Land More Consulting Clients by Avoiding This Common Sales Mistake (Hint: It’s Not An Interview)
Melisa Liberman
Podcast: Grow Your Independent Consulting Business podcast | Coach for Independent Consultants | Bestselling Author: Grow Your Consulting Business: The 14-Step Roadmap to Make Your Independent Consulting Goals a Reality
In today's edition of THE INDEPENDENT, let's talk about sales.
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I was working with an independent consultant the other day, and we were evaluating a sales call she hIn today's edition of THE INDEPENDENT, let's talk about sales.
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I was working with an independent consultant the other day, and we were evaluating a sales call she had just had with a potential consulting client.
The consultant (we'll call her Jane) was worried that her potential client wouldn't make a decision one way or another and that the proposal would fall into a black hole.
I started asking her questions about the meeting - what was said and not said - to understand why she was worried about this leading to a non-decision.
The root cause quickly became apparent.
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Jane was treating the meeting as if it were an interview.
She let the potential client take the lead.
She deferred to the potential client when he proposed the next steps.
She didn't want to "rock the boat" and potentially lose the client by recommending they meet again before she sent a proposal.
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I showed Jane that she was deferring to the client as if she were subordinate to them in an imaginary hierarchy.
Instead of taking the lead in this process as the expert, Jane treated it more like an interview for a full-time position.
This was a big ah-ha for Jane.
She realized she'd been letting potential clients take the lead in almost everything she was doing in her business. And, as a result, she was undermining her expertise and credibility.
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You might be making the same mistake that Jane was making.?
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What's this sales mistake?
Simply put, the mistake is letting the client take the lead in your sales process.
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What does this look like in practice?
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What's the impact of this mistake?
Why does this matter?
When you make the mistake of letting the client take the lead in your sales process (either on a macro level or subtly on a micro level), you dilute your positioning as an expert, undermine your pricing strength, and may even lose the client.
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What's the alternative?
To avoid this mistake, you want to take control of your sales process and position yourself as a trusted advisor from the first conversation.
I go into more detail in this week's podcast episode #196 where I talk about three strategies to help you avoid this mistake:
The consultant (we'll call her Jane) was worried that her potential client wouldn't make a decision one way or another and that the proposal would fall into a black hole.
I started asking her questions about the meeting - what was said and not said - to understand why she was worried about this leading to a non-decision.
The root cause quickly became apparent.
?
Jane was treating the meeting as if it were an interview.
She let the potential client take the lead.
She deferred to the potential client when he proposed the next steps.
She didn't want to "rock the boat" and potentially lose the client by recommending they meet again before she sent a proposal.
?
I showed Jane that she was deferring to the client as if she were subordinate to them in an imaginary hierarchy.
Instead of taking the lead in this process as the expert, Jane treated it more like an interview for a full-time position.
This was a big ah-ha for Jane.
She realized she'd been letting potential clients take the lead in almost everything she was doing in her business. And, as a result, she was undermining her expertise and credibility.
?
You might be making the same mistake that Jane was making.?
?
What's this sales mistake?
Simply put, the mistake is letting the client take the lead in your sales process.
?
What does this look like in practice?
?
What's the impact of this mistake?
Why does this matter?
When you make the mistake of letting the client take the lead in your sales process (either on a macro level or subtly on a micro level), you dilute your positioning as an expert, undermine your pricing strength, and may even lose the client.
?
What's the alternative?
To avoid this mistake, you want to take control of your sales process and position yourself as a trusted advisor from the first conversation.
I go into more detail in this week's podcast episode #196 where I talk about three strategies to help you avoid this mistake:
Podcast: Grow Your Independent Consulting Business podcast | Coach for Independent Consultants | Bestselling Author: Grow Your Consulting Business: The 14-Step Roadmap to Make Your Independent Consulting Goals a Reality
3 周Yes! When we apply our consulting skills to sales it can be less intimidating and more valuable for both the consultant and potential client. Thanks for taking the time to add your expertise and example here Brian.
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3 周These are great reminders, Melisa Liberman. The most success I've had as a sales leader is when I am sharing best practices and being.....consultative! In particular for Jane's needs here, we can talk about, "OK. You want this. Here is where I have seen these decisions slow and eventually die...let's not let that happen. Here is what I suggest. Can we follow this path, which we know leads to success?"