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Quickstart - The 3 Key Elements Your Clients Look For
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Quickstart
Grow a Profitable Consultancy and Still Have Time for a Life
In this issue
Note from Beverley - Make A Columnist Your Friend!
One Step Further - 3 Key Elements Your Clients Look For
Personal Reflections - Take Note?
Note from Beverley
Today - 26 Jun - is columnist day (Yes in the US they have their own day) but as silly as that sounds it triggered a marketing thought.
Who do you know that knows a newspaper, trade publication or media type that might publish an article, PR piece, which could promote your business? Why not use the fact that it is columnist’s day to "get an in" - they may think you are barking mad but PR shouldn't be overlooked and any avenue to get published which demonstrates your value, is good. So who do you know?
Have a good week.
Beverley
bev@onestepfurther.co.uk
www.onestepfurther.co.uk
+44 (0)1258 817647
One Step Further
In a growing and more crowded market, consultants need to understand why they do what they do, why anyone should pay them to do what they do and what will keep clients paying them as opposed to anyone else, to do what they do.
There are many things which will define one person's decision making process over someone else's, but I believe there are 3 key things that clients look for when choosing a consultant to work with - Trust, Respect, Like
Trust - this element centres around a belief that
*What you say you CAN do, you actually can do
*What you say you WILL do, you actually will do
* How you say you will do it, is actually how things are done
The trust element is also about feeling any risks involved are minimised or mitigated and what ever happens you as the consultant will be up front, open and honest in how you deal with the unexpected - good and bad.
Respect - this element is about value
* Valuing your capability
* Valuing your experience
* Valuing the way you do things
* Valuing your promise of a solution that's right for them
I always say get people's trust and respect first and that lays a good foundation for building a future working relationship. If you miss out on these 2, you are less likely to develop relationships over time because when things go wrong and invariably something happens that is unforeseen, without this basis of trust and respect a relationship will falter - more often than not.
Like - this element is about connection
* Connecting on a personal level - you are like me
* Connecting on a values level - you believe the same things that I do
* Connecting on a aspiration level - I feel you are someone that "gets me"
I firmly believe that many consultants, in their rush or desperation to get business, take on clients that they don't like (yes it works both ways). For me liking someone or feeling "this is someone I can work with" is crucial because the working relationship will define - in part - the success of any contract or project. And at a more basic level why would you choose to spend time with someone you don't like???
So whilst proposals, contracts, meetings, product and service knowledge, the colour of your ties etc etc might all be worth considering, I believe that the 3 key things to focus on when working with a new client are Trust, Respect and Like - for both parties.
Personal Reflections
I recently re-read Play to Win and was reminded of some very simple messages that on a day to day basis I had lost somewhere in my subconscious which I thought I would share with you.
Taking the picture of a ˝ glass of water
* Choose your mindset - glass half empty or glass half full.
* Look for the opportunity - Whatever way you look at it you have ˝ a glass of water, what can you do with what you have
* Challenge your perception - what if it isn't half empty what if it is full but the glass is just too big
* Think big (it costs the same as thinking small) - it's not just water, it's life, nourishment, art, etc
These are only a few but it got me thinking that of the many thousands of messages that feed into our brains on a daily or even minute by minute basis, which are the ones we choose to listen to and take heed of and which are the ones we lose in the noise of stuff and nonsense. And if that happens to us, could it be happening to our clients or prospects and what might that tell us about how we might need to rethink our approach?
What messages do you subconsciously ignore and why?
What messages do you tell yourself to heed and why?
One of the messages I have in my head most of the time is on a postcard that I have had framed and it sits on my office windowsill in full view. It says, “There is always a way”
Best Regards
Bev
bev@onestepfurther.co.uk
www.onestepfurther.co.uk
+44 (0)1258 817647 |
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