There’s a question on almost every savvy buyer’s mind when they’re considering a business consultant.
It’s this: “Have you done this before?”
There are many levels to this question which I’ll address, but first, why is this question so important?
It’s similar to the reasons you consider when purchasing anything valuable. For instance, when buying a house, you want a nice place to live. But you also aim to prevent any major future expenses, save time, avoid regret and possibly even avoid looking foolish in front of others.
There’s so much to lose when you’re buying something expensive.
When buyers consider spending 5 or 6 figures on a consultant or firm, it’s no different.
I’ve sold 150+ five and six figure consulting engagements and have realized buyers rationalize their decisions based on the level of confidence they feel on the have-you-done-this-before factor.
When evaluating a consultant, this factor plays out at various levels. When buyers ask themselves, “Has this consultant done this before?”, what they’re really asking is any of the following:
❓ “Have you walked in my shoes before?” [E.g. If you were a successful CEO in X industry, then CEOs in the same industry will view you favourably as a consultant].
❓”Have you done X activity before?” [E.g. Have you ever successfully resolved workplace conflict and improved culture?].
❓”Have you served a client in my situation before?” [E.g. Have you helped a service entrepreneur successfully transition to a product-based business model?].
Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But so many consultants try to sell services without connecting the dots between their own past and the buyer’s immediate needs.
Linking your past to the buyer’s needs boosts the likelihood of being viewed as the solution, leading to getting hired faster, higher fees and better results.
P.S. – What do you excel at as a consultant?
Ready to add $100k-$500k revenue to your consulting business in 12 months or less without burning out? Schedule a call and let me show you how.
Image credit: Dalle-3
