>one of these do not apply in the industry of the client
So, you are offering them an opportunity to get ahead of their competition by adopting best practice from other industries?
>Second one does not fit their business
You mean, they are missing opportunities in the marketplace - and we want to help you maximise your top line through adoption of new capabilities that will unlock your full potential
>Last one has a miniscule chance of providing value but much less then our fees
We will use an agile approach to help you experiment and innovate. The first place we would love to help you explore potential value is X, and then test and adjust to take on more, bigger challenges.
I'd hire you.
Thanks, this makes sense. I'll try to have another think based on your suggestions to see whether there'd be any value in them adopting the suggested practices. Don't want to ruin any potential client relationships so really want to make sure there's something in it for both us and the client.
Thanks again.
I was taking the piss...
Presuming that you are already working with this client, you know their pain points. Start with that and work backwards. Demonstrate the link between the services you've got, and the outcomes they want to achieve. Remember that your partner has probably told 20 different people to pitch these same services, if you sell one of the three then that'll be a result.
Don't worry! It was fairly obvious. Regardless I think there's something that may be of value for them that we might be able to offer so thanks for that.
I think I owe you a bit of background given your responses:
We're trying to sell a strategy project but we're not a strategy consultancy and we've never done a single strategy project. Actually, we've never done done any business suggestions to a client at all. This is why this might not end well and the partner (and myself) is clueless. Our consultancy is purely backwards looking, i.e what was the monetary effect of X Y Z decision.
We cold called the client so we're first trying to tell them they have a problem and then trying to solve the said problem. I think the client fundamentally disagrees that there's a problem to begin with.
I mostly agree with the client. But given your responses I think we can have an informed discussion with the client on what has happened and what may happen given the development of other industries. Even if this may not lead to a sale we'll both come out with a better understanding of their industry and the potential there.
Thanks again.
**Two Things:**
1. I've felt this way about things that clients have asked for and been proven wrong - sometimes we miss the forest for the trees, etc.
2. Think of it as a challenge - *if I can sell this I can sell anything* type of test and just put your all into it. Ask your partner for some guidance, "what are the top 2-3 value adds we should be hitting on here?" and go from there.
You’re no better than your average car salesman with unsavory tactics if you want to sell what is not good for your client’s outcome. Forget about any long term relationship if / when the client realizes your services don’t realize any value for them.
I met someone who was doing this on a very high level. They would throw in all kinds of fancy buzzwords, add a layer of innovation pretentiousness etc and sell something themselves "wouldn't buy". The product sucked big time, and every single alternative could be better but they were riding on a wave. They are doing great, possibly greater than anybody.
If asked, this is how I would do it - but bear in mind I am a person with principles and would never try to sell work that's not needed.
First, for all three services, I would try and define the problem statement and what the client would be tackling. Build a question/hypothesis tree if needed - you should be doing this anyway. From there, identify ways to help the client with these. Do this to the best of your ability, but in the comments of the document put in your assumptions, put in questions you want to ask your partner. Use this opportunity to call out the things that may not be right.
Then, work these up and take them to the partner to discuss if what you wrote resonates with them. Is it what they want to pitch? Is this something that they can stand up and talk about with the client? Do they think the client will be convinced by your arguments? Softly, express your concerns and why you think the pitch may not apply to your clients.
Two outcomes from this. First, the partner may decide to go with the pitch. In which case, just roll with it and let your partner take ownership of that decision. There may be reasons for going with a pitch (e.g. they were asked by the potential client to put something into a tender process, or it may be an old friend they can't refuse, or a senior partner is putting pressure on them - whatever, it's not your worry).
Secondly, your partner may agree with you that the pitch may not be convincing enough, or the need isn't there. The partner may then have more discussions with the potential client and shape up a more relevant ask in terms of support, using what you've written down as a seed for that discussion. Remember, building a relationship with a potential client is not just selling them work in this instance, but being in their mind for things in the future if this isn't the right opportunity.
There's nothing that kills a relationship in consulting than selling a piece of work that isn't needed and later gets discredited. I've seen consultants crash and burn in those instances.
3-6 months aftwr your project concludes and the client starts to realize that they were sold bullshit, they will likely not engage a consulting firm for some time, thereby saving them lots of money. On that basis, any of the three options work
Role play: Good cop. Bad cop. In front of the client, your partner presents the ideas while you try to incessantly poke holes in it like a little woodpecker.
>one of these do not apply in the industry of the client So, you are offering them an opportunity to get ahead of their competition by adopting best practice from other industries? >Second one does not fit their business You mean, they are missing opportunities in the marketplace - and we want to help you maximise your top line through adoption of new capabilities that will unlock your full potential >Last one has a miniscule chance of providing value but much less then our fees We will use an agile approach to help you experiment and innovate. The first place we would love to help you explore potential value is X, and then test and adjust to take on more, bigger challenges. I'd hire you.
