I am going to take a break from the topic of the "Top 10 Qualities of a World-class Consultant." I know you are all chomping at the bit, but you'll have to come back next week for Quality #5.
Instead, I wanted to post a timely blog as a follow up to a PS Village Executive Breakfast session that I attended this morning. The topic was "Surviving and Winning as the IT World Moves into the Cloud." Russ Klein and Dick Csapler from The Aberdeen Group presented on the topic.
Russ and Dick spelled out the value proposition for IT moving hardware and software to the cloud. In a nutshell, the cloud provides businesses to apply the "right amount of [system] resources when they its needed." According to the guys from Aberdeen, processing power of client-server environments is starting to rival that of Mainframe environments, total cost of ownership is lower given that the Cloud providers own the responsibility of keeping up with the latest and greatest technologies and the investments in cap ex for IT managers is lower with the Cloud.
Start-up businesses are more like to build applications in the cloud, and enterprise businesses are moving less mission critical applications, data back-ups, and fail-over systems to the cloud.
The major concerns that were discussed centered on Privacy and Security and culture - how does an IT manager measure success and budget for supporting the business when they have no cap ex budget - or a significantly reduced budget. As Dick said, though, Amazon EC2 probably employees more systems, tools, and experts to ensure the highest level of quality than most businesses could afford to do themselves. As enterprises find success with the less critical apps, they are likely to start to move the more critical apps to the cloud, as well.
So where does PS fit in. Russ and Dick mentioned a number of new consulting opportunities that are coming available due to the advent of Cloud Computing. Consulting groups can provide services designed to:
1. Support the migration from "on premises" environments to the cloud
2. Assist in business and IT process re-engineering efforts to support applications that are now hosted in the cloud
3. Ensure legacy hardware is disposed of in an ecological manner and to assist businesses in developing a "Green IT" strategy
4. Ensure effective data mining from the old to the new environments
SaaS is one model for Cloud computing. In SaaS business, the products are often positioned as "self-service." As businesses move to a Cloud Computing model, however, more and more will reduce the IT staff and rely on PS teams to ensure that they have the right methodologies, can implement the solutions - including training, and can optimize and evolve their use of the tools available in a way that ensures business success. The focus will become less about "implementation" services - the Cloud providers will do that - and more about expert services that provide our customers with focus, experience, and expertise required to use IT solutions to achieve business results.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
4. Asks Questions sesigned to Uncover the "Real" Pain, Not Just the "Stated" Pain.
Jean DiGiovanna of ThinkPeople refers to this as "staying curious," and this is a common theme in many sales and consulting training programs and books, particularly those that espouse a "solution-selling" approach. Powerful questions are, generally, open-ended questions designed to get the customer talking. They often lead to the opportunity to ask follow-up questions, deeper discussions, and more information.
So what does a a question that is designed to uncover the real pain look like? Let's look at an example. A consultant may ask a question this way:
Or this way:
Which do you think is likely to result in an answer that provides the ability to ask follow up questions and deeper insights?
Questions that start with "what" and "how" generally open discussions, giving the interviewee a chance to answer in detail. They generally provide a lot of information on which the consultants can build his investigations.
The first question, in contrast, is a closed question, and there is a real chance that the answer could be a simple "yes" or "no." What have you gained in this case...one person's opinion and no understanding why they gave the answer they did. Depending on the answer, the interview could be over with one question.
In many situations, symptoms of problems are visible, even obvious. Still, the root cause is not. A manager may feel, for instance, that that problem is that the staff is not accountable for their actions..."we need to fix the accountability problem." She may feel that because the work isn't getting done on time or quality standards aren't being met. A consultant may ask:
The answer may simply be, "Well, of course." However, if the consultant asks:
The interviewee will start to describe what she knows, and the consultant can determine for himself if expectations have been set properly. More likely, the consultant will determine what additional questions need to be asked and to whom.
As the consultant meets with the staff, management, and customers - asking powerful questions and learning about multiple perspectives - if may be clear that the management team has not properly set the staffs expectations. While at face value the root cause of the problem may appear to stem with the work effort of the staff, the real problem may be with a manager's approach.
The lesson: Do your homework. Get multiple perspectives. Look inside and outside the organization for the root case of the issues and pain they are experiencing. Don't assume the client knows what is going on...they often don't. This is not a slam on our clients, but let's face it...everyone is over worked and has too few resources to really assess every situation. If your clients knew what the real problem was, they'd be in a much better position to fix it themselves.
So what does a a question that is designed to uncover the real pain look like? Let's look at an example. A consultant may ask a question this way:
"Do you have a process for managing employee time off?"
Or this way:
"How do you manage employee time off?"
Which do you think is likely to result in an answer that provides the ability to ask follow up questions and deeper insights?
Questions that start with "what" and "how" generally open discussions, giving the interviewee a chance to answer in detail. They generally provide a lot of information on which the consultants can build his investigations.
The first question, in contrast, is a closed question, and there is a real chance that the answer could be a simple "yes" or "no." What have you gained in this case...one person's opinion and no understanding why they gave the answer they did. Depending on the answer, the interview could be over with one question.
In many situations, symptoms of problems are visible, even obvious. Still, the root cause is not. A manager may feel, for instance, that that problem is that the staff is not accountable for their actions..."we need to fix the accountability problem." She may feel that because the work isn't getting done on time or quality standards aren't being met. A consultant may ask:
"Has the team's manager set proper expectations with the staff about deadlines and quality?"
