How to Sell “nice-to-have” Consulting Services

Most consulting services are viewed as discretionary or “nice to have” 

Do any of these sound familiar? 👇👇👇

“Let’s circle back in 6 months”
“We’ve exhausted our budget. Can’t do this now.”
“We don’t see a pressing need for this.”

Unless there’s a perception of a threat or impending loss, humans are likely to maintain the status quo. 

In a paper titled, “Status Quo Bias in Decision-Making”, researchers William Samuelson and Richard Zeckhauser conducted experiments to show that when given a choice between the status quo and a new option, people are likely to stick with what they already know. 

This is known as status quo bias.

So if your buyers feel your consulting services don’t address a pressing need, they will likely stick with their current way of doing things. 

For your business, this means longer sales cycles, lower conversion rates and lost revenue.

To fight this problem, every consulting business must build a compelling case for change. That is, you need to be clear about WHY your prospects must use your services. What’s at stake for them?

Because here’s what I believe: most consulting services are not “nice to have”. When done well, consulting brings in fresh, outside perspectives and expertise that can energize and transform organizations. 

But most buyers don’t know that. As a consulting business owner, it’s your job to make the case.

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: openai Dall-e