…to you, your clients or other business owners who could use a sounding board at this time: Input on urgent problems (surviving); Thinking through strategy in order to come out of the crisis (thriving); Focus on building/rebuilding value if working toward a sale. Happy to share insights from 20 years as a consultant, coach, and exit strategist; helping clients grow, solve problems, build value and design their exit strategy & succession planning. Working together, we WILL get through this! Stay safe and healthy!
This is a difficult, even unprecedented time. There is great uncertainty, and many are fearful. Some are suffering through this alone. Thankfully, this pandemic comes at a time when our technology makes forced isolation bearable.
In difficult times the American Spirit shines brightest because we face our challenges together. Given the strength of our relationships, the value we place on one another, I am confident that we will overcome this scourge. We may be bruised, but we will emerge stronger.
From a personal perspective, I believe my life’s mission is to help however I can. My goal is to focus on what I can control and avoid dwelling on issues beyond my control.
I know that my core strength is helping people navigate the new normal for employment and career management. In many respects, this was the genesis of ITB PARTNERS.
I want you to know that I am here to help you. In fact, I am happy to offer my services free of charge to help you through this difficult time.
There are many things we can discuss, but I may be most helpful in the following areas:
Navigating the quarantine.
Developing a Personal Recovery Plan.
Maintaining relationships with your customers, clients, and network.
Viable Job Search Strategies.
Key considerations to anticipate from the recovery.
Significant trends to consider in your planning.
Evaluating options and setting priorities.
How to start a business.
Ultimately, I’m available to talk with you even if to bounce around some ideas or offer introductions from my vast network.
So, here’s my offer:
If you would like a free 30-minute consultation, email Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com with this subject: “I Want to Schedule a Free Consultation.” I will respond back with my calendar tool to schedule a telephone or video call.
I hope you find this useful and will schedule a call. If nothing else, I would enjoy an update from you to know how you are coping.
Best wishes for your continued health and safety.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
There was a time, generations ago, when buyers didn’t venture too far from their home to satisfy their basic needs. Today, most consumers don’t think twice about using a few keystrokes to get the necessities shipped from some distant warehouse to their front door.
Despite this phase shift, “buying local” remains a relevant concept and even a source of pride for communities that rally around the brick-and-mortar businesses that still dot the landscape.
So, in the face of Amazonian-sized efforts to get consumers to do otherwise, how can you, as a multi-unit CEO, provide the necessary marketing support to your local units to keep the lifeblood flowing?
Local store marketing, or LSM, though not easy, isn’t really that hard. Once you commit to a strategy, the actual motions can be exceedingly easy. Nonetheless, LSM requires patience, commitment and resources; and execution can be time-consuming and tedious. And unlike online marketing, where data flows in both directions, many LSM efforts are still measured by feet (the human kind), and not 0s and 1s.
So, how do we define LSM, and what are some key considerations to foster success?
LSM – A Definition
First, let’s consider the following examples:
• A local restaurant drops off a catering menu to your office.
• You notice that a little league baseball team is sponsored by the local hardware store.
• You encounter three dry cleaners within a mile of where you live, each with a sign that promotes their price or extra benefits.
Of these, which would you consider to be LSM? If you answered “all,” you would be correct. Whether you know it as guerilla marketing, shoe-leather marketing, neighborhood marketing or even just plain old “local marketing,” all of these fit the definition of LSM – marketing and advertising for a small business location to augment other national or regional marketing, IF the small business is part of a larger brick-and-mortar chain.
Lather, Rinse and Repeat
To be effective, LSM has to be executed every week, all the time. Sponsoring a little league team once, or replying to online reviews twice per year, or buying an ad in the local shopper twice is what we at Chief Outsiders call “Random Acts of Marketing” – those sporadic and non-strategic one-offs that do little to move the needle.
To be truly successful, LSM needs to be a fixture of every local store’s marketing plan – in the words of Vince Lombardi, “it is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing.” The best way to make this happen is to commit resources to it as part of your overall marketing mix. Since it typically comprises but a small percentage of your chain’s overall marketing budget, it is built for endurance – not speed – so you need to be patient with the outcome.
