We all know the reason State Grid—the world’s third largest company—hasn’t engaged your consulting firm. They’re in China and your Chinese vocabulary begins and ends at “bok choy.” Granted, the fact that they’ve never heard of your firm may play a role too.
It’s obvious why State Grid hasn’t called you, but why isn’t your consulting firm winning projects from all the divisions, departments and branches of your current clients? (A strategy we call, “Going Wide.”)
Decision-makers inside your current clients should be your easiest-to-find prospects. And presumably you can rattle off many more types of produce in their language.
The answer to the “why isn’t Going Wide easy” conundrum was revealed at my late grandfather’s centenarian birthday bash.
To honor my grandfather as he marked his 100th year, the whole family got together for a party. Families do this. Someone gets old and the rest of us celebrate by eating.
One of my aunts bumped into another guest at the party, who politely queried, “Who are you? Are you someone I should know?” To which my aunt replied, “I should certainly hope so. We’ve been sisters-in-law for over 50 years.”
Clients are like family. And just like family, it’s surprisingly common to not know close relatives. Or, in this case, close colleagues.
Aha! It turns out the reason your consultancy is not engaged more broadly by your current clients is the same reason you’re not hired by State Grid. You don’t speak Chinese. They don’t know you.
Or like my aunt, they don’t remember/think of you, which is effectively the same as not knowing you.
Being Known is, of course, the gateway to opportunity.
The more your consulting firm is Known, the greater your pool of prospective clients.
Of course you want more clients to Know about your firm. That’s why you publish, appear on webinars, connect on LinkedIn, and employ myriad other strategies to build your consulting firm’s presence in the world.
Being Known applies inside your current clients too!
Expanding within the walls of a current client is easier for most consulting firms than securing engagements with new clients… but only if you pay attention to becoming Known at the enterprise level.
Below are seven, particularly effective strategies for becoming more Known inside current clients.
7 Ways to Find the Easiest Buyers for Your Consulting Services
Expand the Initial Interviews Bubble
Broaden the circle of client contacts you interview at the outset of a project beyond the sponsor and the project team.
Why? Because you need additional insights, best practices, and a fresh perspective.
Even if your firm’s approach to problem solving is mainly based on data, or specifically confined to a single group, there’s value in obtaining the qualitative insights and opinions of other executives.
Run Inclusive Work Sessions
Work sessions should be standard fare for most of your consulting engagements.
They boost your clients’ perception of value (thanks to the “IKEA effect”), and you can order donuts… even if the work sessions are virtual.
Dial up the power of your work sessions by inviting a wide audience inside your clients to participate.
Hold Vision Meetings
A vision meeting is a strategic discussion with top executives at a client.
The meeting is expressly outside the scope of your current engagement and grants ample opportunity to dazzle your clients with your firm’s provocative thinking and impressive IP.
In a single meeting you can gain exposure to new decision makers, create value and reveal reasons to work together. Voila!
Tap Your Clients for Research
The white paper you’re writing on the importance of polyglots at the executive level should include insights from every senior leader at your current clients, right?
One nice aspect of research is it doesn’t have to be related to your current assignment—you can research any topic related to your consulting firm’s area of expertise.
If you’re developing benchmarks, including your clients in the survey is a particularly easy ask.
Request Introductions
This one is simple: the Director of Pickle Products could introduce you to the Director of Carpet Cleaners. (Hope they don’t share R&D resources.)
Target Strategic Contacts
Identify high-potential prospects inside your clients’ organizations, then draft a plan to reach them and become Known.
You can leverage all five of the techniques above. For instance, ask for an introduction for the purposes of conducting your research.
Play the Long Game
Remember, your goal is not simply to be Known, it’s to build relationships.
Take the time to get to know each person you meet rather than immediately moving onto the next contact and the next one after that.
And don’t let your efforts to create new internal contacts overshadow your connection with your current decision-makers.
What other techniques have you used to become more known inside your current clients?
Text and images are © 2024 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.
We have found it particularly effective to host internal “success showcases” with our clients to share project wins and lessons learned across their organization. The focus is on showcasing the client results from the engagement from the client’s perspective and inviting other departments, functions, divisions and executive leadership to these presentations. We do the heavy lifting in helping our client prepare for the success showcase and they get recognition from their peers for the project success while we are acknowledged for supporting their success. This has helped our consulting firm “grow wide” with many of our long-term international clients.
That is an outstanding idea, Cathy! You make your client the hero and the rest of the organization thinks, “Hmmm… who lifted our colleague up into the limelight?”
Thank you for the excellent addition to the list, Cathy.
My clients tend to be small organizations connected to other similar ones through a trade association. At a recent conference I conducted a workshop and mentioned a project I am working on in XXX city. I didn’t realize by mentioning this client several other organizations have reached out for my help. The article reaffirms how small and connected the world really is 6 or even 2 degrees of separation.
Well done, Molly! You’ve offered an impressive and instructional case study of how to expand your footprint. Any time you can be “talking to the family,” whether that family is truly inside the same client organization or, as in your case, in a trade association, you’re creating opportunities for your firm.
Thank you so much for contributing your success, Molly.
David, I’ve found that your point to “Request Introductions” to be the most effective and easiest path. If you are doing great work for one client, they are typically really happy to introduce you to a colleague. The key is doing great work and just asking for the introduction. The easiest path is often the best path.
Right you are, Joe. Consulting is not a complex business. Have conversations. Spot and close opportunities. Create value. Voila!
I appreciate your pointing out the simplicity of the expansion task and reinforcing that it works, Joe.
David, I’m not responding to this specific article, but just to your articles in general.
I write a column for an industry magazine that publishes monthly. I’m an experienced writer in the relevant area, and always manage to meet my deadline with something useful and at least a bit entertaining.
But you are somehow doing this WEEKLY. I’m not sure that a reader who isn’t also a writer can fully appreciate just how impressive that is. So just wanted to give you a Monday morning shout-out for all the great articles, week after week!
Mary, your note is very kind and I appreciate your recognition of the work involved to produce articles weekly. Penning 450-500 articles over 9+ years is a big chunk of energy and effort–no question about that. More importantly, congratulations on picking up a monthly column. You’re creating value in your field and becoming recognized as a thought leader. Well done!