How to Acquire Clients

Powerful Techniques for the Successful Practitioner

by Alan Weiss
John Wiley & Sons © 2002
208 pages

Focus Take-Aways
Leadership
• Most consultants fail because they do not know how to sell and they don’t learn.
Strategy
Sales & Marketing • One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to over-specialize your practice.
Corporate Finance
Human Resources • Your passion for what you do plays a key role in your success and personal growth.
Technology
• Selling the features and benefits of your service to intermediaries is self-defeating.
Production & Logistics
Small Business • Only quote prices to the true decision maker, the buyer. Avoid intermediaries.
Economics & Politics
Industries & Regions
• Establish a peer-to-peer relationship with your prospect. Don’t accept a subordinate role!
Career Development
• Visualize the objections you may receive, and prepare to handle them accordingly.
Personal Finance
Self Improvement • When a company doesn’t respond to your overtures, infiltrate it or outflank it.
Ideas & Trends
• Most consultants have “blind spots” — objections that they think they are able to
handle, but actually handle poorly. This costs them a lot of money.

• Finding the right consultant is like finding a good brain surgeon — price is not an
object. So if you’ve established yourself, do not hesitate to raise your fees.

Rating (10 is best)

Overall Applicability Innovation Style

8 10 6 8

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 Relevance
What You Will Learn
In this Abstract, you will learn: 1) How to recruit consulting clients through a frontal
attack, infiltration or a flanking maneuver; and 2) How to answer objections to buying
your services.

Recommendation
When it comes to the consulting business, Alan Weiss has been there, done that and
probably consulted for the T-shirt company that sold you the T-shirt. So what does
a consultant do when he’s mastered the consulting business? Why, he becomes a
consultant to consultants of course. Weiss has perfected his craft. His book takes you
into the buyer’s office, a rarified atmosphere where being too anxious to please can cost
you business fast. Weiss has an instinctive understanding of the relationship between
prospect and consultant, and an uncanny ability to communicate it. He makes you feel
empowered to strike out and start your own seven-figure consultancy — except you’d
be competing against the likes of Alan Weiss. getAbstract.com strongly recommends his
book to both veteran consultants and neophytes.

Abstract
Hit the Road
As a consultant, you will face the day when you have to get out and sell your wares.
Often, a new consultant with terrific expertise in his or her own area has never
experienced the need to sell. The greatest sales successes happen when these conditions
“In this profession, flow together:
we are bartering
our talent to 1. Market need — This is the presence of an existing desire for your services.
improve the cli- 2. Consultant competency — No one is master of all fields, but you have built up exper-
ent’s condition.”
tise and are naturally adept at one thing or another. Find the area that you are best
suited to and develop your competency in related areas of your practice.
3. Passion — You grow by finding something you love and committing yourself to
doing it — not by trying to love something just because it will make money.
Consultants follow three typical trajectories: 1) Burnout, where a wildly passionate
newcomer starts strong but lacks marketing ability or competency or both, and rapidly
declines; 2) The Trapped, where the consultant is steadily able to establish a successful
practice until he or she realizes that the passion once felt for this pursuit has vanished; or
“The easiest sales 3) The Renewing, where the consultant constantly renews his or her energy and focus,
take place in an and becomes passionate again.
atmosphere of
need. The tough- Specialize or Die?
est sales occur
when the buyer
Do you have to specialize as a consultant? Many say you do, particularly in the
doesn’t perceive a early stage of your career. However, while specialization will enable you to survive,
need.” generalization will enable you to thrive. It’s better to be in a position to de-select the
business that isn’t right for you, than it is to have clients de-select you because you
haven’t promoted your abilities in a given market niche. Not everyone is well suited to
being a generalist. You need a significant base of experience, credibility, good persuasive
skills and effective vendors who can provide additional competencies as you enlist them
How to Acquire Clients © Copyright 2003 getAbstract 2 of 5
 for your clients. The natural progression of a consultant’s career usually moves toward a
more generalist position, so rather than fight it, encourage it.

