Applying a Client-Centered Value Strategy 93
I didn’t really know how to go about turning it into a business. That’s what
brought me to Odyssey.
I had hit that early stage consultancy dilemma. You want to chase sure
earners, and youre tempted to get every small job going, but really what
you need is to develop relationships and embed yourself more deeply in the
client organization.
As another Odyssey consultant pointed out to me, when you go in as
Trusted Advisor, you dont have to chase fifty or sixty customers, because
youre going to provide more value to and generate more revenue from the
small number you have a relationship with. And that relationship will gener-
ate additional business. What’s more, it plays to my strengths, and it’s a lot
more fun working with clients on that level, as opposed to just selling prod-
ucts and chasing those small jobs.
The healthcare sector tends to be dominated by not-for-profit organiza-
tions, and that fosters an attitude that there’s never sufficient resources to
pay you for your services. I had to get really clear on the fact that I’m not
just selling stuff, I’m providing value. It was very easy for me to sell myself
short, to start deep-discounting because I was new. My Odyssey mentor was
like, “Snap out of it Jean Ann. Youre a powerful consultant. Here’s what you
should charge, and not a penny less.” I did what she suggested and the cli-
ent didn’t even blink.
I found too that if you do a good job at the right level, the client takes
you with them. It’s amazing how quickly people jump from company to
company, from job to job. That’s your advantage as a consultant because if
you work with a client and suddenly they’re somewhere else, it opens up a
new line of business for you.
I’ve been very active in staging EBs as a means of bringing in new clients,
but my big “aha” was this: Unless I’m in front of the right group of people who’ll
bring me in at the right level for the right purposes, Im just an entertainer.
In the same vein, I pushed some of my networking groups aside. They’re
great fun. I’ve met great people and had great lunches—I live in Dallas and
people love to go out to lunch—but what I’ve found is that none of this activity
results in business. So I’ve had to become a little more mercenary and think, is
this just a transaction or is this a relationship that’s going to lead to something?
The other side of that coin is you have to be patient. Relationships take
longer than transactions. I may start talking to someone and months later we
finally have a conversation that may result in business. People have to get to
know me; how can I become a Trusted Advisor if they don’t appreciate who
I am and what Im doing.
94 Odyssey—The Business of Consulting
I’m also building passive streams of income, through writing books,
writing articles, and developing e-courses. In addition to the income,
these activities get my name out there and help to establish me as
anexpert.
While some of the networking groups haven’t delivered, I do have one
networking group which has been instrumental in giving me the confidence
to go for bigger jobs, because it’s made up of experts whom I can bring into
client interventions as partners. That’s one of the great things about Odyssey.
It gives me a pool of other consultants that I can go to when I want to bid
for projects that I couldnt do on my own.
Chapter Summary
Many consultants have difficulty with the words “sell” or “selling.” However,
selling is part of the business of consulting. Selling at Levels 3 and 4 requires
a process approach based on client needs and a mind-set shift on the part
of the consultant.
The Value Creation model of consultative selling inverts the traditional
consulting approach by emphasizing the primacy of relationship building.
Once peer-level respect and trust are established, the critical mind-set facili-
tates collaboration on objectives, metrics, and value. Proposition and close
then follow as a natural conclusion. In the Value Creation model, the client
is not sold a commodity; they make an investment in their business.
Because this process is founded on doing what is best for the client,
bag diving” or simply providing the client with the most obvious solution is
not always the best or most credible course of action. The Odyssey Arrow
facilitates an effective consultative selling process that delivers value for the
consultant and the client.
Although the needs of the client are at the very heart of the consulting
practice, it is also vital to remember that you want to run a profitable con-
sulting business. The eight ways to increase your consulting revenues dem-
onstrate practical methods of remaining client centered while growing your
consulting practice.
The survey data taken at a TTI Success Insights conference in Phoenix,
Arizona, reveal a great deal about consultant lifestyle and revenues.
Odyssey embraces six perspectives of consulting, each of which helps to
illustrate the consultant’s functional role as a powerful third party within the
client organization.
Applying a Client-Centered Value Strategy 95
Calls to Action
1. Using the concepts from this chapter, review the strategic changes you
could make in your business to capture longer-term client assignments.
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2. What can you do in the next ninety days with new or current clients
to increase your fees? What percentage increase in net profit will you
achieve?
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3. Outline what you have to change with regard to who you are and what
you do to significantly increase your charge-out fees?
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96 OdysseyThe Business of Consulting
4. What do you need to do more of to reduce the cost of client acquisi-
tion? What do you need to do less? Be specific.
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5. Focusing on profit margin, review each of your clients in turn. Which
kind of project affords you the best chance of profit improvement?
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Bibliography
Butler, J. (2010). Business Model Innovation: Proven Strategies That Actually Work.
Sevierville, TN: Insight Publishing.
Drucker, P. (2001). The Essential Drucker. New York: HarperCollins.
Greiner, L., & Metzger, R. (1983). Consulting to Management. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Hanan, M. (2004). Consultative Selling: The Hanan Formula for High-Margin Sales
at High Levels (7th ed.). New York: AMA Publications.
Lippitt, G., & Lippitt, R. (1986). The Consulting Process in Action. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.
Steele, F. (1975). Consulting for Organizational Change. Boston: University of
Massachusetts Press.
Weiss, A. (2011). The Consulting Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Create and
Expand a Seven-Figure Consulting Practice. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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