3 Machines that Drive Consulting Success

Are you solving problems that will grow your business?

Or are you doing a bunch of busy work that makes you feel productive but doesn’t actually move the needle on the metrics that matter?

Consultants of all stripes struggle with this. Chances are your consulting business is your first real foray into business. And no one really taught you how to run a business (no, your MBA doesn't count).?

As a result, you tend to focus on solving problems that are easy to solve, comfortable for you to address, and otherwise intellectually stimulating.?

For most consultants, that means focusing on client delivery and fulfillment.?

At face value, that sounds appropriate, even responsible. After all, you care about your client’s results. Your reputation is all you have. Why wouldn’t you put your focus there?

Systems Thinking for Consultants

Let’s step back and take a look at your consulting business as a system.?

Like any system, it needs to have a clear goal. It must be designed to produce a singular result or outcome. And I’m not referring to the results you produce for clients here. That’s important. But I’m also assuming you’d be less interested in getting those results if it wasn’t profitable.???

That’s the real goal of your consulting business – to generate a sufficient profit (which is up to you to define) while delivering outstanding client value, and adhering to any other constraints you decide to impose on your business.?

So, if profit is the goal, what are the systems that deliver on that goal?

The 3 Machines that Deliver Profit?

Think of your business as a simple assembly line with three machines.?

These three machines, along with the processes and people surrounding them, are designed to generate sufficient profit for your business.?

• Machine #1 is the marketing machine. This machine's objective is to create opportunities for your business. It goes to the market, builds relationships, gets attention, and turns strangers into prospective clients.?
• Machine #2 is the sales machine. This machine’s objective is to turn marketing opportunities into revenue. It engages prospective clients, prescribes solutions, handles objections, and wins the deal.?
• Machine #3 is the delivery machine. It takes those signed engagements and makes good on your promises. It delivers results, ensures clients are satisfied, and generates referral opportunities and positive word of mouth.?

Are You Trying to Fix The Wrong Machine?

There are a few common mistakes that consultants make here:?

1. You’re over investing in delivery at the expense of marketing and sales. This is the most common because delivery comes easy to you and is likely intellectually stimulating. Plus, the fear of losing the client helps you rationalize an excessive focus on delivery.?
2. You’re outsourcing marketing and/or sales. You think, “I don’t know anything about marketing or sales, why don’t I bring someone in to do this for me?” So you hire an agency, a sales rep, or a fractional executive – only to regret your decision shortly thereafter.?
3. You’ve underestimated what’s required to build marketing and sales machines that deliver results. You tried cold outreach, slapped together a few LinkedIn posts, and updated your website. And you wonder why it’s not raining leads yet.?

The Truth About Selling Consulting Services

It’s tempting to believe your work will speak for itself, or that as long as you focus on delivering outstanding client value you’ll have enough referrals and word of mouth to keep you busy.?

And I’ve definitely seen examples of this. But most of these examples involve a decade or two of reputation building before the consultant really saw the flood gates open.?

If you have a decade or two, then by all means.?

For the rest of us, you can speed up the process by building effective marketing and sales machines that generate opportunity for your business and keep your delivery machine nice and busy.???

Join me on Power Positioning LIVE to get the exact framework over 1,000 B2B consultants have used to stand out in crowded markets and command higher fees. We will hand you a 7 figure positioning framework you can apply to your business immediately for only $49. Register here.