“There is one thing Customized Assaults

worse than no Instead of cold calling, which is not how buyers tend to buy professional services, try a
business: bad
business. You will
“customized assault.” When you decide to try to reach a specific prospect, ask several
regret it every questions to be sure you have chosen well: do you have experience in that industry or
waking hour and expertise in that company’s areas of difficulty, do you have a third-party you can cite or
it will sap your who will help pave your way, can you find an opportunity to speak before key managers,
energy and under-
mine your morale. can you publish something in the trade press that their managers rely on and do you have
No amount of the perseverance to continue to pursue the target even in the face of multiple rejections?
money is worth the If five or more of these questions come up yes, you probably have a decent chance of
pain of dealing
with a moron.”
reaching the decision-maker. Expansion is important to your business. After all, even the
finest clients eventually disappear.

Through the Front Door

The best approach is the frontal attack. You can’t sell to someone who doesn’t trust you,
and people will only trust you if they meet you. Yes, you’re going to have to make sales
calls. Here’s what doesn’t work:
• Dealing with gatekeepers, purchasing agents and people who work for the buyer.
• Selling “features and benefits” of your service, which gets you sent to subordinates.
• Emphasizing your unique methodology or approach, which is only of interest to you.
To perform a successful frontal attack, you must:
“You don’t grow by • Know the name of the true buyer. Buyers of professional services have a budget and
finding something
the discretion to spend it on consultants. They may have a title like “manager of
that may make a
lot of money and international development” or “director of knowledge management.”
trying to love it. • Have the ability to meet that buyer. Never go on a sales call unless you’re meeting
Rather, you find with the actual buyer, or someone who will move you closer to the buyer.
something you
love and throw • Have the confidence to interact as a peer. This requires broad knowledge and under-
yourself into it.” standing. In peer-to-peer selling, as the relationship develops, there is not a perceived
“buyer” or “seller” or “superior” or “subordinate.”

The Flanking Maneuver

Sometimes the buyers simply will not see you. Then it is time for a flanking maneuver,
which allows you to move closer to your buyer in less direct ways. Some suggestions:

• Ask a third-party reference to introduce you.

• Forward a book or article that addresses your prospect’s needs.
• Write some thoughts on the industry, and send them.
• Arrange to meet informally at a trade association or event.
• Arrange to speak at a conference attended by the buyer.
• Obtain an interview in the local newspaper where the buyer lives.
“Generalization is
• Publish an article in the publication that you know your prospect reads.
where you thrive,
while specializa- • Get the buyer’s email address and send a brief, insightful message that requests a
tion allows you phone call or meeting.
merely to survive.” • If you live at a distance, inform the buyer you’ll “be in town” on certain days.
• Shop your prospect’s business and after you get some insights on how to improve it,
bring it to his or her attention.
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 The flanking maneuver is an effort to appear on the buyer’s radar screen. Sometimes
that won’t work either. So if neither the frontal assault nor the flanking maneuver works,
where do you go? The answer is infiltration!
“If you build an
intelligent plan and How To Infiltrate An Organization
are willing to per- Infiltration is using subtle means to meet the buyer, sort of the sales equivalent of
severe, eventually
you will reach a
the Trojan Horse. Potential infiltration moves include: become a customer, befriend
key buyer. If you an employee, meet the buyer socially, perform pro bono work for your prospect’s pet
simply throw your- charity, write about your prospect or use your prospect as an example when you teach
self repeatedly or give a speech. Reach your target by writing a letter of praise, often for a personal or
against the side of
their headquarters, social rather than professional accomplishment. Tell their assistant you want to send a
you will eventually personal letter of congratulations and you’ll get contact information easily. And, if that
kill yourself.” doesn’t work, stay on the lookout for serendipity and blind chance. These methods will
all help you to draw closer to the decision-makers who will ultimately benefit from your
services if they decide to work with you.

