Marketing Your Consulting Services.pdf - epiheirimatikotita.gr

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168 Exhibit 8.1. What to Ask Potential Clients, Cont’d Questions Specific to a Project 1. Has anything changed since we last spoke? 2. Why are you considering this project? 3. Can you define the scope of this project? 4. What is the situation (problem, issue, concern) you need to address? 5. Why do you think the situation exists? 6. How long has this been occurring? 7. What have you tried to resolve it? 8. How will you know that you have received a return on the investment for the money and time you will spend on this project? 9. What will be different as a result of this project? 10. What behavioral changes do you expect when this project is successful? 11. What is your goal? What measurable outcomes do you desire? 12. What specific improvements and changes would you like to see occur? 13. What obstacles to success can you predict? 14. What organizational barriers exist that might prevent success? 15. How will you be involved in this project? 16. Do you have any concerns about being involved in this project? 17. What is your timeline? 18. What is the budget for this project? 19. How will a decision be made about proceeding with this project? Who will make the decision? 20. What’s the next step? Do you want a proposal? Marketing Your Consulting Services
Questions the Client Will Ask If you have not attended many sales calls, you may want to prepare yourself for questions that may come from the client. Usually clients who have used consultants in the past ask many of the same questions. Most will want to know what you do. Know how to tell your story in a sixty-second sound-bite. I experience the following question variations: • What are the deliverables? What will the final product look like? • What are the critical milestones? At what point will progress, quality, quantity be checked? How? • How much will this cost me? (Answer this one using the word investment. For example, “Your investment for completing this project will be $13,900.”) • What are your billing practices? How often will you invoice me? • How can you help me with the kickoff of this project? • Whom do I contact if there are problems or concerns? • How can we stay in contact? • How can you help me communicate with my boss? • What is our responsibility at each phase? How will you involve our employees? • How will you evaluate the success of this project? Clarify Your Meeting Objective Prior to the meeting, I clarify my meeting objective. Is it to gather more data or to close the sale, or something in between? You will probably have more than one objective. Your primary objective may be related to how close to making the sale you find yourself. But there are other objectives. Discover something about your client to use as follow-up material. Learn more about the organization. Identify how you could help the organization. Begin to build a partnership with the client. Define project goals and deliverables. Define the scope of the effort. Establish your credibility. These are all viable objectives for your meeting. Write your objectives on your notes and check them just before walking in the door. I usually take a leather portfolio into these meetings with me in which I have tucked my notes and questions, a nice-looking pen, and a few business cards. As I previously mentioned, I rarely take my business brochure with me for two reasons. Selling Services: How Do You Sell You? 169
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About Pfeiffer Pfeiffer serves the
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“In her new book, Elaine continue
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“Elaine has done it again—a boo
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Copyright © 2003 by John Wiley & S
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CONTENTS Dedication ix List of Figu
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SEVEN Prospecting in All the Right
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LIST OF FIGURES AND EXHIBITS ONE Fi
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Figure 9.5 Expanding the ABCs: Addi
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xx almost hands-on guidance, she in
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PREFACE It is rare that I am writin
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• I promise to teach you creativi
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One Last Thing I have lots of last-
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xxx Celia Rocks, publicist, thanks
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2 Market Research and Market Plans
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4 receive something to put in a box
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6 it that. Whether you like it or n
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8 add value for your clients? Do yo
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10 6. If your attitude about sellin
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12 A: Assess the Situation Assessin
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14 tools available to you. Try to s
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16 • Start a file of marketing id
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Assess the Situation L part ONE
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22 As mentioned earlier, a marketin
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24 Luick tip . . . Subscribe to the
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26 My customer base suggests that:
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28 Marketing Your Consulting Servic
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30 Luick tip . . . One of the easie
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34 • If you are currently using a
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External Assessment How Do Your Com
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5. How do your competitors’ prici
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Where to Get the Scoop Where can yo
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If you decide that the survey will
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keting, authors Ries and Trout clai
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It doesn’t have to be that diffic
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you are known for and of what you a
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2. Most consultants offer similar s
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54 may start out with a white busin
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56 You may also serve on advisory b
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58 Luick tip . . . If you might use
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60 through your logo. I have had pe
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62 • Produce just enough brochure
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64 Your Bio Sketch If you’ve been
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66 OTHER IMAGE BUILDERS Sometimes t
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Build a Potential Client Base L par
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74 dozens of personal notes, or you
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78 Demonstrations or Showcases Demo
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80 • Once your basic presentation
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82 Considerations: • Select a cau
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84 • Select something that is eas
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86 professions it is appropriate to
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88 Luick tip . . . Three of the mos
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90 Website Your website should be s
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92 • Be sure to check the copyrig
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94 • Be aware of the many variabl
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96 Considerations: • Identify the
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98 Obtaining Information • Reques
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100 “We’re getting ‘around’
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102 reason is so that they will see
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Your Marketing Plan Can You Market
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You could also save time by finding
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Commitment also means that you cont
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What’s the Minimum I Need to Know
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Listen. Listen to whom? Everyone. T
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Exhibit 6.1. Your Marketing Plan, C
Page 149 and 150: products and services, position, pr
Page 151 and 152: You need to determine whether you w
Page 153 and 154: some that require the entire year.
