How to make a successful first appointment when you are a consultant? Guest post by Valérie Desclerc
How to use conversation to establish a connection with a stranger in the context of a prospecting call.
Valérie Desclerc works at an executive search firm that was founded by my friend Emeric Lepoutre, and that is specialized in top level executive search and corporate governance advisory for boards. Valérie, who wrote the book, The 7 strategies to boost your influence in meetings, and worked at Danone and Chanel before becoming a coach and executive search partner, has a very sanguine approach to building relationships. I was particularly interested in how Valérie uses conversation to understand and connect with others. Her article provides many good insights on how to have meaningful and successful discussions, especially with a stranger.
"Only the words count, everything else is just chatter."
-Eugène Ionesco
Of the top 10 limiting beliefs of experienced executives who embark on independent consulting, the difficulty of “selling themselves” ranks highly.
Among the hundred people I [Valérie] have accompanied in the creation of their consulting activity, I do not remember a single person feel at ease in the exercise of selling themselves. And, yet, it is the heart of the reactor.
The stakes are high. To put it simply, the first appointment between the consultant and a potential client is make or break it. You don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Three situations should be distinguished:
The two interlocutors already know each other and have had the opportunity to appreciate each other mutually in a professional, associative or private setting.
They don't know each other yet, but the consultant was warmly recommended by a mutual connection.
They meet for the first time, without any prior contact, where one has responded to the solicitation of the other.
We will deal here with these last two situations in particular, where the two protagonists do not yet know each other.
The consultant's first contact with the prospect (potential client) sets the tone for all future interactions. This is the chance for the consultant to grab the attention of the prospect and start to build a lasting relationship. In business, a first appointment is promising, for both sides.
This is obviously a commercial appointment. But in the field of advice, it should never appear as such.
How to make this first contact?
Rather than considering your next appointment as a prospecting interview, I invite the consultant to imagine it as a conversation in which he/she will not seek to close the deal, but to create a link. It should be thought of as a first link in a long chain of events that exist over time.
Be sincere and natural after… a lot of prep work.
The client will first observe the consultant and gauge the relevance of his/her remarks, the legitimacy on the given subject matter, and to what extent he/she is interested in the client’s needs.
For a prospective client, appearing as someone who is sincere and natural is a guarantee of additional confidence. If skills and references are all equal between competing consultants, the client will always choose the one with whom "he feels the most chemistry." Atomic connection, yes, but which atoms are actually bonding?
Some clients, for example, show themselves to be determined, sure of themselves, and very direct in their expression. They may view the meeting as a confrontation, as if in a ring exchanging blows.
“Your performance does not interest me.”
or
"I'm already working with your competitors and it's going very well with them."
The skillful consultant is a chameleon. Without trying to be sympathetic, she/he presents a professional demeanor by being firm, factual and very results-oriented.
Other more welcoming and outgoing clients are more open to change and enjoy building new relationships. With them, the sociability card works. They appreciate a touch of humour and are more sensitive to analogies and metaphors than to facts and figures.
Preparation is essential in this regard, so that you are not meeting a total stranger, but someone you know better than he/she knows you, thanks to Google and Linkedin, which will inform you about the prospect’s profile and personality.
Do not neglect the warm-up
It is often said that the first 20 seconds of the interview result in 80% of the success in prospecting. The interlocutor must be intrigued, captivated and very quickly convinced of the consultant's expertise.
The first sentences are decisive. It is necessary to personalize the relationship by creating proximity, looking for what brings you together, a common point or relationship, referencing a recent post on Linkedin or a published interview of the client ... A human relationship is always easier when it is built on an affinity.
The client must feel unique. This can be done by providing a more intimate detail, for example, the personal reason which led the consultant to create his/her activity.
Quickly identify the desired consultant profile
In 1987, Edgard Schein, a trained psychologist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), distinguished three forms of counseling relationships:
1/ The expert relationship. The client has made up his/her mind about the nature of the problem, the type of assistance required and the profile of the desired consultant. What he/she expects from the consultant is very clear: "Find me a solution and tell me how much it will cost me."
2/ The doctor-patient relationship is a variant of the previous one. The client entrusts the consultant with the mission of diagnosing the disease and finding the cure.
3/ And, finally, the midwifery consultation, inspired by Socrates and Freud. This model is more subtle. It does not aim to help the customer but to allow him to help himself. This is achieved by allowing the customer to ask him/herself the right questions so that the solution ultimately emerges from within him/her. A good consultant never gives advice to his client.
Resist the temptation to launch into the pitch as a method of scoring right from the start
The pitch is fashionable, but it must be addressed at the right time. A well-crafted pitch is essential to raise funds in front of a jury of investors; this is the expected exercise. As part of a first meeting with a potential client, however. you have to play with more finesse. Do not trot out an ostentatious marketing monologue. Rather, strive for dialogue.
To get out of the "recruitment" interview, you have to quickly establish a relationship of complicity, by dancing with the client while taking great care to choose the pace and step that suit him best.