When The Buyer Comes Knocking

Occasionally buyers will come seeking you, and when that happens, you no longer need
to prove your credibility, nor must you cater to the buyer’s demands. Most consultants
“Remember, leave money on the table because they are so flattered to be sought out that they
you’re pursuing the become more compromising just when they can afford to be firmer. When a buyer
quarry because
you’re able to be of
approaches you, you can afford to engage in less diagnosis, and to become bolder in
help. You’re doing your prescriptions. Remember to always provide options to move the buyer quickly from
the buyer a favor.” ‘should I do it’ to ‘how will I do it?’ Determine the budget. It is natural to ask, “Have
you allocated an investment for this project?” That will help you determine what action
plan fits in the budget. Always provide one option that is above the budget. They might be
drawn to choose the greater value. Finally, be prepared to walk away. When the buyers
approach you, the mere hint that you might not wish to undertake the project will tend
to make them a lot more flexible. However, be careful to watch for these warning signs.
“When buyers You know you’ve lost control of the discussion when:
come to you, it
is an unparalleled • You begin discussing fees before you determine the buyer’s objectives.
opportunity to • You are doing more than 25% of the talking.
maximize the
sale.” • The buyer is trying to satisfy himself about your credibility.
• The buyer’s body language is as if you are subordinate.
• The buyer allows interruptions during your visit.
• The buyer informs you his time is short and passes you off to a subordinate.
• You find yourself defending, rather than explaining, your approaches.
• The buyer states that it’s “premature” to discuss his objectives, problems or needs.
• The buyer does not elaborate, answers questions without detail and offers no inde-
“The king is usu-
ally surrounded by pendent view or opinion.
a court. Some- • There is no agreement as to the next step.
times you can
simply walk the red Once you’ve had your meeting, be assertive to the point of being aggressive. Suggest
carpet and engage three times for a follow-up visit or call. That’s better than not having your calls returned
the king, and
sometimes you following a more polite departure.
must charm the
lords and ladies in I Object!
waiting.” After about a year of actively seeking business, a consultant has heard 95% of all of
the possible objections, demurrals and skepticisms. Every objection can be categorized
into one of four areas: no trust, no need, no hurry or no money. When you receive an
How to Acquire Clients © Copyright 2003 getAbstract 4 of 5
 objection, drill down and assign it to one of these basic categories. Your sales approach
must address the real objection to be effective. If a buyer feels no need, trying to further
build your credibility is pointless. If the buyer doesn’t trust you, creating urgency will
“Ultimate consul- simply drive the buyer away. Reciting features and benefits without addressing these
tants do not make objections will be pointless. Ideally, as an “ultimate consultant,” you will reach the
sales or close on
a project. They point where your sales conversations are predictable, and where most responses become
create and nurture natural and seem extemporaneous.
trusting relation-
ships which result
in perpetual busi- Seek opportunities to get new clients by partnering with other professional, making new
ness connections.” contacts, becoming the middle man in a transaction, serving a cause, targeting prospects’
vendors or suppliers, or joining appropriate trade organizations. Write articles, seek
referrals and endorsements from existing clients, and conduct outreach on the Internet.
As you seek new business, you may find that you sometimes must charm subordinates
to get access to the boss. In other words, important figures often surround the decision
maker. They can be close advisors whom the buyer trusts, subordinates with negative
veto power though they can’t command a yes and stumbling blocks, such as secretaries
or other staffers who can get in the way of your sale.
“The baby boomer
influence will be
felt through the Dealing with Committees and Other Concerns
entire first quarter In today’s corporate environment, committees are a way of life. Committees never make
or more of the decisions on hiring consultants; they are recommending bodies without discrete budgets.
21st Century, as
a new, powerful
They are often comprised of vetoers. Save time with a committee by proving that your
and wealthy retired product is unique and, so, you are a “sole source” provider.
population contin-
ues to grow and to
make demands on
As you create high visibility and build your business, remember to nurture your current
the society, econ- clients so that you get repeat contracts. Then, be alert for new sources of clients,
omy and technol- including global businesses working in your region, entrepreneurs, universities, the
ogy.”
professions and high tech concerns. Be selective as you acquire better clients and
reject work that will not help your career. As you develop a solid business over time,
you will learn to diagnose which clients offer you profit and growth, and which ones
will bog you down.

About The Author

After being fired in 1985, Alan Weiss started Summit Consulting Group, Inc. His clients
include Hewlett-Packard, Coldwell Banker, Merrill Lynch and Merck. With a Ph.D. in
organizational psychology, he’s served as a visiting faculty member at eight universities.
He has published more than 400 articles and 16 books, including Getting Started in
Consulting, The Ultimate Consultant and Our Emperors Have No Clothes.

Buzz-Words
Customized assault / Targets of opportunity / Ultimate consultant

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