Do You Really Need To Itemise Your Consulting Proposals?

Imagine if you will...

You're looking for a surgeon for some mind-manglingly fiendish operation, and out of the dozens of competitive bids, you're evaluating the top two contestants.

Dr. John has a 5% mortality rate, whereas Dr. Joan has a 71%.

Now, which surgeon is better?

On the surface, Dr. John is a lot better. By a landslide.

Are you sure?

Dr. John is a surgeon for celebrities. He carefully selects his patients, and accepts only 1% of applicants; the ones that are very healthy and from whom he can extract hefty six-figure insurance payments.

He's is an Amazon and New York Times Best Seller Author, has been written up in the Wall Street Journal and appeared on the Oprah show several times.

On the surface, Dr. John's 5% mortality rate is more than impressive.

In fact, it's higher than the industrial average, and over the years he's had several lawsuits against him for negligence, which his celebrity lawyers have swept under the carpet using their influence in high places and plain threats against his unappreciative patients

Why do you think big-name law firms employ professional "fixers"? Just watch the TV series Ray Donovan (Fixer Ray) or How To Get Away With Murder (Fixer Frank) and you'll understand the role of the fixer.

Yes, I know it's TV and entertainment, but I'm sure it has a touch of reality.

Also, being a celebrity surgeon, most of his time is dedicated to building and reinforcing his celebrity status so he performs only a few surgeries.

By contrast, Dr. Joan is a military battlefield surgeon. By the time patients are taken to her, some shot, some blown to pieces, 90% of her patients are medically beyond repair.

Yet, using her magic, she manages to save an amazing 29% of her patients, which is way higher than industrial average. She has never written a book, no one has ever written about her and Oprah has never heard of her. She quietly and proudly serves her country one battlefield at a time.

Now what do you think?

Actually, this is what is happening when buyers ask consultants to itemise their proposals.

Buyers want to receive details that allow them to compare consultants. But to compare them in the wrong way; in a rather superficial manner.

Just like the two surgeons in the above example being evaluated based on their casualty rates.

But why do you think clients ask you to itemise your proposals?

Well, sooner or later the kind of service you provide comes up for renewal, and, as per company policy, your clients can't just automatically renew their incumbents' services. Oh, no!

They have to tender it out and go through the costly process of hiring.

So, the question is...

How to itemise your proposals for maximum differentiation?

And this is what we discover this month's fallaciously fantabulous episode of Commando Consulting, expertly entitled, Do You Really Need To Itemise Your Consulting Proposals

Enjoy!