Listen sincerely to understand what interests the prospect
How does one comprehend what it really means to listen? Sigmund Freud gauged those whom met him with his extraordinary ability to listen. Through my readings, I noted the following testimony of a person who had the chance to dialogue with him.
“It made a deep impression on me and I will never forget it. He had qualities that I have not encountered in any other man. I have never seen such a concentration of attention. Nothing to do with some ‘piercing gaze that penetrates to the depths of the soul.’ His eyes expressed gentleness and cordiality. His voice was deep and pleasant. His gesticulations were rare, but the attention he gave me, the welcome he reserved for my words, even when I expressed myself badly, were extraordinary. You have no idea what it meant to be listened to in this way.”
Co-build the solution for your client instead of opening up your catalog of offers
The interlocutor may be in a hurry for the consultant to present his offer. But the consultant must be careful not to rush into running through his/her catalog of services.
It is more effective to give him the floor again with questions like:
- What could we do together?
- What can I do for you?
Sometimes there is an immediate need, sometimes not. It may just be the company's wish to establish a first point of contact, to get to know each other, to evaluate if there is a fit, and to then “reference” or put into the system the consultant as a possible partner.
The first appointment ressembles more of a “tease.” It is important to arouse the customer's interest with a hook or catchphrase that suggests the benefit he/she could derive if he/she invests in the company's product or service. This could include exclusive information on a competitor, or on a niche market that’s still unexplored...
Learn to be both light and professional
As with a piano, both hands must play together on the keyboard with lightness and professionalism.
Projecting an apparent lightness of being, having a relaxed smile and a tone that is both playful and sure will instill in your interlocutor a desire to work with you. The client is always more inclined to work with a consultant who has a flourishing business versus a consultant who sounds a little too hungry. You’ll need to work on this projected attitude.
On the other hand, the consultant must be professional, asking the right questions to understand where his interlocutor is coming from. He/she should frame and control the exchange to land with concrete points, talk about decision-making, planning, and deliverables.
For example :
"How much are you willing to invest to get all these benefits?"
“Have you done this before and what was the level of investment at the time?”
"Given the needs you expressed in this interview, do you want me to include several options in my proposal?"
“Are you interested in including a benchmarking study?”
The client will inevitably have his eye on the clock. He/she must never feel he/she is wasting time. His/her agenda is typically jam-packed and there’ll be a subsequent appointment to go to.
If the conversation does not open up a concrete perspective, these other questions will allow you to move forward:
When do you want to start? What are you expecting from me ? How soon do you want this mission to start?
And if you feel the interlocutor is skirting the issue, it is better not to insist and use your precious time to move on to another client.
Do not try to seem smarter than your interlocutor!
The client must feel safe and in control. The consultant is an ally, a facilitator who does not seek to block the horizon, but rather ensures that it is wide open. Over the course of the exchange, the good consultant gains in proximity to be alongside his/her interlocutor rather than face-to-face.
And for the rest, approach the conversation as a journey with the customer to arrive safely at destination and, above all, together.
You have to accept that not everything will go as planned. The consultant sails on sight (or Visual Flight Path to use a pilot analogy) with obstacles to circumvent, or sometimes a blinding sun that diverts him from what he does not want to see. And of course, there are the contrary winds and the client’s infamous objections.
The most common objection is: "I'll think about it."
You've probably used that “I'll think about it” yourself to leave a store without buying and without daring to tell the salesperson that you're not interested.
The consultant must not leave with this promise hanging as it only applies to the one who is listening, such that he/she must revert.
For example:
“I understand that the success of this mission is important for your company. Can I ask you what is the period of reflection that you are giving yourself?”
Or even:
“Is it the budget that is holding you back? Or is it a matter of trust between you and me?”
If the client replies: “But absolutely not, I just need to ask myself and weigh the pros and cons.”
The consultant may make the riposte: “Why not do it together?"
The good consultant knows how to conclude
If the first 20 seconds of the interview bring about 80% of the success in prospecting, the closing moments are not to be neglected. In a moment of idleness, ten seconds can sink all the previous efforts.
If the prospect announces:
“No, frankly, I'm not convinced. I understood, but for the moment, I'm not interested,” the seasoned consultant will bounce back with ease. Gentleness always wins out over strength, as in Aesop’s fable of The Sun and the Wind.
The wind and the sun were arguing over who was stronger. The wind says: I will prove to you that it is I. Do you see the man over there? I bet I'll get him to take his coat off faster than you could. The sun then disappeared behind a cloud and the wind began to blow in gusts. But the more he blew, the more the man wrapped himself in his coat. Finally, the wind gave up. The sun then pointed out to the wind that gentleness and kindness are always stronger than force and violence. Accordingly, the sun reappeared and smiled softly at the old man. Soon, he felt hot, wiped his forehead and took off his coat.
About Valérie Desclerc
Valérie Desclerc co-directs the Institut du Conseil des Indépendants, which supports senior executives and high-level experts with a project to create a consulting business. Associate Partner of Emeric Lepoutre & Partners, she works on recruitment consultancy and executive coaching assignments. She is the author of the book, “7 strategies to boost your influence in meetings,” in French (published by Lextenso Editions) and appeared on en français podcast to discuss it here.