Site Awareness is as Important as Brand Awareness
I’ll share a true story about an experience I had when I was at Firehouse Subs. The story takes place several years ago, when online reviews weren’t yet a big thing, and mobile didn’t have the pervasive influence that it does today.
It was at a time when Firehouse Subs had about 300-400 restaurants, and we determined that, without the air cover of regional or national advertising, we had to do something to jump-start sales and get franchisees engaged.
One way we did this was by conducting “Founder’s Tours.” The co-founders, COO and many of the rest of the HQ staff went on bi-weekly road trips, known as Founder’s Tours. On one trip, we pulled up to a restaurant in central Florida and clamored out of the bus. There were 12 of us on the bus that day and when we arrived at the restaurant at around 9:30 a.m., we were given a map of neighborhoods and businesses to visit and bags filled with catering menus, courtesy cards, cookies, and chips. Of course, one person had to remain behind to be the sign waver.
That’s right – the sign waver. That’s because the two primary LRM tactics we were modeling for the franchisee were:
1. Neighborhood canvassing to get to know your neighbors
2. Sign waving to draw attention to the location
Sign waving in the rain
While I waved a large sign with a Firehouse Subs logo on it, six teams of two people each went into the trade area and visited as many other local businesses as they could in about two hours. When everyone returned to the restaurant, we debriefed.
Here’s what we learned:
• Each team covered a distance of about ¾ – 1 mile from the restaurant
• Most businesses were happy to receive the “free” goodie bag
• About 75 percent had heard of Firehouse Subs (Brand awareness, yes!)
• Over half of those visited did not know of the specific location of this restaurant
I’ll let that last bullet point sink in for a moment. Over 50 percent of the people we talked to within a mile of the restaurant had no idea they were less than a mile from the restaurant. Had this been a new location, site awareness would have been expected to be low. Unfortunately, the business had been open and operating for more than 4 years at the time of the Founder’s Tour visit.
That’s when we realized that brand awareness is one thing, and site awareness is another. Having brand awareness without site awareness is worthless.
How can a small business let potential customers in their trade area know where it is located?
Be active in the community, get to know your neighbors — and be visible.
In other words, commit to local marketing for your locations, and be found.
About the Author
Doug Reifschneider is a dynamic marketing leader with 30+ years of experience in the restaurant industry and a demonstrated history of driving growth through the creation and delivery of unique, creative brand strategies enhancing customer affinity and market position.
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Many thanks to Ron Weinstock, of Weinstock Marketing and ITB Partners for facilitating this Partnership.
What is a Company Store?
A company store is an on-line, fully integrated e-commerce site that gives you complete control over your branded merchandise program.
This is not a new concept as many printers have expanded their services, providing companies an outsourced solution for the logistical management of marketing collateral and branded products. A dedicated company store provides employees, dealers, franchisees, agents and even consumers the ability to easily purchase branded merchandise. “The more people who see our logo, the greater the likelihood they will call ITB Partners to resolve their problems.”
“Symphonix Solutions will handle everything for us, from acquiring and warehousing the merchandise for our store to maintaining the web-portal and executing order fulfillment.”
SYMPHONIX SOLUTIONS CLIENT BRAND MANAGEMENT PLATFORM IS CALLED “ONBOARD”
From this customized web portal, you can oversee brochures, displays, promotional products and digital brand assets, control and track projects, costs, create reports control inventory and send direct response emails.
At Symphonix Solutions, we have a variety of solutions to make it easy for our clients.
To learn more about Symphonix Solutions and how we can help promote your brand and your client’s brand, contact Michelle Mehnert at mmehnert@symphonixsolutions.com.
Since 2008, Symphonix Solutions has been helping clients manage their marketing and sales materials providing customized solutions that improve the production, distribution, and control of their assets. “Our proprietary technology provides each client with a customized portal to track inventory, costs, and delivery from anywhere in the world.”