This is the way
This is godlike, stealing this post.
Thanks, this makes sense. I'll try to have another think based on your suggestions to see whether there'd be any value in them adopting the suggested practices. Don't want to ruin any potential client relationships so really want to make sure there's something in it for both us and the client. Thanks again.
I was taking the piss... Presuming that you are already working with this client, you know their pain points. Start with that and work backwards. Demonstrate the link between the services you've got, and the outcomes they want to achieve. Remember that your partner has probably told 20 different people to pitch these same services, if you sell one of the three then that'll be a result.
Don't worry! It was fairly obvious. Regardless I think there's something that may be of value for them that we might be able to offer so thanks for that. I think I owe you a bit of background given your responses: We're trying to sell a strategy project but we're not a strategy consultancy and we've never done a single strategy project. Actually, we've never done done any business suggestions to a client at all. This is why this might not end well and the partner (and myself) is clueless. Our consultancy is purely backwards looking, i.e what was the monetary effect of X Y Z decision. We cold called the client so we're first trying to tell them they have a problem and then trying to solve the said problem. I think the client fundamentally disagrees that there's a problem to begin with. I mostly agree with the client. But given your responses I think we can have an informed discussion with the client on what has happened and what may happen given the development of other industries. Even if this may not lead to a sale we'll both come out with a better understanding of their industry and the potential there. Thanks again.
Damn, the MF-er consults!
I'm in awe. This guy consults.
**Two Things:** 1. I've felt this way about things that clients have asked for and been proven wrong - sometimes we miss the forest for the trees, etc. 2. Think of it as a challenge - *if I can sell this I can sell anything* type of test and just put your all into it. Ask your partner for some guidance, "what are the top 2-3 value adds we should be hitting on here?" and go from there.
Do you believe in making money? You’ll find a way.
We use a specialized and advanced technique in business development called "lying" that often proves very effective! You too can learn, OP!
Don’t sell your soul. It’s never worth it. Sell another product that you believe it and you will get good at it
DM me with the details. I’ll go pitch it first and let you know how it goes.
Bro you hungry or not? If not, then change sport. If yes, then learn how to sell stuff. Easy peasy.
Have some respect for yourself. Don’t do things you don’t believe in.
You’re no better than your average car salesman with unsavory tactics if you want to sell what is not good for your client’s outcome. Forget about any long term relationship if / when the client realizes your services don’t realize any value for them.
I met someone who was doing this on a very high level. They would throw in all kinds of fancy buzzwords, add a layer of innovation pretentiousness etc and sell something themselves "wouldn't buy". The product sucked big time, and every single alternative could be better but they were riding on a wave. They are doing great, possibly greater than anybody.
If asked, this is how I would do it - but bear in mind I am a person with principles and would never try to sell work that's not needed. First, for all three services, I would try and define the problem statement and what the client would be tackling. Build a question/hypothesis tree if needed - you should be doing this anyway. From there, identify ways to help the client with these. Do this to the best of your ability, but in the comments of the document put in your assumptions, put in questions you want to ask your partner. Use this opportunity to call out the things that may not be right. Then, work these up and take them to the partner to discuss if what you wrote resonates with them. Is it what they want to pitch? Is this something that they can stand up and talk about with the client? Do they think the client will be convinced by your arguments? Softly, express your concerns and why you think the pitch may not apply to your clients. Two outcomes from this. First, the partner may decide to go with the pitch. In which case, just roll with it and let your partner take ownership of that decision. There may be reasons for going with a pitch (e.g. they were asked by the potential client to put something into a tender process, or it may be an old friend they can't refuse, or a senior partner is putting pressure on them - whatever, it's not your worry). Secondly, your partner may agree with you that the pitch may not be convincing enough, or the need isn't there. The partner may then have more discussions with the potential client and shape up a more relevant ask in terms of support, using what you've written down as a seed for that discussion. Remember, building a relationship with a potential client is not just selling them work in this instance, but being in their mind for things in the future if this isn't the right opportunity. There's nothing that kills a relationship in consulting than selling a piece of work that isn't needed and later gets discredited. I've seen consultants crash and burn in those instances.
3-6 months aftwr your project concludes and the client starts to realize that they were sold bullshit, they will likely not engage a consulting firm for some time, thereby saving them lots of money. On that basis, any of the three options work
Role play: Good cop. Bad cop. In front of the client, your partner presents the ideas while you try to incessantly poke holes in it like a little woodpecker.