MARKETING AND SELLING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES --
Some ways to reduce the decision-making risk
by ArLyne Diamond, Ph.D.

Services, unlike products, are intangible.

Understanding the importance of this fact is the key to determining which of many styles of selling is appropriate for the ethical and competent consultant.

Switch gears with me for a little while and think of yourself as the customer, that is the purchaser of goods and services. Please come on an imaginary exploration with me.

Let's suppose we are walking down he street in a city we are visiting together as tourists. A young kid, with a slick, glib and sleazy style, starts following us, imploring us to look at his selection of goods for sale. Because he's young, and therefore still cute in spite of his sleazy style, we stop and let him open his baskets for our inspection.

Among his wares are some inexpensive trinkets, postcard collections, inexpensively priced watches of unknown origin, and computers which cannot be tested without electricity - unavailable in this locale.

What do you suppose we'd be comfortable buying - even after he used all his best "close" techniques? The trinkets or postcards, of course. If we were high-risk takers and didn't mind the potential loss of money, we might -just might- buy one of his watches. But we wouldn't ever take the risk of giving a stranger thousands of dollars for a computer whose quality and capacity we had no way of testing.

Now suppose this young man tried to persuade us that his aunt was a consultant who could jump-start our fledgling company into the big time and all we had to do was plunk down an initial $75,000 and watch her do her magic.

I can hear your laughter from here.

If you are making cold-calls, or having someone do cold-calling for you, aren't you akin to that consultant? What if your telemarketing techniques sound slick, manipulative or bullying - as many books and sales trainers advise? Do you think these techniques will get you the first appointment you so desperately need to prove your potential worth to this prospect? I think not!

Imagine instead that as we visited this city and lunched with colleagues we knew and respected, this same woman's name was brought into the conversation. We were told she was a highly credentialed and experienced expert who had previously worked with them helping them achieve unusually successful results.

We'd jump at the chance of meeting her, wouldn't we? That's word-of-mouth marketing. In my opinion, it's the very best tool the consultant has for marketing his or her services.

Your reputation, based on the experiences others have had with you, and their willingness to provide testimonials for you are what enable you to begin to "Cross the Chasm" of risk for the potential new client. The decision to hire a consultant is fraught with risk for the decision-maker. Anything that can help reduce that risk helps with the ultimate selection of you as the person for the project.

In the example of us being tourists together, the risk of buying a trinket was only the potential loss of a dollar or two, whereas the risk of hiring an unknown consultant was not only the $75,000 she would cost, but all the potential damage she could do, which could eventually amount to millions of dollars, loss of our reputation and even the loss of our business altogether.

So, what are some steps you, as a consultant of services, can do to mitigate the risk for your prospects?

Here are some ideas. If, after reading this, you want to share others with PATCA members, let me know and we'll publish them in future newsletters.

1. Get references and leads from people who have experienced your work at its best.

2. Ask satisfied customers if they will write you a letter of reference that you can use in part in your brochure and can also copy to give to prospects as a reference.

3. Be visible. Give speeches, write articles, attend functions where you will meet prospects.

4. Volunteer. There is no better way to establish a relationship with someone than through work you are doing together. Get involved in organizations of your choice (yes, PATCA, but not just PATCA) and get known for being a competent, pleasant, and intelligent worker.

5. If you want to get a foot in the door and need to prove yourself first, offer to give one or two hours of your services for free - or for a very nominal fee.

6. Offer a "pilot project" which will enable your customer to determine how well you work and how much he needs what you have to offer.

7. Help smaller clients share expenses by suggesting a consortium to use your services. This is an especially good technique if you are offering information and/or training services for non-proprietary information.

8. If you are developing a new product for a client, offer generous support services.

9. Network with other PATCA members and become part of their "virtual" organizations. Include them in yours as well. Remember, you have to give to get.

10. Above all else, be ethical, careful, competent, helpful, pleasant and fun to do business with. Remember the words of one of our speakers, Bev Bender: "Being fun to do business with will result in doing more business."