The Real Secret Of Consultancy Success

Here's the answer!

There are lots of good consultants around.  There are plenty of people who are good at what they do and deliver an excellent service.

Unfortunately being a good consultant is not the same as being a successful consultant.

Being good isn’t good enough

I’ve met consultants who are knowledgeable, hardworking, conscientious and flexible in their approach, but who are not actually succeeding in consultancy.  By that I mean they don’t have as many clients as they would like and they’re not making as much profit as they had hoped.

All of the consultants in this position that I know are failing to succeed because of one really simple issue. It’s so simple, in fact, that consultants, both young and old, experienced and inexperienced often trip over this point.

What is it?

It’s a statement – in a single sentence – that explains how the customer’s life or business will be different after the consultant has finished work.

What’s missing is a statement about impact.

Simple consultancy solutions

Most consultants want to concentrate on process.  Give them a problem – any problem – and they’ll work out a solution.  That’s the task they relish.  That’s where they get the chance to demonstrate their expertise.  That’s what they enjoy doing.

When they work on a project, some consultants will use fancy words.  Some will try to overawe customers.  Some will explain in a lot of detail what they will be doing and write copious reports about progress and the like.

Only a few will really consider – and then explain – how their input will help the customer, and do this in simple words.

The secret of consultancy success

In a nutshell the secret of consultancy success is to focus on impact from the start.  Dealing with the problem comes second.  The consultancy process comes last.

Is that how you work?  Do you focus on impact first?  Let me know in the comments section.

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