| | By Malcolm Sleath
Question: I’m
working with a client on
an assignment and have a
pretty good idea of what
the client should do
next. But I can see no
sign of interest from
them? How can I get them
moving?
Answer: Everyone
knows that it is more
profitable to develop
business with an
existing client than to
acquire a new one.
Familiarity with the
client can give us
insight into their needs
and priorities, and we
have the added benefit
of frequent access.
But when you have a
strong hunch about what
a client ought to do it
easy to forget this is
not the same thing as
what the client actually
wants to do. It can be
frustrating if the
client doesn’t respond
to your overtures in the
way you hoped for.
Here are five
questions you might like
to think about. Taken
together they will help
you to bridge the gap
between your view and
the client’s, and help
you to overcome the
inertia.
1. How does what
is actually happening
compare with what the
client would like to be | |
|
| | happening? We often
focus on problems
arising from shortfalls
in current performance –
problems that need to be
rectified. It is easy to
overlook that the client
has unfulfilled
aspirations. These may
seem less tangible, but
will very often fire the
client’s imagination and
tap into their real
motivation. Clients
often believe they will
achieve their ambitions
by being more effective
at what they are
currently doing.
Consultants can bring a
fresh perspective that
changes the nature of
the game.
2. What is the
client’s personal
agenda? A long time
ago a colleague
suggested to me that
behind every project
there were good reasons
and real reasons. The
good reasons were
published to the world
and involved things like
return on investment and
increasing market share.
But the real reasons
were often more
personal. They involved
things like ambition,
recognition, the
opportunity to play with
new toys and the
opportunity to make the
world a nicer place for
everyone. The real
reasons are often not
very ‘businesslike’ but
they often provide the | |
| |
| | thing that the client
needs to work on. But
don’t just leave it to
chance. Think through
the connections in
advance, and work on the
current issues that have
the strongest connection
to the important stuff.
4. What has the
client got to lose?
As consultants we are
all life-affirming
positive types – right?
This can lead us to
looking at opportunities
for the client when all
the evidence suggests
that people, however
irrational it might
seem, will be more
motivated to protect
what they already have.
In other words,
presenting the client
with a great opportunity
will sometimes have less
traction than drawing
their attention to a
potential loss. It is
not unknown for a client
to act initially to
prevent a loss, and then
on discovering the real
upside of the project
happily sacrifice the
thing they were acting
to protect in the first
place.
5. What is holding
them back? When
presenting a new idea to
a client, we often
overlook the fact that
they have had plenty of
opportunities to expose
themselves to similar
ideas in the past, and | |
|
| | have not taken them up.
It is sometimes
instructive to ask why
this is. In persuading a
client to look at a new
idea we often emphasise
the benefits or, if we
have read 4 above, the
potential loss from not
acting. Either way, we
are attempting to ‘up
the ante’ by emphasising
the forces pushing for
change. Instead, it is
worth asking yourself,
what is restraining them
from making the change.
Often these are limiting
beliefs about
themselves, the
abilities of others or
technical factors in the
situation.
In the early stages,
it can be tempting to
try to counter these
arguments – almost
treating them as if they
were the ‘objections’
that salespeople talk
about. This creates an
atmosphere of conflict
at a time when you might
not have the evidence
you need to hand. Very
often you can make more
progress if you simply
acknowledge them as
‘factors that have to be
taken into account’, or
‘issues that will have
to be overcome’. The
client is reassured, and
you can make progress
while having the time to
seek the evidence and
solutions you need. | |
|
Previous Page 
