| | Question: About nine
months ago, mainly
because of our
credibility in a
critical vertical
discipline, a large
corporation appointed
our medium-sized
consulting firm as a
preferred supplier.
However, it was made
clear to us that, if we
wanted to maintain our
place on the list, we
would have to broaden
our user base to include
other departments. It’s
been a struggle to
expand our sphere of
influence, but we have
finally received a
serious enquiry from the
head of another
department. The problem
is that her preferred
solution looks
attractive now, but is
not robust enough to
cope with what we know
is to come.
When I tried to
broach this, she more or
less asked me if I
wanted the work or not.
My colleague thinks I
should go ahead with her
preferred solution, and
then stay close so that
we are in a position to
carry out the expected
remedial steps. My
instinct is that if we
are associated with
something that looks
like failure, we won’t
be around to do the
work. How can I get her
to change her mind?
Answer: On a
scale of difficulty, in
which one is a shoo-in
and ten is impossible,
you have challenged
yourself to achieve
grade eight. Prising
open a closed mind when
it has reached this
stage of the buying
process is not to be
undertaken lightly. You
have to be absolutely
clear about what you are
doing, and rigorous in
your self-discipline.
The approach I am
going to suggest has two | |
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| | key components. Your
primary goal is to get
her to express her
requirements in terms of
the interests she is
attempting to serve, as
opposed to the
inflexible position she
appears to have adopted.
Once you have achieved
that, you can invite her
to consider alternative
ways of achieving the
outcome.
The challenge is to
do that without
precipitating the
confrontation you fear.
Don’t ask, “Why have you
decided to do it this
way?” In my experience,
asking ‘why?’ almost
always results in a
defensive response.
Clients need to feel
that they are
understood, and
questions beginning with
‘how?’ seem to work
better. For example:
“How did you become
aware that there was a
need to address this
issue?”
By shifting the time
frame to the past, you
can start the process of
getting her to
re-examine her criteria,
after which you can move
forward together. The
advantage is that you
will appear to be
collaborating from the
start and avoid
confrontation.
It’s all about your
intention. If you set
yourself the task of
finding out why your
client has been so
stupid, that’s bound to
come through. However,
if you set out to
discover why the
decision she reached
seemed to make so much
sense at the time, you
will be unconsciously
sending her messages
that you are on her
side.
Set up the
conversation by saying
that you would like to
understand as much as
possible about the | |
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| | background. Initially
focus on when she first
became dissatisfied with
the current state of
affairs, the facts of
the situation that led
to that dissatisfaction
and the problems she was
experiencing as a
result. Your aim is to
create the impression
that you understand what
was driving her to act.
While you are
listening to this, you
might also gather
information that could
support your preferred
solution. Forget the
idea of trying to push
your professional
criteria onto her; that
will lead to conflict.
Think of her concerns as
potential requirements
and criteria to be
addressed rather than
objections to your
proposal. Focus on
gathering evidence that
will enable to you
position your solution
as a way of addressing
her concerns.
It is often the case
that people are not so
much wedded to a given
solution as concerned
about the risks of doing
something else. If you
steadily collect all her
concerns, you are
effectively building up
a list of requirements
that need to be met. You
are more likely to make
progress by identifying
her perceived risks and
reducing them in her
eyes, than by advocating
hard your preferred
solution.
You might also find
that she shares your
concerns about the
future, or you can find
a way to introduce the
issue so that she
becomes concerned. When
people identify concerns
that seem
irreconcilable, they
will be tempted to dump
some of them, and not
always the right ones.
Your job as a consultant
is to find solutions | |
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| | that resolve the
apparent dilemma.
When you think you
have everything out on
the table, it is time to
test your understanding
by using the formula,
“So what you seem to be
looking for is a way of
doing ‘x’ so that the
outcome is ‘y’”. Find a
way of building into
this as many of her
concerns as you can.
Bullet point them if you
need to. You don’t have
to know exactly how you
can address them off the
top of your head. As you
will see, you will have
time to think about it.
An affirmative answer
to this question gives
you an opening to ask
what is sometimes called
the ‘miracle question’:
“If I could wave a magic
wand so that tomorrow
morning all of that was
in place, how would that
help you?” Use the
question to elicit the
benefits as she sees
them. Follow it up by
getting her to envisage
what will be going on in
her situation when such
a solution is
successfully
implemented. The more
detailed and rich the
vision the better, so
encourage her to
articulate what people
will be thinking and
saying, what they will
be doing, and so forth.
Now you both know why
you are there and that
you are on the same
side. At no time have
you advocated your
solution or attacked
hers. This is the point
where you say, “On the
basis of what you have
just described, it
sounds as if this is
something really worth
going for. Can I have
some time to think this
through and come back to
you with some ideas
about how we might move
forward?”.
But before you leave
the room, agree the | |
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| | precise criteria your
proposals would have to
meet. Bullet point these
and confirm them in
writing. When you
return, you will be able
to present clearly the
pros and cons of the
original solution and
the alternative you
propose. To reduce the
perceived risk of your
solution, try to find
examples of reference
sites with which she can
identify. People relate
best to people they
think are like
themselves, so make sure
your examples reflect
how she would like to
see herself, and carry
the necessary weight and
authority.
When you include your
preferred solution in
your offer it will be
clearly linked to her
criteria. One hopes she
will adopt your solution
on the basis that you
have clearly
demonstrated your
understanding of her
concerns and addressed
the issues she most
cares about. In any
event, your position
will be much stronger if
you are discussing her
decision in relation to
criteria agreed between
you.
Names and details
have been changed and
events compressed. The
essence of this is true,
but I’ve employed
artistic licence in the
interest of clarity. The
steps in this answer
were derived from the
12boxes method. Email
feedback, questions or
scenarios to
malcolm@12boxes.com or
to find out more go to
www.12boxes.com ©
Malcolm Sleath 2008. All
rights reserved.
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