“Our clients want the best quality, cost-effective, easy solutions, and Symphonix delivers.” With the highest level of service and a dedicated team you can trust, Symphonix partners with the best provider network to produce the best results from people who care about your projects and consistently deliver because they love what they do.
Symphonic Solutions stands ready to help you and your clients with their printing needs as well!
i’ve learned that it is a big mistake to ignore my automobile’s ‘check engine’ light. I’ll admit, there was a time when I viewed the indicator light as a suggestion. Not anymore. I respect the ‘Check Engine’ warning light and take immediate action. Often, a failed sensor is the problem. Sometimes, when a sensor fails it cannot provide the automobile’s onboard computer with the information required to ensure the proper functioning of the engine. In other situations, the issue may be more serious. In any event, it means a trip to the service center.
Two weeks ago, a few indicator lights activated on the dashboard of my Nissan 350-Z, including a Check Engine light. The Z was a little difficult to start and the engine was operating below par. Of course, I took the car to the Nissan dealership for service.
As I was the first person in line when the service center opened, my need was processed immediately. In addition to the ‘Check Engine’ light, I asked them to check my air conditioner, as it wasn’t cooling properly. The service attendant was courteous and efficient. He printed a list of items to be investigated with a cost estimate for the diagnostics.
After completing the service order, I was directed to the customer lounge to wait for their evaluation. The owners of this Nissan Dealership had recently completed a major remodel. I suppose, remodel is not entirely accurate as they razed the old building to be replaced with a modern facility. I was not prepared for the utility of the waiting room. It is easily four times larger than the original. The adjacent restrooms are larger and more presentable.
The new lounge is more like a WeWork or Industrious office center. There are workstations and comfortable pit groups with over-stuffed chairs. The dealership offers free Wi-Fi and an ample number of electrical outlets for computers or to recharge smartphones. It is comfortable and well lit. An ample assortment of free beverages and snacks are provided. They offer single-serve coffee service, with a wide selection of flavors. There is juice, water and soda, packaged snacks, power/breakfast bars, and fresh fruit. At some point, a few dozen fresh donuts arrived. I passed on the snacks but enjoyed several cups of French Roast Coffee. There is a big-screen television tuned to HGTV and another screen for viewing the work in the garage. I was blown away by the new lounge. It’s like a combination of Starbucks and WeWork. If I had known about the amenities available, I would have brought my laptop and stayed in the customer lounge until my car was ready.
Almost immediately after my experience with Regal Nissan, I called my friend and colleague Mark Grace. Mark is an industry expert and guru on customer experience. He has trademarked a term for customer experience called Experidigm (see experidigm.com and his eight books). An experidigm is not just the product or service, but all the actions and feelings the customer might have related to the experience now, later, and as the product is integrated into their lives. It was my intention to share this experience with Mark to learn if the Nissan Dealer is providing a competitive customer experience. Also, as I thought it make an excellent blog post, I wanted to enlist Mark’s contribution, which follows.
Mark Grace
This is a great example of the shift from selling a product or service to delivering a complete experidigm of related customer activities. Yes, customer waiting is a major activity in the car repair business. Waiting is part of the experience. We’ve all waited for hours in a cold, damp, smelly, repair place staring at an ugly, cracked linoleum floor. Compare that to Jim’s waiting, or should I now say, productive working experience. Jim might come back for more activities. The dealer could schedule quarterly events, to showcase new cars, accessories, or services. There is a large list of activities the dealer can consider, some of which could become profit centers.
Today, consumers can choose from over a billion products. The opportunity is integrating products and activities into a complete experience or experidigm. Brands that create experidigms, will acquire lifelong customers. Think Airbnb for staying overnight or Uber/Lift for getting from here to there – the complete experience is covered and growing larger. Any product can be made into an experience. Customers create eperidigms by integrating the product into their lives. Brands can take the lead, increasing their profitability by enhancing the customer experience. Let us show you how.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
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Susan Knox of Corporate Connections is a tenth generation Georgian, with an exceptional reputation and network. I am so pleased to have her on the ITB Partners Team as her business is unique and her personal story is compelling. In fact, I thought you would find her story so interesting, I convinced her to sit for an interview. This is the fourth and final installment of our discussion.
