Consultants Must Sell

By Elaine Biech and Halelly Azulay, creators of the Building Your Successful Consulting Business online course.

Sometimes the reason consultants won’t go on a sales call is that they fear objections.

No one likes to be rejected. No one want to hear sales objections. But neither is directed at you. No one is rejecting you!

Commonly Heard Objections (and How to Respond)

Often, the objection starts as “it costs too much,” but that is rarely the real reason. It is more likely that you didn’t ask enough questions to help the potential client see the value, ROI, or the cost of inaction. Here are a few other objections you may hear plus suggested responses for each.

• “I’m not interested.” Ask, “In what?” then focus them on the problem they want solved and how you’ve helped others solve the same problem.
• “It’s not my decision.” Say that you understand and ask what their decision process is. Then ask how you can help them justify the solution to those who will make the decision.
• “It’s not in the budget.” If they really care about the problem, help them find a way to move budget from a lower priority item.
• “Send me some information.” This is a soft objection. Say, “Sure. Happy to. Let’s make sure it is relevant to you. Would it work if I call you Thursday once you’ve had time to look it over?” 

Ask Yourself These Questions About Selling

The fear of selling is common, but overcoming those fears is necessary to succeed as a consultant.

• Are you afraid of rejection? The best way to dump this fear is to recognize that it is part of the process. Think of selling as the one and only way you can help your clients. Yes, you may meet someone who is rude, but this is rare. It will be rarer still if you approach sales from a place of service.
• Do you fear hearing objections? Listen carefully for the reason for the rejection. Use the objections and the responses above. Try to get to the underlying reason of the rejection and visualize the outcome you want – not the one you don’t.
• Do you worry about opening a sales conversation? Prepare the words you’ll use to open the conversation. Do your research. Think ahead of all the things that your potential client may want to discuss and how you can offer assistance. Be prepared with numbers, data, and examples.
• Do you shut up and listen? If you are talking more than 50% of the time you’ve already lost the sale. Clients don’t have time to listen to you drone on and on about the features and benefits of hiring you. They would prefer that you listen to understand what they really need.
• Are you able to ask for the sale? Once you overcome your prospects objections and presented a viable solution you’ve achieved your goal. Now the only thing left is to ask for the sale. You must make an offer to obtain a sale – a yes or no. Here are a couple of examples:

- It seems like a good fit for your organization. What do you think?

- If you are ready to move forward, I can deliver the contract this afternoon.

- This seems to meet your requirements. Are you ready to commit?

Offer Options

One tool you may find helpful is to offer options. Depending upon the sales cycle and how often you’ve spoken to your prospect, it may help to lay out three options such as displayed in this example. It can be a part of the proposal that you prepare for your prospect. The options provide three levels of effort with corresponding prices. This often gives you the edge over your competitors and provides a sense of control. Usually you will position the option that you think will best serve the client in the middle. See the example. The other advantage of offering options is that it helps your prospects feel that they are in control and have choices.

Evaluate and Improve

Finally, be sure to evaluate every sales call you make. What went well? What would you do differently? How can you learn or practice new techniques? Rejection and objections are just a part of the sales process. Sales are necessary. Sales allow you to stay in business. Sales allow you to help your clients.

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About the Authors

Elaine Biech and Halelly Azulay are successful consultants with a combined 50 years of experience. Both are leaders in the talent development field, volunteers for ATD, and mentors and coaches for new consultants. They are the creators of the online course: Building Your Successful Consulting Business. Elaine, ATD’s 2020 Distinguished Contribution recipient, has published 85 books, including two classics for consultants: The New Business of Consulting and The New Consultant’s Quick Start Guide. Halelly produces and hosts The TalentGrow Show podcast where she interviews legends such as Daniel Pink, Beverly Kaye, Jim Kouzes, Dorie Clark, and others.

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