4 Ways Selling Consulting Is Just like Delivering Consulting
Close your eyes for a moment, and think of the the images that pop up in front of your mental eyes as you say the word "salesperson".
Oily, smarmy, phony, mendacious. two-faced liars, smooth-talking street peddlers, glad-handed bazaar hucksters.
Even your mother may have warned you…
“Honey, I don’t mind your becoming a consultant, but don’t ever become a salesperson.”
And most people have taken their mothers’ requests to heart, and while they know they have to makes sales in their businesses in order not to starve to death, they do it reluctantly.
Right or wrong, the above words are often associated with salespeople, and by association, with consultants too.
While being salesy is ill-advised for salespeople, it’s a real disaster for consultants.
Buyers of products often may say, “I can't stand this sales rep, but I can tolerate her to evaluate her product against the competition.”
But buyers of consulting evaluate the sellers. Why? The seller is often the service provider. Buyers know that the way consultants sell is the way they serve after the sale is made.
And while Dr. House, the genius jerk works on TV, consulting clients do their best to avoid genius jerks.
The relationship doesn’t end when the sale is completed. It’s just begun. Thus, the foundation of trust set up between the buyer and seller in the sales process is of paramount importance.
But realistically…
Quite the contrary, the act of selling, when done well, adds a significant amount of value.
During great sales calls with prospects, consultants facilitate prospects’ decision-making processes. A well-planned sales conversation can help even sophisticated buyers make smarter decisions.
And to do that, consultants don’t have to apply “used car” or “snake oil” sales tactics.
Here are four ways you can apply consulting skills to your selling process:
1. Sell as You Serve: Many consultants who have never sold think the purpose of selling is to part people from their money at any cost, and make them to buy something they neither want not need.
They believe that to be successful at selling, consultants must leave their values and everyday personalities at the door and adopt a sleazy persona and voice, one that would naturally say something like, “What’s it gonna take to get you into this shiny, red, pre-owned sports car today, ma’am?”
Nothing is further from the truth. The best rainmakers bring in new clients because they are no different when they sell their services than when they deliver their services.
Great consultants create better futures for their clients that the clients didn’t know were possible.
The best rainmakers meet mutually-set expectations over and over again, building trust, relationships, and confidence. The best rainmakers are ethical at all times.
The skills that make you a great consultant can make you a great rainmaker.
Sales is about helping clients and prospects find solutions that solve their problems and help them succeed.
2. Sell to Need: Great consultants are masters at uncovering clients’ goals and challenges and helping them to make the changes necessary for success.
Great rainmakers are no different.
However, many consultants feel uncomfortable making connections, uncovering needs, and working closely with people they don’t yet know well. Too often the first conversations go awry when they don’t need to.
The same skills you use to get to the root of your clients’ problems and develop solutions to help them meet their goals are the ones you can use to uncover prospects’ needs and propose winning solutions. You just need to recognize what you need to do and bring these skills out at the right time and in the right way.
3. Communicate the Value: Great consultants understand the value they provide to clients. They craft compelling solutions based on their clients’ unique needs, and communicate that value to clients clearly and articulately.
Selling is no different. You must learn to lead discussions that influence direction and outcomes, and you must advocate your services and communicate your value. Just like when you advocate new ideas to your clients when you work with them, you must be persuasive, confidence inspiring, and empathetic all at the same time when you sell to them.
4. Plan for Success: It’s been said that if you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there.
Great consultants have a clear process that they follow. Each project has a specific objective, timeframe, budget, and resource allocation. Rainmaking is no different.
Like consulting, selling is a process, and it’s waiting for you to master it.
Make the Transition from Consultant to Rainmaker.
To help you figure out what that selling process should look like and to make the transition from consultant to rainmaker, RainToday, a research and educational organisation specializing on helping consultants to land new clients, has just released a free report, entitled, “Forget Everything You Know About Sales and Begin to Sell Without Selling.”
This report will give you a proven process you can use to start bringing in more new business now. Plus, you’ll learn:
Oily, smarmy, phony, mendacious. two-faced liars, smooth-talking street peddlers, glad-handed bazaar hucksters.