Page 155 and 156: mail do not work very well for prom
Page 157 and 158: azine advertising or sponsorships,
Page 159 and 160: process that ensures you can comple
Page 161 and 162: one phone call after five months. Y
Page 163 and 164: Exhibit 6.2. Annual Marketing Plann
Page 165 and 166: quarter. Contract amount is also li
Page 167 and 168: 6. List your company in free direct
Page 169 and 170: Prospecting in All the Right Places
Page 171 and 172: into someone who frankly cannot use
Page 173 and 174: Exhibit 7.1. Five-Step Prospecting
Page 175 and 176: Luick tip . . . Examine your mailin
Page 177 and 178: How can you select another industry
Page 179 and 180: If you have not conducted this kind
Page 181 and 182: July 12, 20xx Exhibit 7.4. Sample I
Page 183 and 184: Letter Mechanics The mechanics of t
Page 185 and 186: will be in your area next Tuesday o
Page 187 and 188: How About Results? I enjoy the proc
Page 189 and 190: tion, a proposed approach, a timeli
Page 191 and 192: Figure 7.1. Prospecting Is Being a
Page 193: Contact Potential Clients L part TH
Page 196 and 197: 164 RAINMAKER? The term rainmaker c
Page 198 and 199: 166 YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT—NOW W
Page 202 and 203: 170 First, it seems too sales-like
Page 204 and 205: 172 for what is working well or for
Page 206 and 207: 174 Ask About Money During first me
Page 208 and 209: 176 • Wrap-up close: Summarize th
Page 210 and 211: 178 After Your Sales Call Follow Up
Page 212 and 213: 180 much will it cost? How long wil
Page 214 and 215: 182 4. The last paragraph of this c
Page 216 and 217: 184 Gerald Weinberg, author of The
Page 218 and 219: 186 do so. The ebb associates visio
Page 220 and 221: 188 service, hot food, and a friend
Page 222 and 223: 190 In Closing As you end your work
Page 224 and 225: 192 One of the most important thing
Page 226 and 227: 194 Individuals at the “take-char
Page 228 and 229: 196 Individuals at the “task-orie
Page 230 and 231: 198 of the styles on both sides of
Page 232 and 233: 200 for someone they met coming in.
Page 234 and 235: 202 tude gives them an upbeat focus
Page 236 and 237: Figure 9.4. Adapt to Your Client’
Page 238 and 239: 206 How Much Time Can Referrals Sav
Page 240 and 241: 208 Build Relationships Figure 9.5.
Page 242 and 243: 210 Exhibit 9.4. Continuously Impro
Page 244 and 245: 212 4. Determine how many of your c
Page 246 and 247: 214 ESTABLISH A WEBSITE What can yo
Page 248 and 249: 216 Your website is the only market
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218 Luick tip . . . If you have wri
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220 MARKETING: TAKE ACTION 1. Visit
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Marketing Can It Be Fun? As a consu
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Compare and Combine Risk Taking Exp
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The year Babe Ruth hit the most hom
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Asking “What if?” can be just a
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A friend of mine who had never serv
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8. Incubate Remember all those time
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Personally I like to sit down with
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most were probably unaware that the
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Ask What’s Good? and What If? The
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The company remembers the first tim
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MARKETING AND CREATIVITY: A PERFECT
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Where to Look for New Ideas Sometim
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248 Do Things Differently Marketing
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250 Marketing Your Consulting Servi
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252 3. Share the load. Find someone
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254 ebb’s THIRTEEN TRUTHS I intro
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256 for your clients, you will see
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258 red to connote power, or making
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260 • Research by September 10
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262 September 30-November 5 • Wor
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264 Goal: Bring in Six New Clients
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266 Now read the letters a second t
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READING LIST Beckwith, H. (1997). S
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INDEX A ABCs of marketing: descript
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your client’s, 153; marketing pla
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Learning International, 239 Learnin
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Out-of-town clients, 179-180 The Ov
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179-180; rainmaker concept of, 163-
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282 Newport News Shipbuilding, Kohl
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• Participant’s workbook Contai
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MODEL A graphic depiction of a syst
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