Jim:“What do you recommend keeping one’s network alive and active?”
Susan: “I say to make a list of people in your network. People you know from the PTA, your CPA, your Lawyer, someone in the church, your neighbor, or your kid’s baseball coach/parents. Literally, anywhere you have relationships, make a list of them. Include people that you know who are either influencers or high-profile people who are actively networking.
“One of the biggest deals I ever got was from a dentist. I went to a new dentist and he asked me what I did. I told him that I connected companies with capital. His next patient told him that he had started a new company and that he was looking for money. The dentist made the connection and I landed a great deal. It’s because I visited him (dentist) and told him about my business. You would be amazed where new deals and new clients, or new employees can come from.”
Jim: “Absolutely. As I tell folks, Executive Search is like pure marketing, as everyone I talk with is either a potential client, a potential candidate, or a referral source to a potential client or candidate.”
Susan: “That is so true! ”
Susan went on to say that it is important to “say yes to new networking opportunities.” She said that to build your reputation as an influencer you must be visible so people will include you in their events. She mentioned that she attends seminars and summits, not so much for the value of the content, but to meet the people that attend those events.
Jim: “What is the next thing you see for Corporate Connections?”
Susan: “Okay! Great Question.
“At the moment I am overwhelmed with new clients, and I am so grateful for that. But I think I need to start conducting professionalism workshops. Because, as you said, people often don’t know what they don’t know. A lot of them grew up behind a (computer) screen and they don’t know the social graces. They don’t know how to shake someone’s hand, to look them in the eye, or how to dress. I tell people that you are the CEO of your life. You are your brand, regardless of where you are. So, you had better protect it (your brand). You must know what you are doing. “
Jim: “Yes, if you step it up, and wear a jacket you can stand out.”
Susan: “I remember a time when I represented a Wealth Management Firm. The Managing Partner asked if I would talk to one of the younger guys, a real ‘up-and-comer.’ He was a runner and wore a sports watch. The Managing Partner wanted him to wear a dress watch. Another situation was with a female who wore (gaudy) colored nail polish. I helped them learn the value of proper attire and etiquette. I tell people, ‘when you walk into a room, you notice people who are very well-dressed and put together. They just stand out.’ People are attracted to successful-looking people.”
“I say the more high-tech we go, the more ‘old school’ I get. People really appreciate a handwritten note or a phone call. I have started working very hard to have more personal connections. But you know, Jim, I’ve always been about my clients and my members. I have focused on helping my clients with their social media, but not for mine (social media). I can use social media to showcase the value of my network. Going forward I aim to be more visible on LinkedIn.”
Jim: “Thank you so much, Susan!”
Susan: “Oh, thank you! It was fun.”
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Join Us for the February ITB Partners Meeting featuring Paula Fowler
Whether you are an Entrepreneur, an Employee or in transition, Strategic Planning is important to your success. Get ready for 2020 and learn the fundamentals from Paula Fowler, Six Disciplines Coach, and Predictive Index Certified Partner, offering small business owners tools to align people strategy with business strategy to achieve business results. Paula will present:
“It’s 2020 – What’s Your Plan?”
About Paula Fowler:
Paula Fowler
Paula is a strategic leader with a proven ability to create a company-wide vision and drive business results. Over 20 years of management and consulting experience in small to mid-sized businesses across a broad range of functional areas, including sales, marketing, finance, manufacturing, software development, operations, HR and customer support. Skilled as an internal consultant in analyzing existing operations and implementing strategies, processes, and technology to improve company profitability. Uses Predictive Index talent optimization tools to develop an organizational design, hire, inspire and drive team performance. Linkedin
One of the benefits of a healthy economy is that people seem more optimistic and happier. Clearly, this has been the case for the past few years, especially 2019. By and large, the people I met and interacted with last year were much more positive about the future for their businesses. They were busy landing new gigs and completing work for their clients. They were pleasant and easy to be around.