Even your mother may have warned you…
“Honey, I don’t mind your becoming a consultant, but don’t ever become a salesperson.”
And most people have taken their mothers’ requests to heart, and while they know they have to makes sales in their businesses in order not to starve to death, they do it reluctantly.
Right or wrong, the above words are often associated with salespeople, and by association, with consultants too.
While being salesy is ill-advised for salespeople, it’s a real disaster for consultants.
Buyers of products often may say, “I can't stand this sales rep, but I can tolerate her to evaluate her product against the competition.”
But buyers of consulting evaluate the sellers. Why? The seller is often the service provider. Buyers know that the way consultants sell is the way they serve after the sale is made.
And while Dr. House, the genius jerk works on TV, consulting clients do their best to avoid genius jerks.
The relationship doesn’t end when the sale is completed. It’s just begun. Thus, the foundation of trust set up between the buyer and seller in the sales process is of paramount importance.
But realistically…
There is Nothing Wrong with Selling
Quite the contrary, the act of selling, when done well, adds a significant amount of value.
During great sales calls with prospects, consultants facilitate prospects’ decision-making processes. A well-planned sales conversation can help even sophisticated buyers make smarter decisions.
And to do that, consultants don’t have to apply “used car” or “snake oil” sales tactics.
As a Consultant You Already Have Many Skills You Need to Be Great at Sales
Here are four ways you can apply consulting skills to your selling process:
1. Sell as You Serve: Many consultants who have never sold think the purpose of selling is to part people from their money at any cost, and make them to buy something they neither want not need.
They believe that to be successful at selling, consultants must leave their values and everyday personalities at the door and adopt a sleazy persona and voice, one that would naturally say something like, “What’s it gonna take to get you into this shiny, red, pre-owned sports car today, ma’am?”
Nothing is further from the truth. The best rainmakers bring in new clients because they are no different when they sell their services than when they deliver their services.
Great consultants create better futures for their clients that the clients didn’t know were possible.
The best rainmakers meet mutually-set expectations over and over again, building trust, relationships, and confidence. The best rainmakers are ethical at all times.
The skills that make you a great consultant can make you a great rainmaker.
Sales is about helping clients and prospects find solutions that solve their problems and help them succeed.
2. Sell to Need: Great consultants are masters at uncovering clients’ goals and challenges and helping them to make the changes necessary for success.
Great rainmakers are no different.
However, many consultants feel uncomfortable making connections, uncovering needs, and working closely with people they don’t yet know well. Too often the first conversations go awry when they don’t need to.
The same skills you use to get to the root of your clients’ problems and develop solutions to help them meet their goals are the ones you can use to uncover prospects’ needs and propose winning solutions. You just need to recognize what you need to do and bring these skills out at the right time and in the right way.
3. Communicate the Value: Great consultants understand the value they provide to clients. They craft compelling solutions based on their clients’ unique needs, and communicate that value to clients clearly and articulately.
Selling is no different. You must learn to lead discussions that influence direction and outcomes, and you must advocate your services and communicate your value. Just like when you advocate new ideas to your clients when you work with them, you must be persuasive, confidence inspiring, and empathetic all at the same time when you sell to them.
4. Plan for Success: It’s been said that if you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there.
Great consultants have a clear process that they follow. Each project has a specific objective, timeframe, budget, and resource allocation. Rainmaking is no different.
Like consulting, selling is a process, and it’s waiting for you to master it.
Make the Transition from Consultant to Rainmaker.
To help you figure out what that selling process should look like and to make the transition from consultant to rainmaker, RainToday, a research and educational organisation specializing on helping consultants to land new clients, has just released a free report, entitled, “Forget Everything You Know About Sales and Begin to Sell Without Selling.”
This report will give you a proven process you can use to start bringing in more new business now. Plus, you’ll learn:
- How to avoid being “salesy” (which will actually lead to more sales)
- A proven process that will get you started bringing in more new business today
- How to uncover the full set of your clients’ needs (most sales advice only gives you half the story)
- Whether or not cold calling is dead
- The best kept secret in leading successful sales conversations
posted by Bald Dog @ Thursday, June 24, 2010
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