By Michael W. McLaughlin, Contributing Editor
"We need more time to consider our options."
That's not what a consultant wants to hear in response to a proposal, but it's common enough as clients ponder which consultant to hire.
You may think client waffling is a signal that you have not finished the job of selling the value of your proposal. After all, most consulting projects come with high price tags, and communicating value is at the top of most consultants' lists.
But often the value of the project isn't in question. Instead, the risk involved in achieving that value is what holds up the hiring decision.
Value Is Not Enough
We've all experienced nagging doubts before making a major purchase. You may wonder if the product will work as advertised, if there are better alternatives, or if the price is right. If you were certain of the answers to all the questions, purchase decisions would be no-brainers.
Unfortunately, we rarely have all the answers. But we can make informed choices based on both the anticipated upside and the downside of purchases. Our clients make their buying decisions in much the same way.
Clarifying the upside, or value, of your solution for clients is imperative, but it's not enough. A winning sales process gets beyond project benefits to help clients answer essential questions about the risks associated with achieving that value.
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