That’s not to say that I didn’t interact with people or learned of situations that were most disagreeable. My friend Faith often speaks of a coworker she calls “hair on fire.” This person has a special knack for surfacing a crisis near the close of business on Friday afternoons. Faith finds this irritating, a waste of her time. In this respect, “hair on fire” is toxic.
One of my clients wasted a significant amount of time working with a potential strategic partner who promised her the moon. This person talked about entering a joint venture partnership whereby they would split the profits from their projects. My client began working with him in good faith but continued to ask for a document to define their relationship. The more my client asked for an agreement, the more belligerent he became. That document was never delivered and my client realized that her counterpart was insincere. In the end, he exploited her expertise without compensation. Fortunately, her investment wasn’t exorbitant.
A vendor for another client put his business in turmoil by failing to show proper accountability to his minority partners. He didn’t include them in important decisions and was not forthcoming. Not surprisingly, his partners resigned, taking funds owed them out of the company’s bank accounts. This resulted in additional problems for the vendor as those funds were designated for merchandise already purchased. The list goes on.
As my business is about helping my clients become more effective, it’s important to help them understand the warning signs of a toxic relationship. There is great value in avoiding the cost of a pathological relationship, so understanding the warning signs is useful. Toward this end, I invested time in reviewing articles that discussed the personal attributes shared by successful entrepreneurs. A summary of the attributes promoted is listed below.
Attributes of a successful entrepreneur:Passion, strong work ethic, strong people skills, determination, creativity, competitiveness, self-starter, open-minded, confidence, disciplined, salesmanship, communication skills, peacefulness, poised, intuition, adaptability, opportunistic, resilient, bold, management skills, focused, accountable, skeptical, and a listener.
I find it interesting that these attributes not only apply to success as an entrepreneur, but they are also relevant to an employee, a senior executive, or for one’s private life. The best summary I found was from Brian Tracy who identified five qualities: Self-discipline, integrity, persistence, clear sense of direction, and decisive and action-oriented. Of the articles I surveyed, Mr. Tracy was the only author who identified integrity as a key attribute for success. I find that surprising, however, I agree completely. From my perspective, poor temperament and a lack of integrity are the primary indicators of a toxic relationship. If that’s the case, how can one minimize their exposure to toxic people? How can one resolve that question before entering into a business relationship?
When coaching Independent Consultants, I advise them to create an entry-level vehicle as a lead marketing strategy. This is a small project with a short time frame, reasonably priced to present a low-risk profile to the prospective client. This project will validate your capabilities as you work to establish a relationship with the new client. These entry-level projects are opportunities to build trust, the foundation for a longer-term relationship. If a relationship cannot be established, neither party has lost much in the process.
I believe this is good advice for entering into any relationship. Begin with a small commitment to validate the benefits of a relationship. It’s the best way to manage risk. Of course, there is a lot of work you can do to ensure a viable working relationship even before landing that initial contract. As your prospective clients are interviewing you, you should be interviewing them. It is advisable to talk with the client’s vendors and or customers to gain further insight.
Many people have great ideas and want to be in business for themselves. If they lack a few key attributes those dreams will never materialize. Be on guard so you aren’t caught in their pathology.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
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Breakfast meetings can be a wake-up call when the attendees are experienced and masterful at their crafts. And when Jim Weber of ITB Partners presented his perspective on selling consulting services last week, even the most experienced among us sat up and took notice. (This post combines Jim Weber’s presentation, and with his approval, some framing with my own perspective.)
Anyone who is a good consultant wants to do a good job, and differentiate their services for their prospects and clients… that’s natural. Sometimes, however, we can miss the point — which is making the connection to our client, and understanding their world fully, through their eyes.
We sometimes miss the subtext of the conversation, which may be about the client’s unstated needs. So good consultants must be connected to their clients. They must value the client’s interests. And the context of selling consulting services must be reframed to focus on the client’s interests.
There’s also a bit of healthy schizophrenia involved — while you must understand the client’s need, you must also ensure that your own consultant’s assessment adds up.
