Why is sales strategy such an anathema to consulting business owners?
The vast majority of sub ￡10m consulting businesses struggle to articulate what their sales strategy is. Yet they are frustrated by how hard it is to fill the sales funnel and how long it takes to convert new opportunities.
One of the reasons they struggle is because their teams consider sales to be a dirty word. Only yesterday the owner of a profitable, growing consultancy told me that his team were quite clear “we don’t sell”. I felt like saying “Really? Is it below you or beyond you?”.
Consulting business owners are often a little too keen to delegate the responsibility for sales. The majority of consultancies that have been in business for 5+ years will, at some point, have experimented with bringing in a senior sales person who has promised them the earth. After costing a sizeable 6 figure sum and 12 months of false hope, they have likely failed to deliver. The unfortunate truth remains: the best people to sell complex consulting solutions are the consultants that actually understand the client issues and know how to shape bespoke solutions. Unless your senior sales person is an ex-consultant then the chances of success are small.
Another problem is that as consultants, we are the problem solvers. So we find it difficult to accept that we simply don’t know what we don’t know. Sales is a complex combination of art and science and all too often consulting owners cannot answer the simplest of questions such as:
o What is your sales process?
o Where do you predict your revenue is going to come from?
o Which channels deliver the highest return for the lowest investment?
o What are your key sales metrics and what strategies do you have in place to drive improvement?
Facing up to not having all the answers, and taking responsibility for getting them, is half the battle when defining your sales strategy.
If you own a consulting business turning over between ￡250k and ￡10m, register to join me and Alan Morton, MD at SBR Consulting and specialist in developing and embedding sales in consulting businesses, at our free event, Killer Sales Strategies for Consulting Business Owners, on 25 February.
?? Founder & Managing Director @ Kinsman & Co | Top Full-Service Marketing Agency London | Reduce Marketing Spend With 1 Agency & Increase Your Revenue |
2 个月Marc, great post, thanks for sharing!
Scaling Coaches & Agencies Beyond $30k/Month→ DFY Client Acquisition Infrastructures | Founder ClienFlow |
3 个月Marc, thanks for sharing! Love it
The Chair of Anchorstone Consulting
4 年It is the most critical part of any business and as you say one person can’t do it - alone. However, the right salesperson would structure, drive, analyze, lead and work alongside the consulting team to get the best results for the client and thus your business. An art & a science as you’ve said. ??
Helping CEOs and COOs build resilient and efficient global supply chains
4 年Marc?This is really interesting and timely for my business partner and I and three years in we are at a point where our capacity to sell is at a limit and whilst marketing and some focused lead generation expands this a bit. We definitely do sell, but finding someone else with those instincts is really tough. Apart from talking with people we know, how do we find these people
Managing Director @ Vivero | Growth and M&A Specialist for Consulting and Technology Services Sector
4 年Spot on Marc Jantzen - Business Growth Specialist I dont understand why the process that helps your team understand your client and construct a solution that works commercially for all is not seen as not only everyone's job but also joy. Selling the right service or product to those who need it at a fair price should be something to be proud of. Look forward to the February session #consultancygrowthnetwork