“The 10 Commandments

for Selling & Marketing Internal

Consulting Services”

Mark Hordes, Partner

Alexander Consulting, LLP
© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP
AIMC Conference
March 23, 2004
 Presentation Goal:
To help you and your
organization sell and
market more effective
value-added internal
consulting services
faster.
© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP
 Concepts presented taken
from our new book:

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 Alexander Consulting, LLP
“A management consultancy that creates and implements
strategies for professional services organizations”

Services
Strategy
Creation

Marketing Sales Delivery

Direction Effectiveness Performance
OPERATIONS EXCELLENCE
TALENT PRODUCTIVITY

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 Background: Mark Hordes
Education:
• MBA and MS in Human Behavior
• Graduate of the American Graduate School
of International Management
Personal experience:
• Partner, Alexander Consulting
• Global experience in selling services to senior executives.
• Success in designing and delivering professional services selling
training and creating services markets
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing services
readiness assessments and best practices applications for services
organizations
• Previous Big Five consulting partner
• Vice President, International Consulting,
The American Productivity & Quality Center
• Faculty, The University of Houston
• Award-winning author (AFSMI Writers Award for ”Best-Day Every
Day, Rules of the Road for ‘Getting to Yes’ in Professional Services
Selling”)

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 The Times They Are a Changing!
• IBM has identified the “Elevation of Services” as one of the top
four “Waves of Change” impacting businesses globally.
• Services contribute 35% of the computer industry’s revenues
and 60% of the profits.
• “Service is so great an opportunity for the company that our
vision for the next century is that GE is a global service company
that sells high-quality products.” --Jack Welch
• Services possess the potential to expand revenue four to five
times times that of the product purchase. (“How to Make After-Sales
Services Pay Off.” Bundschuh & Dezvane. McKinsey Quarterly 2003, Number 4.)
• Services deliver 61% gross profit margin and 30% growth rate
to top-performing organizations. (The State of S-Business. James A.
Alexander. 2002.)

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 To Sell and Market Internal
Consulting Services You Need These
Four Things…
Internal
Marketing Relationship
Best Skills
Practices

“Getting to Yes”

Focus on Value The 10

Benefits & “C”s
Offerings

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 The Three Types of Buyers
(Source: Adapted from The Knowledge-Based Organization, Alexander & Lyons. 1994. Irwin Professional Publishing)

“Business Impactors” Partnership

Innovation

Relationship
“Wants”
Accountability

Problem Solving

Response Time
“Givens”
Price
Delivery
Quality

Complexity
© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP
 What is Value?
• Value = perceived benefits minus
anticipated costs.
• Value is what the customer will pay for.

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 Know Your Offerings
 Understand the features and benefits of your
consulting organization.
 Understand how these offerings can help solve
business problems.
 Be prepared to communicate the value-adding
potential of these offerings in terms the client
cares about.

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 How Do You Create Value?
Outweigh Costs By Adding Benefits

Benefits

• Lower Cost
• Increase Output
• Enhance Quality Costs
• Improve Image
• Money
• Time
• Hassle

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 Marketing Consulting Services

Marketing

Market Message
Brand Building
Pricing
Portfolio Management

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 Services Marketing Assessment
SUCCESS FACTORS RATING
SD SA
1. Clients have a clear perception about you. 1 2 3 4 5
2. Prospective clients have a favorable perception. 1 2 3 4 5
3. You have a reputation as a consulting leader. 1 2 3 4 5
4. Executives see your brand as a vital asset. 1 2 3 4 5
5. All consulting packaging convey the same message. 1 2 3 4 5
6. Branding campaigns are aggressively funded. 1 2 3 4 5
7. Brand awareness is tracked. 1 2 3 4 5
8. Brand quality is tracked. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL
SCORE =

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 Aligning the Marketing Message to
the Appropriate Value Proposition
High
Importance to the Customer
Big Bang Breakthrough
Total package Game changing
from a solutions that no one
reliable supplier. else can provide.

One-Stop Shopping. Thought Leadership.

Lean and Mean Niche

Adequate World-class
performance, capabilities in
low cost, no selected area.
hassle.
Just As Good
But Cheaper. The Experts on X.

Low High
© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP
Uniqueness of Offerings
 Selling Consulting Services

Selling

Qualifying Process
Committing Process

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 Station Break

What thoughts come to mind

when you hear the word
“selling?”
© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP
 The Persuasion Continuum

Manipulation Professional Selling

What’s in it for me? POINT OF VIEW What’s good for the client and
the organization and me?
Personal reward. FOCUS Creating value.
Slick presentation. TECHNIQUES Honest dialogue.
Persuasion skills. SUCCESS ANCHOR Personal integrity.
Short-term transaction. TIME HORIZON Long-term relationship.
Biggest money-maker. DESIRED ROLE Trusted advisor.

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 The 10 Commandments
for Selling Consulting Services
(Source: The Ten Commandments of Selling Professional Services. Alexander & Hordes. Professional
Services Leadership Report, 2002.)

1. Clarify complex customer issues.

2. Communicate the invisible.
3. Customize each solution.
4. Commit high-level executives to action.
5. Coordinate the selling team.
6. Compress the cycle time of selling.
7. Concentrate on the stars.
8. Control the cost of sale.
9. Commercialize the sales promise.
10. Continually learn and grow.

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 The Four I’s Probing Strategy
Issues Importance Impact Investigate

• What are the main issues you and your

department are facing?
• Let’s take a look at ___ for a moment. Is this a
nice-to-do, or something important to your
organization?
• Sounds critical. Tell me, what is the impact of not
addressing this problem?
• I see. Together, can we investigate how my
organization might be able to help?
© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP
 Selling Is a Relationship
Experience
Pretend you are going to meet an
internal client for the FIRST TIME.

What is going on with these clients?

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 Six Elements in Building
Strong Client Relationships

Decorum

Trust Commonality

Value Empathy

Credibility

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 Relating to Different Personalities
in Business Development
Situations
• Understanding your personal style.
• Working successfully with
different personality styles in
internal consulting sales situations.
• Instrument: Selling with
Insight Style Inventory.
© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP
 The Four Traits
Influencing Others Responding to People
Indirect Direct Reserved Outgoing

Dealing with Details Pacing Activity

Unstructured Structured Urgent Steady

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 Practice Flexing Your Style to
Different Personalities

People like to buy

from people who are
somewhat similar to
themselves.

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP

 The Internal Sales and
Marketing Champion
Ideal Attributes
• Genius of Einstein
• Vision of Jefferson
• Strength of Superman
• Patience of Gandhi
• Communications skills of Roosevelt
• Creativity of da Vinci
• Magnanimity of Sister Teresa
• Ambition of the Clintons
• The conviction of Churchill--never,
never give up!
© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP
 Thank You for Your
Participation and Attention
Contact Information:
Alexander Consulting, LLP
Mark Hordes, Partner
(713) 781-0251 office
(713) 416-1781 mobile
mark@alexanderconsultingsbiz.com
www.alexanderconsultingsbiz.com

© Copyright 2004 Alexander Consulting, LLP