Here are some takeaways:
Inside Your Prospects Head
At just about any company, the person hiring you will want to know two essential questions — “Do You Understand My Problem?” and “Will You Make Me Look Good?” If you can’t get past these questions, all the great work you might do… might not happen. Other key questions will likely include “Can You Work Within Our Culture?” While the culture may be cool, calm, and collected…or mad as a March hare, most clients expect No Drama.
You Are In Front of Viable Prospect
A key step in developing the plan is making sure there can be a plan. Is the prospect qualified? Are they just fishing around, or do they have a defined need? Are they looking to you to define this need? Do they have a budget available to pay for the project?
To understand and frame your client’s expectations you can ask: “What’s important around here?” This will help you determine if they are looking for a certain type of program response, or profitability, other KPIs or “soft” goals.
Sizing Up The Project And Expectations
Asking the right questions here may make the difference. You may ask “What have you done” in regard to the project, and this will offer insights into the client’s approach, plus success or failure at that endeavor.
And you will want to know “how” they executed the project — “How did you execute that?” will also tell a lot. The consultant can check out expectations by asking a question such as “If we found new ways of thinking through this issue, would you be open to that?”
Your Goal – Close The Deal!
When discerning the client’s needs, and their framing of it, you’ll want to Validate The Client’s Diagnosis. This step is key for producing later success.
You’ll also want to understand the company culture, and how your work and style fits into it. Then, essentially, you will be validating your fit for the work.
The Presumptive Close
I presume there are all kinds of “presumptive close” styles, but part of the subtext of the selling conversation will be to continue building the relationship. You’ll want to demonstrate what it’s like to work with you, and your Closing Strategy conversations are the beginning of your work.
How To Scare Off Your Prospect
Sometimes we can scare off the prospect by identifying all their landmines. And we suggest solutions. I take this one personally, I do it often — my rationale, likely yours, too — is to help the client, direct the conversation, and to provide value even in that initial selling process.
While those insights might be correct, the client just wanted to solve a particular problem. Other times, in the spirit of being a hero and showing how much we know, we can come up with a premature diagnosis – which is not fully informed, and off-target. We can also be too surgical in our technical techniques and conversation — even if it’s right, it just doesn’t build rapport.
A Successful Sales Close
While a consultant needs to map the terrain and understand where the client is at if all the questions asked to serve the consultant… then you might as well hire yourself. Jim reports that some consultants were “dying” when they focused on the mechanics of their job. But-but-but when they switched to issues that were important to the prospect… they arose like Pegasus. That’s a way better end result!
Another interesting bit of perspective from the meeting and discussion, regarding agenda and expectations, was the insight to “assume the worst going in” to a meeting. That doesn’t mean being a pessimist, it means that we live in a fast-paced world, and everyone may not be prepared for the meeting, or you might not expect the unexpected — you may need to guide the agenda and set expectations.
Jim’s presentation had us focus on being connected. Valuing the prospect’s interests. Playing their role. Not just understanding what they say they want, and selling the value of your services… but absolutely ensuring we meet their interests. Sounds good to me!
– – – – – – – – – – –
Would you like to see the narrated .ppt presentation? Here’s the link, as Jim Weber presents Selling Consulting Services: https://lnkd.in/eXPbePR
Joel Alpert of MarketPower is a branding and marketing consultant who has developed branding, strategic thinking, direct marketing and more, for Fortune 500… SMB… and one person consultancies, in just about every conceivable category of business.
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
It’s been a while since I thought much about the process I employ to generate new business. Even though I’ve been managing my business for over twenty years, I don’t think about the processes I use to generate more business. I have an effective system in place which I execute diligently. Building relationships with prospective clients has become second nature, almost intuitive. Recently, I have been thinking a lot about my business development systems and processes, however. Since making a commitment to deliver a presentation on selling consulting services, I’ve been compelled to reconsider the matter. As you would expect, the subject has been on my mind quite a bit lately.
