By Michael W. McLaughlin
Do you have a service offer compelling enough to get clients to call you? The challenge is to craft a service offer that expresses your capabilities broadly enough to attract the interest of your entire target market, without being so general that no prospective client understands what you really do.
It’s just not possible to capture every aspect of your capabilities in your service offer. Instead, search for the balance between being overly general with service descriptions and burying the client in minutiae.
The Big Three
Before most clients buy anything, they expect evidence that you can answer three questions: Do you understand the as-is state that creates the need for outside help? Do you have a vision of the future in which the current problem becomes a distant memory? And, what is that path to a brighter future? If your service offer misses any of these Big Three questions, it’s a dud.
You can’t predict with certainty the nature of every client’s focus, so it’s tempting to put forward a sweeping view of a “typical” client’s issues and alternatives for resolution.
One consultant, who operates largely as an individual practitioner, has adopted the “handyman” approach by claiming mastery of nearly everything, including information technology consulting, human resources management, financial management, strategic planning, customer relationship management, market entry strategy, quality assurance, and the list goes on.
There’s no doubt that many consultants’ expertise does span this spectrum of offerings, and that depth of experience enriches the quality of every project they undertake. But few clients will believe that any consultant can excel in so many areas. Those who do believe such lofty claims are likely to be bargain hunters who haggle endlessly over fees and scope.
Because the best clients will insist on seeing proof of your answers to the Big Three questions—you understand the problem, have a vision for the future, and know the path forward—it’s unlikely many small consulting firms can meet that burden of proof for all those areas of service. Oh, and just because you’ve done it before doesn’t mean you can, or should, try to sell it.
When you cast your net too widely, all fish swim through.
No Such Thing as a Commodity
Marketing guru Theodore Levitt reminded us that every service is differentiated, in some way, no matter what the experts proclaim. It’s true that what many consultants actually do for clients is similar, but how they do it and express that to clients offer rich sources of differentiation.
Clients are usually in the market for a core service like a cost reduction program, systems upgrade project, or an operations improvement initiative—with the hope of achieving a desired future state. But most clients also value the distinctive benefits of working with a particular consultant. Those extra benefits present opportunities to differentiate any service offer.
The ability to deliver your core service—which may not differ all that much from what others do—qualifies you to compete for a project. The distinctive benefits you provide set you apart, and often seal the deal.
Clients will recognize the difference, for example, between a service offer to help reduce indirect expenses, and one that reduces indirect expenses and helps clients create the internal capability to carry the program forward without the consultant.
Consultants have more options for differentiating their core service offers than channels to watch on TV. For instance, some clients value how you manage risk during a project, while the unique experience of working with you may be more important to others. Almost any aspect of your service delivery approach can form the basis for differentiation, whether it’s how you conduct the work, communicate with clients, or charge for your services.
To illustrate the point, compare the core service offers of two consultants who help clients tap the creativity of the people in their organizations:
One consultant offers on-site facilitation and “customized programs and processes that reveal and highlight the strengths of your executives, teams, and team leaders.” This consultant’s intent is good, but the service is undifferentiated regarding the core offer, and thus he sounds like dozens of other consultants who do the same kind of work.
Another consultant has a similar service, but zeroes in on the value and differentiation of the core offering. Instead of working in the client’s too-familiar conference room, this consultant uses a specially designed, off-site facility dedicated to “making meaningful changes in the ways you create, define, optimize, and refine winning ideas.”
Both firms provide essentially the same service, but the approach to the core offer couldn’t be more different. Examine every element of how you deliver your services and find ways to set your offer apart. Your choices are limited only by your imagination.
The Buzz You Need
But differentiating your core service is rarely sufficient to ensure that you have a compelling offer. After all, a client won’t care about your cool off-site facility if you can’t make a credible claim to complete competence in your core service. Most consultants understand this reality, but many struggle to prove their competence in a convincing manner.
We all understand that it’s OK to pile on the evidence of our capabilities with testimonials, references, accomplishments, case studies, and qualifications. But too many consultants use warmed-over testimonials and references that shed little insight on their specific capabilities.
It’s common to read fuzzy testimonials that say clients were so happy with you that they’d welcome you back for any project. That’s powerful affirmation, but doesn’t really help a new client evaluate your competency. Plus, every client knows that a bad testimonial will never see the light of day.
If you use testimonials and references, seek out as many as possible that are specific, results-focused, and directly support your claim to service excellence. Feel-good testimonials—often more than half of those consultants rely on—have far less selling power than those that target your specific expertise.
Most clients won’t read all your supporting material. But if they know the material is there, they will take comfort from that knowledge.
Methods and Tools Matter
Similar advice applies to the descriptions of services you offer. Too many consultants put the spotlight on their consulting process prematurely. What most clients want to know first is what specific results to expect. Once they’re satisfied on that point, your consulting process and approach take center stage.
Without a clear explanation of how you conduct the work, you’ll fumble the Big Three client questions. You’ll only offer weak consultant-speak when asked how you plan to help the client reach the desired future. So be ready to showcase your approach, but hold it until after you’ve highlighted the specific results you can help clients achieve.
A compelling offer communicates depth of capability in your core service and a distinctive set of benefits, which are often embedded in your unique service delivery approach. You’ll move clients to call you when you’ve found just the right balance between these elements of your offer.
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