Sage Advice from Corporate Buyers of Consulting Services

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to make a presentation to a small group of consultants; a couple of them worked for Chevron.  They had just completed a screening process for a multi-million consulting project.  In brief…here’s what they shared with me:
 
1)  The first consultants eliminated were ME CENTERED… they dominated the conversation, told all about their processes, products, past clients. It was all about them. They asked few questions.
 
2) The second set of consultants eliminated were CONTENT or FACT CENTERED… they knew everything about everything.  They quoted all of the latest management books, they were able to quote facts from all of the top surveys and analysis, and the references to back up everything they said.  They were undoubtedly deeply knowledgeable… but without a doubt, they were not going to work with this client.
 
3) The third set of consulting firms eliminated were PRODUCT CENTERED… these firms offered their product solutions long before they understood the underlying problems. My friend indicated that these firms were outstanding at demonstrating their products and espousing the features of the products… but nobody cared. These firms took no time to understand the real underlying issues.
 
4) The two finalist firms were CLIENT ORIENTED… they took time to fully interview the prospective client and understand the underlying issues. They asked tons of questions… finally my friend asked them if they thought they had a solution to the problem.  They said not quite… and then asked another question!
 
The moral of this story: Take time to get to know your prospects… and, “just about the time you think you are ready to offer a solution, ask another question!”

One last piece of advice… if you sell your services to governments, international organizations, or non-government organizations, do be aware that many of them think quite differently about this process… especially those who require RFPs (Request for Proposals).