Friday, I discussed my progress on the presentation with my friend Faith. During our discussion, I mentioned that I hadn’t chosen a topic for this week’s blog post. I said that I would like to continue the theme of the last few weeks, building relationships. She suggested that I write about building professional relationships that generate new business. I liked her idea and I’m pleased to continue exploring this subject.
As I think about it, my work is all about building and strengthening relationships. People come to me seeking new jobs and career advice. I like to do what I can for them. Although I may not be able to help them immediately, I believe it’s important to understand their needs and aspirations. At some point, I will learn of an opportunity to provide assistance. By doing so, I am creating a foundation for a long-term relationship.
Mary’s situation is a good example. Mary is in the process of closing the family business and moving her residence to Atlanta. She came to me looking for help transitioning from her position as COO for an industrial company to become an employee for another company. Currently, she is not able to devote 100% of her time to job search, so starting the process has been prolonged. I immediately connected her with two networking groups to begin her transition.
Two weeks ago, we scheduled a call to discuss her situation. I had promised to review her resume and owed her my feedback. After providing my thoughts, she asked if I would take her on as a coaching client. I agreed, of course, and we scheduled a follow-on, face-to-face meeting. Reflecting on our interaction, we developed a relationship that resulted in new business for me. She came to trust me because I demonstrated a sincere interest in her career aspirations. I connected her with others who could be helpful and provided suggestions to improve her resume. Stated another way, I showed a genuine interest in helping her and demonstrated my capabilities. Interestingly, I never pitched her on the idea of becoming a client.
Selling consulting services is about selling an intangible product. One cannot touch, hold, see, smell, or hear the product. It is something that can only be imagined. Those buying consulting services are taking a leap of faith. In many ways, the process is the same as completing a successful series of job interviews. The candidate’s primary objective is to establish rapport with the hiring manager. After all, we want to work with people we like and who like us. To achieve a successful outcome, one must establish a personal connection. So, building rapport requires effective interpersonal skills. Those skills include the following:
Empathy – needs assessment
A Positive Mental Attitude
Appreciation/Gratitude
Mutual Respect
Accountability
Offer something of value – a gift.
Professionalism
Honesty and forthrightness
As with any job interview, you are being evaluated on every step of the selection process including an offer of employment. As you work to gain the prospect’s confidence, your working style and ethics are on display. The prospect is becoming comfortable, or not, with the idea of working with you. A well-executed process is critical! I cannot overemphasize the importance of this phase of the sales cycle.
Selling consulting services is a process governed by the fact that you are selling an intangible product, the prospect’s desired outcome. As a consultant, your job is to make the product tangible and mitigate the prospect’s doubt. You are the product! The attributes of the product you’re selling are your attributes: competence, professionalism, empathy, and ethics among others. You will demonstrate these attributes by developing a working relationship with the prospect. By developing solid relationships, you will ensure the success of your business.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
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The new lounge is more like a WeWork or Industrious office center. There are workstations and comfortable pit groups with over-stuffed chairs. The dealership offers free Wi-Fi and an ample number of electrical outlets for computers or to recharge smartphones. It is comfortable and well lit. An ample assortment of free beverages and snacks are provided. They offer single-serve coffee service, with a wide selection of flavors. There is juice, water and soda, packaged snacks, power/breakfast bars, and fresh fruit. At some point, a few dozen fresh donuts arrived. I passed on the snacks but enjoyed several cups of French Roast Coffee. There is a big-screen television tuned to HGTV and another screen for viewing the work in the garage. I was blown away by the new lounge. It’s like a combination of Starbucks and WeWork. If I had known about the amenities available, I would have brought my laptop and stayed in the customer lounge until my car was ready.
One of the benefits of a healthy economy is that people seem more optimistic and happier. Clearly, this has been the case for the past few years, especially 2019. By and large, the people I met and interacted with last year were much more positive about the future for their businesses. They were busy landing new gigs and completing work for their clients. They were pleasant and easy to be around.
When discerning the client’s needs, and their framing of it, you’ll want to Validate The Client’s Diagnosis. This step is key for producing later success.
