides these solutions by being a trusted advisor to our clients. “

“Before we become your trusted advisor, we discuss your values; goals; personal, professional and institutional relationships; assets; and interests.”

Even HP got into the act with a splashy press release:

“The HP Trusted Advisor service offers HP consulting experts who work closely with clients to consider all aspects of business operations, IT infrastructure and facilities, as well as the enablement of technologies, such as cloud and green computing.”

Becoming a Trusted Advisor marks a stage in the development of your relationship with a client. It’s a state you aspire to achieve, not something to assert as your marketing catchphrase. That’s like calling yourself world-renowned; someone else needs to give you the label.

Adopting Trusted Advisor as your slogan masks a real problem: You are basing your marketing strategy on an unsupported claim, and that’s likely to fall flat in the market. Just because you declare yourself to be a Trusted Advisor doesn’t mean prospective clients will see you as such.

Your marketing goal must be to find highly credible points of differentiation for your business. And there are many options to do that, from marketing your ideas to touting your people. Making unsubstantiated assertions could be the weakest marketing strategy of all.

So why continue to use it?

If you want to learn more about the authors of The Trusted Advisor, you might be interested in my interviews with them on various subjects:

David Maister on Strategy and the Fat Smoker

Charles Green on Who and Why Clients Trust

Robert Galford and Regina Maruca on How Legacy Thinking Makes Better Leaders Today

Comments { 1 }

Blogs I Like: Andrew Sobel

By Michael W. McLaughlin on May 23, 2011 in Client Relationships

From time to time, I pass along my thoughts on blogs or web sites that I read on a regular basis. Hopefully, you can gain as much benefit from them as I have.

Consultant Andrew Sobel publishes an insightful blog at www.AndrewSobel.com that focuses on the business of client relationships. You don’t have to be a management consultant to find this blog helpful. If you’re in a relationship-intensive business, you’ll find something of value on Sobel’s site.

The Voice of Authority

Sobel has worked for more than 25 years as a strategy advisor, executive educator, and coach. He’s written three books on building business relationships, including Clients for Life and All for One: 10 Strategies for Building Trusted Client Partnerships. And he’s written articles for most of the world’s major publications.

He uses his blog and web site to extend the concepts in his books and articles and to bring his latest thinking on developing client loyalty to his readers.

Comprehensive Content

This site offers a range of content from big thinking ideas to specific tactics, like how to have a perfect client meeting. If you read Sobel’s recent series of 10 posts called Things Clients Hate, you’ll have a great check list of things to avoid at your next client meeting.

You’ll also find dozens of articles, archived newsletters, and short video clips on the site.

I think Sobel does insightful work, and he shares his ideas freely. I’ve had an opportunity to interview him several times for Management Consulting News. Here’s a link to our most recent discussion on building client partnerships.

If you haven’t seen his blog, take a look. It’s worth having in your newsreader.

What blogs are you reading regularly?

Comments { 2 }