| | 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 | |
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| | 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 | |
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| | 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 | |
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| | 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. | |
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