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Uncovering Hidden Value

March 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

We all have times when we wish we could be a fly on the wall–during clients’ internal deliberations about us, for example. The fate of a project or sale is most often decided behind closed doors and out of your hearing. And it can be disconcerting not to know for sure what  others are saying about you.

When people make decisions, there are reasons and then there are reasons. Each person’s total perception of value and the risk associated with achieving that value are what influence a decision. Usually, the reasons you hear for a decision are only part of the story.

When you win a project, it’s easy to take a client’s explanation for the decision at face value. After all, that rationale is likely to reinforce your own views of why you should have won. If you choose to remain unaware of the complete set of reasons for the win, though, you’ll jeopardize your ability to deliver the value your clients expect.

Maybe a client tells you that project success means finishing the work on-time, within budget, and with the expected outcome. But it’s likely that client is also concerned about other ramifications, like career advancement, peer approval, and avoiding risk, to name a few. And it’s probable that your client chose you, in part, because of your ability to meet those other objectives.

You’ll deliver a better outcome and strengthen your client relationships if you uncover and understand your client’s total perception of value. The simplest way to do that? Be curious. Ask questions. The more you learn about your clients as individuals, the more likely you are to understand their unspoken definition of success.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day demands of client work. But it always pays dividends to take a step back, connect with your client, and be sure you focus on all of the client’s expectations of value.

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Managing Projects, Selling Tagged With: , , , ,

The Client’s Buying Experience Beats Sales Techniques

February 23, 2010 By 3 Comments

Think about the last time you made a major purchase, like a car, home improvement project, or an appliance. Chances are good that your experience with the seller reinforced (or contradicted) your preconceived notions about the product or service. At some point, most of us have decided against a purchase because something about the seller or our experience with that seller just wasn’t right.

In that sense, the sale of a service is no different. Your client’s experience with you and your sales process can be the deciding factor in winning the work. In Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management, Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson makes this observation about human nature: “You remember 1/3 of what you read, 1/2 of what people tell you, but 100 percent of what you feel.” What clients are most likely to remember about you is their emotional reaction to working with you.

Your job: create a buying experience that works for your client, not a selling process that works for you. Instead of focusing on how to sell to the client, work to identify and create the conditions under which the client wants to buy. You and the client co-design a buying process together, which allows the client to learn, analyze, and decide how and when to buy.

How do you design a good client buying experience? Ask questions. For instance, don’t assume that a client wants to see a presentation, call references, and then read a proposal. Offer alternatives for the client to learn about you. Maybe your client wants a series of small group briefings, an interview with the service delivery team, and a call of support from your boss.

The possibilities are endless, but you won’t know how clients want to buy unless you ask. And you’ll get kudos for bringing up the subject. The power of the client buying experience lies in the competitive advantage it offers when you get it right. It’s the one thing that your competitors cannot copy.

No matter how your client wants to buy, you’ll still undertake traditional sales activities like identifying decision makers, positioning your services in a favorable way, and communicating why you are the best choice. The difference is that you’ll pursue these activities in a way that is defined with your client, not by your standard sales approach.

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Selling Tagged With: , ,

The World’s Shortest eBook: 34 Sources of Client Value

January 14, 2010 By 1 Comment

Few people would disagree that the key to selling professional services is demonstrating the value of what you’re proposing to do. But it can be tough to quantify the expected value of a service–and even tougher to get clients to agree with your estimate.

Whatever the challenges of communicating value to your client, it’s always worthwhile to try to quantify it. Every service offer has at least one objective (or several), which might be to increase, improve, reduce, or create something. You might add other categories to the list, such as what you can help clients avoid, for example, but you get the idea.

In the chart below, I offer 34 alternative sources for client value, organized into four categories. When you examine your service offer or sales proposal with these categories in mind, it’s easier to imagine the range of possibilities for expressing client value. This list is not exhaustive, but it should prod your thinking.

I’ve created the world’s shortest e-Book (one page) with this chart for you to use. Download the The World’s Shortest eBook: 34 Sources of Client Value.


Filed Under: Selling Tagged With:

When a Greeting Card Is Not Enough

November 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

It’s getting to be that time of year again. Before long, the postal services will be flooded with the annual onslaught of greeting cards and gifts professionals send to their clients.

There’s nothing wrong with remembering your clients this way, and most will appreciate the gesture. But don’t forget to ask yourself what your clients really want from you–besides the flawless delivery of your services. Most clients want professional relationships with people who:

  • Offer insightful opinions on the issues affecting the client’s  business, even if the issue falls outside the professional’s immediate area of expertise
  • Make investments in the client relationship by offering guidance and assistance even when there isn’t an immediate sales opportunity
  • Act independently and challenge the status quo, even though their opinions may conflict with the personal ambitions of client executives
  • Will say no to a sales opportunity that may be within their skill sets when there are other firms who can do a better job
  • Understand the client’s key issues, strategies, and business operations at a level that allows them to have a substantive conversation with senior-level executives
  • Offer new ideas for performance improvement, whether or not they are the best professional to carry out the work.

It’s almost always possible to move your client relationships forward on any of these six dimensions. This year, instead of sending a greeting card, try giving your clients something they will really remember you for. Find a way to improve your value to them through your expertise, not your mailing list. They’ll be happier–and so will you.

Filed Under: Client Relationships Tagged With: , ,

How to Put the Value in Value-Based Pricing

November 7, 2005 By

If your consulting work generates improvement to the client’s bottom line, should you share in that good fortune? Or should consultants just be hourly guns-for-hire?

Clients and consultants alike stand to gain from value-based pricing. The client gets a consultant who stays focused on measurable results and a real partner in exposure to the risks of a project. The consultant has an opportunity to share in the financial gain the project achieves and to be more to the client than hired help.

Value-based pricing is not just a different approach to billing. It gets to the heart of your relationships with clients.

This month, the Guerrilla Consultant points out some of the ins and outs of pricing on value rather than on the hours you contribute to a project.


Filed Under: Pricing, The Guerrilla Consultant Tagged With: , , , ,

The Myth of Client Pain

May 23, 2005 By

Sales literature is full of advice to find a client’s “pain” as the first step to sales success. We’re advised to ask prospective clients inane questions like: What keeps you awake at night? What are your pain points? And, if you had a magic wand, what problem would you solve?

Please, spare me.

Not only do they make a client’s eyes cross, such questions also expose two fatal flaws. First, they proclaim that the consultant is fishing for answers, rather than pursuing a substantive discussion. That demonstrates a lack of preparation, to say the least.

And second, not all clients are looking for “pain” remedies. Maybe they want to raise the bar on overall company performance, or they just the need to improve some aspect of the business.

Assuming a client is in pain is dangerous and shows you are not focused on reality. Forget this myth and drive the conversation to the client’s real needs.

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Selling Tagged With: , , ,