| Most consultants are like cab drivers. Cab drivers | | | | business cards (yawn). |
| run the meter. They throw the luggage in the | | | | 2. Successful consultants are not good listeners. |
| trunk (that's a $1.00 bag charge). They may or | | | | They're DEEP listeners. "Good" listeners use |
| may not be personable. If you have extra | | | | surface tricks and techniques like "active listening" |
| passengers, that's $1.50 each on top of the | | | | and "matching and mirroring." Deep listeners listen |
| mileage. No smoking. And the radio is tuned to | | | | with no agenda. Your listening focus should be on |
| their favorite station - not yours. | | | | empathy - literally "feeling WITH" the client - and |
| Most consultants charge by the hour or the day. | | | | understanding the issues behind the issues. This |
| The meter is running. When you need a special | | | | isn't a trick you learn in "consulting school." This |
| report or their attendance at an onsite meeting, | | | | comes from your heart and your genuine interest |
| there's your bag charge. They may or may not | | | | in helping the client improve their situation. Deep |
| be personable to anyone other than the | | | | listening will help you understand the real value |
| executive who hired them. If you need additional | | | | that the client seeks from you. |
| work or facilitation or expertise, there's a fee "on | | | | 3. Successful consultants are easy to do business |
| top of the mileage." And most times, you're | | | | with. One of the world's finest consultants, Alan |
| locked into their "radio station" - tuned to their | | | | Weiss, says in his book Million Dollar Consulting, |
| methodologies, their licensed tools, their processes | | | | "you have to spend money to make money." |
| - not yours. | | | | Part of that money should be spent on things |
| What if you came across a dramatically different | | | | that will make you easy to do business with. |
| kind of cab driver? Let's call him Ike. | | | | Some of these things are almost trivial - being |
| 1. Ike has his own business card with his personal | | | | able to accept credit cards, having an 800 |
| cell phone number, a rocket logo and a humorous | | | | number, etc. And some of these things will be a |
| tagline, such as "Strap in. Hang on. Here we go!" | | | | major investment of time, effort, thought, and |
| One of his cab's notable features is the Hot | | | | energy. Like designing a resource-rich web |
| Wheels steering wheel cover. Your initial | | | | presence or moving to value-based fee-setting so |
| impression might be that he is direct and, most | | | | people get you and your expertise without |
| importantly, fast. | | | | concern over when you punch in and out on the |
| 2. In addition, Ike is a great listener. This would be | | | | time clock. |
| in contrast to some "real character" cab drivers, | | | | 4. Successful consultants are proactive and offer |
| who are great talkers. | | | | suggestions. Flexibility is a great source of |
| 3. Ike takes credit cards and proudly displays the | | | | strength. So is forward movement. When |
| Visa and American Express decals inside his cab. | | | | consulting with large organizations, it is easy to fall |
| A credit card transaction costs him between 2 | | | | into their trap of "analysis paralysis." Especially with |
| and 4% of every sale. (The cab company does | | | | all the hype around "getting close to the |
| NOT subsidize this fee - it's up to each individual | | | | customer." The danger for consultants in getting |
| driver to decide whether to accept credit cards | | | | too close to the customer is that you'll get mired |
| or not.) But it also makes him easy to do | | | | in the same quicksand you've been brought in to |
| business with - and, coincidentally, increases the | | | | rescue them from! Keep moving, and always |
| likelihood of getting a nice tip. | | | | offer options. It could be as simple as "Plan A or |
| 4. Ike is proactive and offers suggestions. For | | | | B or C," but giving choices always enhances |
| example, when a passenger asks Ike for a good | | | | collaboration and provides a sense of shared |
| restaurant recommendation, he has a few of his | | | | responsibility for outcomes. And it's harder to say |
| favorite places in mind and a restaurant guide | | | | "No" when asked "Chocolate or Vanilla or |
| available right in the front seat of the cab. Ike will | | | | Strawberry?" Ideally, your clients will say "Wow, |
| offer to take his passenger to the restaurant, and | | | | they ALL sound delicious." Then you are in a |
| also to come back at an appointed time to save | | | | position to make a recommendation based on |
| the hassle of tracking down another cab. He is | | | | your deep listening (See #2!) |
| never late. Does Ike profit from this? Sure. Does | | | | 5. Successful consultants work from passion, |
| Ike's passenger? Sure. Will some cab drivers | | | | knowledge, and eagerness to help. The irony of |
| refuse to come back at a set time for fear of | | | | this is that the more easy and effortless the |
| losing a juicier fare or a longer ride that may or | | | | work for the consultant, the greater the value it |
| may not come along? You bet. | | | | has for the client. For the consultant, the |
| 5. When picking up or dropping off from the | | | | intersection of joy and business is called profit. |
| airport, Ike always finds out a little bit about his | | | | Marketer, speaker, and author Seth Godin |
| passenger. Is this his first time in town? How long | | | | believes that in any business relationship, the |
| is his visit? If Ike discovers that his passenger has | | | | sooner you ask for money, the less you will get. |
| come for business and hasn't any time to see the | | | | This has interesting implications for the consulting |
| sights or experience the city, he offers to take | | | | business, where knowledge and expertise (and to |
| the passenger on a 10-minute sightseeing tour of | | | | a certain extent, even conversation) has |
| downtown. Pointing out the highlights, sharing a | | | | monetary value. |
| little history, and telling a few stories, Ike has his | | | | I happen to believe in the concept of value-first |
| passenger back on his way with a real flavor of | | | | selling. In other words, you should give clients |
| the city that he loves. Is this a gimmick to add 10 | | | | valuable information and point them to resources |
| minutes to the meter? With some cabbies, it | | | | they need, even before you're hired. You should |
| might be. But Ike's passion and knowledge and | | | | work to make prospects think, "Wow, this guy is |
| eagerness to share it with his passengers cannot | | | | a goldmine. Imagine what we'd get if we actually |
| be faked. Would a friend do the same for you on | | | | HIRED him." |
| your way out of town? Absolutely. | | | | Now a lot of sales and consulting experts call this |
| Let's turn our focus to the lessons for consulting. | | | | "spilling the candy in the lobby" and they advise |
| Feel free to compare these consulting tips with | | | | strongly against it. And I would advise against it |
| the corresponding lessons from the taxi business | | | | too - if you're only carrying one bowl of candy. |
| above. | | | | But without bragging, I can safely say that among |
| 1. Successful consultants stand apart - both in | | | | great consultants (people who work at the |
| form and in substance. Sales trainer, consultant, | | | | intersection of passion and knowledge and |
| and author Jeffrey Gitomer uses a half-dollar sized | | | | eagerness to help), we're a veritable candy store |
| coin with his image and contact information (and | | | | and are not likely to run out anytime soon by |
| some clever slogans like "In Sales We Trust") | | | | sharing our gifts with clients that are hungry for |
| engraved on it as his business card. People not | | | | what we have to offer. |
| only remember it, they keep it and they show it | | | | Would you help a friend with your knowledge and |
| to their friends. Your initial impression might be | | | | expertise? Sure you would. Perhaps clients are |
| that he is successful, funny, creative, and | | | | simply friends that pay you money? Think about |
| different than every other "me-too" sales trainer | | | | it. |
| wearing a nice suit and carrying sharp white | | | | Beep, beep. "Hop in! |