Why Do Businesses Choose One Consultant (or Employee) Over Another?

Lewis Green — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:04:09 +0000

Alan Wolk and Paul Barsch recently wrote posts here that tackled the questions of credibility and trust. Those of us who are consultants understand well that to get work, we must project both characteristics.

Businesses won’t hire us unless we appear credible and trustworthy. The questions come down to: 1) How do we project trust and credibility and 2) Why Do Businesses Choose One Consultant Over Another? The same questions apply to getting hired and being trusted as an employee.
Since 1983 I have either run a consulting business or served as a manager or executive within mid-sized or large business. Therefore, I have had to either prove the value of my consultancy or my own worth in the business world. Based on those experiences and having hired more than a few consultancies and employees and having had more than my fair share of both business successes and failures in terms of revenues and client relationships, here are the primary characteristics I think businesses look for in hiring consultants or employees.

Values–What are your personal values and your business values and how do you apply them in your work?
Personality–Are you someone who is easy to work with and a team player?
Point of Reference–Do you understand what the business needs, where it is going, what solutions will work, and that your primary role is to produce results?
Strategist or Tactician–Are you able to think and execute on strategies or are you a tactical thinker? Strategists make good consultants and leaders; tacticians make good employees and workers.
Experience–What experiences do you bring to the business? Are they in line with what the business needs?
Client List–Do you have a list of clients that make the potential client comfortable that you can meet its needs?
References and Testimonials–What do they look like? Are they from executives, managers, and/or co-workers? Do they reference results and successes?
Presentation–How do you present yourself? Are your shoes shined and your attire suitable to the business culture? Are you confident and look people in the eye? Do you think quickly and answer strategically? Are you goal and results oriented? Do you ask questions about the business’s needs or only about yours?

There’s much more and please share your thoughts, as well. The point I want to make here is that at the end of the day a business hires a consultant or an employee because it trusts you will deliver the results it needs.

Everyone Sells

Harry Joiner — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:55:12 +0000

A friend of mine is interviewing for a new sales job. Today he received the following instructions for his upcoming interview. As both a sales manager and a marketing recruiter, I like this format a lot. Take a look …

Instructions to Candidates for "Mock Sales Presentation"

Assignment: Select a product or service you know well or have sold before. The product need not be related to our product or industry. It is best to select a topic that enables you to demonstrate strong product knowledge and confidence.

Prepare a 15-minute presentation intended to educate and convince prospective customers about the benefits of using your product/service.

As part of our selection process, you will deliver a mock sales presentation to an audience of 2-3 members of the Senior Sales Management Team, who will play the role of your prospective customers.

Note: Please come ready to present. You will not have time to prepare for this during your visit.

Objective: This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your skill at presenting product or service information in small group settings. You will be assessed on your performance in six dimensions:

Builds rapport and engages others
Demonstrates product knowledge and personal confidence
Educates the customer
Presents in a focused and succinct manner
Effectively handles objections
Conveys a professional image

Try to close the deal.

Guidelines: Your presentation cannot exceed 15 minutes, so carefully select and narrow your topic. Your presentation will conclude at 15 minutes, whether you are finished or not. There is no separate Question and Answer period, so you will want to build some time for this into your presentation. Seek opportunities for give-and-take with your customers rather than a straight presentation.

At a minimum, please provide your audience an agenda for your presentation. You may use a product sample if demonstration is necessary to your presentation. You may also prepare and use up to two handouts (e.g., related notes or charts) if you wish. Other materials, such as flipcharts or professionally printed brochures, are not allowed. You may NOT use Power Point presentations.

My Two Cents: I’d be interested to see how every candidate who applies for any job would do with this exercise. At Disney, all employees are called "cast members." When they clock-in, all employees are "in character." In a sense, everyone sells.

Would your accounting people know how to cross-sell or up-sell your company’s products and services if the occasion arose? What about your truckers? All things being equal, wouldn’t you rather work for a company that understands the importance of appropriate yet opportunistic selling?

In a tough economy, my money’s on the companies that know how to engage the client across every customer touch point. You know I’m right. Now …

Can I get you anything else?

MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog » employee

Why Do Businesses Choose One Consultant (or Employee) Over Another?

Everyone Sells