The Weekly Brief
Memos written for consultants Aug 2014 - June 2024.
How to lose a £100K project.
Ignoring personal motivation. That's how I lost a £100K project. If you want to win bigger, better projects don't forget about your client's buying motivation. If you do you'll kill trust. They'll think you're more interested in your
The problem is ... clients don't care.
Every consultant I know loves their methodology. They can riff on it for hours. Problem is ... clients don't care. So, learn to love those big issues clients have ... and ask about their desired results. Focus conversations on this and clients will appreciate you ... and you'll win
3 questions to close your consulting year.
Some quick-fire which questions to finish the year. So here we go: 1. Which thing (about your consulting) did you improve this year? 2. Which client experience was your most memorable? 3. Which result are you most proud of?
High-value, low-volume prospecting.
Consulting is a relationship business. Especially if you're going after bigger projects. Which can mean a smaller number of deals a year. So, I'm curious why ... under those conditions ... we still resort to high-volume marketing. Your thoughts on other options ... 👇
Getting business meetings in a recession.
Getting business meetings in a recession. Executives are always 'sick and tired' of something. Your job is to turn that frustration into an imperative. How do you do that? 1/ Figure out what the 'sick and tired' is. Understand its impact on the executive. That might
Create an exceptional experience and you differentiate your practice.
Create an exceptional experience and you differentiate your practice. Fortunately most consultants won’t take time to do this. So if you do you'll stand out ... head and shoulders.
Top sales performer - two years running
When the best get better Currently I'm coaching a group of consultants in a small firm to build more productive networks. We've named this initiative The Networking Quest. If you're interested in doing something similar please get in touch. As with many things like
Stop interrupting me.
Ask a precise question ... then shut up. Clients want to talk ... don't get in their way. STOP INTERRUPTING.
Sales theory is all well and good but this is more fun and productive.
1/ Identify a high-value, high payoff client development activity. eg. You want a better sales meetings, so experiment with: * Building rapport and trust. * Talking while sketching out a 2x2 framework. * Asking provocative questions (with precision). * Explaining your point-of-view clearly. * Giving other people attention and listening. Each of these can form
Are you in the top 4%?
Less than 4% That’s how few consultants introduce themselves well. Mostly the others tell you what their job is. And for me those introductions aren’t at all engaging. Business Process Analyst, Principal consultant, HR Systems Architect, Delivery Manager, Technical Architect, Supply Chain Consultant, Service Design Consultant. Whatever! So,