Consulting - The Rules of Engagement

This is not an exhaustive essay on the history or components of consultative selling. My goal is to address the challenges of this sales model in the virtual medium; it is hard enough to make it work face to face, building consultative relationships online is even more challenging.

Building a Professional Relationship with your ‘Pilot’

Consulting is very similar to being a harbour pilot who guides ships through the narrow, shallow and dangerous coastal waters between a harbour and the open sea.

A highly coveted and potentially dangerous position, a pilot is a master mariner with many years of experience in the harbor that (s)he is licensed to operate in.

Pilots specifically use the pilotage techniques relying on nearby visual reference points and local knowledge of tides, swells, currents, depths and shoals that might not be readily identifiable on the nautical charts without first hand experience in the harbor in question.

I thought this analogy would help in describing how we do business. Our team at Applied Knowledge Labs offer than same expertise. Smaller companies suffer the same set of obstacles to growth - the owner operator. Those things that made you successful up to now are the obstacles to further growth; it is called the 'Founder Trap'. It can be overcome, but the challenge is you are the business and the business is you - so any criticism or improvement suggestions are personal. Given our years of experience dealing with this dynamic, let me offer you some insights on how we can work through it by working together.

The assumptions we operate under:
1. I am hired to be fired!? In other words, my job is not to tell you what you want to hear, my job is to tell you what you need to hear. When selling expertise I must be brave enough to risk losing the sale. You have people on salary to reinforce your opinion.

2. Usually, I am presented with both the problem and a solution. If I accept this as the truth, then it becomes a relationship sale. Clients typically do not have a handle on the real situation because of issues beyond this commentary. They need the expertise we bring plus a new and unbiased set of eyes to move upstream until the real source of the pain is identified.

3. The essence of consultative selling is collaboratively assessing and diagnosing the situation. The sale is really made when you and I become convinced that the true problem has been identified. Solutions now become simple.

4. Argue against my own interest!? First, my analysis must be independent of recommendations otherwise it is tainted. You (the client) must believe the results represent the truth without agenda. If my work can achieve this end, sufficient credibility exists to compete for the next stage in the sale. Also, if I am not the best provider – I must pass it up and/or help you find someone else. Delivering where I am incompetent is a recipe for death (margins and reputation).

Now for the online challenge, without an ongoing relationship where clients know you, questioning their decisions will lead to the end of the opportunity. I must create the perception of credibility and integrity; I mean you no harm and I am your number one advocate.

Next Step – Building a Relationship that allows for truth.