Going consulting? It’s all about relationships.
We are exiting the knowledge age and entering the relationship age.
These days knowledge and information is cheap. You can look up just about everything in Google. However relationships are time-consuming and expensive to develop and maintain.
Clients rarely select consultants based on rational thought. Time and time again research has shown that emotions drive our decisions and behaviours. According to the advertising research journal in the USA, researchers found that emotions are twice as important as any other consideration in the customers decision about what to purchase.
It's important that you think about how you want your customers to feel about you. I have found that I’m far more successful when I forget about how to make me more successful and think only about ways of making them more successful. I like to find ways to give something of value without any expectation of something coming back in return. Interestingly this sometimes makes the client more successful; but even more important it always improves the way I feel about myself.
I’ve found you have to work hard at relationships. Thirty years ago when I started consulting the best advice I got was from my brother-in-law: “It's a long funnel. You need to start pouring water in at the top. Eventually something will come out the bottom. But whatever you do, don't stop pouring.”
I work hard at relationships; but I’m not as dedicated as a fellow consultant who says she:
1. Sees 2 new prospects every week
2. Sees 5 existing clients each week
3. Sees 2 intermediaries each week
4. Organises a workshop once a month
5. Attends one network activity each week.
Summary. By all means give away your knowledge and expertise; but own, nurture and leverage your relationship with your clients. You don’t need all that many of them, but they are what matters.
Written by Bruce Holland
These days knowledge and information is cheap. You can look up just about everything in Google. However relationships are time-consuming and expensive to develop and maintain.
Clients rarely select consultants based on rational thought. Time and time again research has shown that emotions drive our decisions and behaviours. According to the advertising research journal in the USA, researchers found that emotions are twice as important as any other consideration in the customers decision about what to purchase.
It's important that you think about how you want your customers to feel about you. I have found that I’m far more successful when I forget about how to make me more successful and think only about ways of making them more successful. I like to find ways to give something of value without any expectation of something coming back in return. Interestingly this sometimes makes the client more successful; but even more important it always improves the way I feel about myself.
I’ve found you have to work hard at relationships. Thirty years ago when I started consulting the best advice I got was from my brother-in-law: “It's a long funnel. You need to start pouring water in at the top. Eventually something will come out the bottom. But whatever you do, don't stop pouring.”
I work hard at relationships; but I’m not as dedicated as a fellow consultant who says she:
1. Sees 2 new prospects every week
2. Sees 5 existing clients each week
3. Sees 2 intermediaries each week
4. Organises a workshop once a month
5. Attends one network activity each week.
Summary. By all means give away your knowledge and expertise; but own, nurture and leverage your relationship with your clients. You don’t need all that many of them, but they are what matters.
Written by Bruce Holland