The answer may simply be, "Well, of course." However, if the consultant asks:
"How does the team's manager set proper expectations with the staff about deadlines and quality?"
The interviewee will start to describe what she knows, and the consultant can determine for himself if expectations have been set properly. More likely, the consultant will determine what additional questions need to be asked and to whom.
As the consultant meets with the staff, management, and customers - asking powerful questions and learning about multiple perspectives - if may be clear that the management team has not properly set the staffs expectations. While at face value the root cause of the problem may appear to stem with the work effort of the staff, the real problem may be with a manager's approach.
The lesson: Do your homework. Get multiple perspectives. Look inside and outside the organization for the root case of the issues and pain they are experiencing. Don't assume the client knows what is going on...they often don't. This is not a slam on our clients, but let's face it...everyone is over worked and has too few resources to really assess every situation. If your clients knew what the real problem was, they'd be in a much better position to fix it themselves.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
World-class PSO: Daily Thought
I had the good fortune to sit in on two sales training sessions delivered by Jeff Thull (Prime Resource Group) today. Jeff is the author of The Prime Solution, Mastering the Complex Sale, and Exceptional Selling.
Throughout the session, Jeff spoke to the team about what he calls the "Three Eras of Professional Selling." In the first error, the sales process was scripted, and sales professionals were not encouraged to "think" as Jeff says it. In the second era, sales pros hung their hat on the process of "Needs Analysis" to get through the day. In the third era, the era we are in today, sales professionals are encouraged to "STOP SELLING." This is one of Jeff's "Key Thoughts," as he calls them.
While I am not a sales person in the traditional session, as a consultant I am a sales professional. As I mentioned in an earlier post, consultants are always selling. Some of us sell in a traditional sense. We conduct pre-sales discovery with the goal of understanding the customers needs, challenges, pains - what ever you want to call them. We develop standard and custom consulting solutions for our customers. We write proposals and SOWs, and we work to close the deal. Others of us are selling during every meeting. We are working to ensure that the customer buys into the engagement format, the approach, the action plans, and the recommendations - even after the ink is dry on the contract.
What became increasingly clear to me throughout the sessions with Jeff is that the role of the sales professional has to stop selling and be a consultant. Now, I know there are countless books out there on the topic of "consultative selling." I recognize that my realization is a bit old news. Still, I witness situations every day where consultants in a selling role forget to be a consultant in pre-sales situations, or the pressures of the sales process result in a sales rep falling back into the Era 1 or Era 2 ways of selling. So, its worth repeating: To be a successful sales professional, one must be a consultant.
WORLD-CLASS SALES PROFESSIONAL = WORLD-CLASS CONSULTANT (and vice-versa)
Throughout the session, Jeff spoke to the team about what he calls the "Three Eras of Professional Selling." In the first error, the sales process was scripted, and sales professionals were not encouraged to "think" as Jeff says it. In the second era, sales pros hung their hat on the process of "Needs Analysis" to get through the day. In the third era, the era we are in today, sales professionals are encouraged to "STOP SELLING." This is one of Jeff's "Key Thoughts," as he calls them.
While I am not a sales person in the traditional session, as a consultant I am a sales professional. As I mentioned in an earlier post, consultants are always selling. Some of us sell in a traditional sense. We conduct pre-sales discovery with the goal of understanding the customers needs, challenges, pains - what ever you want to call them. We develop standard and custom consulting solutions for our customers. We write proposals and SOWs, and we work to close the deal. Others of us are selling during every meeting. We are working to ensure that the customer buys into the engagement format, the approach, the action plans, and the recommendations - even after the ink is dry on the contract.
What became increasingly clear to me throughout the sessions with Jeff is that the role of the sales professional has to stop selling and be a consultant. Now, I know there are countless books out there on the topic of "consultative selling." I recognize that my realization is a bit old news. Still, I witness situations every day where consultants in a selling role forget to be a consultant in pre-sales situations, or the pressures of the sales process result in a sales rep falling back into the Era 1 or Era 2 ways of selling. So, its worth repeating: To be a successful sales professional, one must be a consultant.
WORLD-CLASS SALES PROFESSIONAL = WORLD-CLASS CONSULTANT (and vice-versa)
Friday, April 16, 2010
3. Seeks first to understand, and then to be understood.
Consultants come to the table with a lot of knowledge and experience. Clients hire us because of our expertise, and they want to have their questions answered quickly. How many times has a prospective client asked you for pricing information or a high-level overview of a proposed solution before you have completed your discovery? More importantly, how many times have you obliged?
It is easy for a consultant to rush to judgment regarding the nature of the problem and, therefore, the solution. We may start talking prematurely about all the things we know and what can be done to improve the client's current state. People are most comfortable talking about themselves than asking solid, insightful questions about someone else. For this reason, we all fall into the trap and start providing a solution before we really understand the problem.
While the fact is that people like to talk about ourselves and what we know, world-class consultants have figured out how to use this fact to their advantage. They conduct an appropriate amount of research and planning before a call with a client and have a plan for what they want to learn. They ask insightful and open-ended questions designed to get the client or prospective client talking. They may interject with an anecdote or story where necessary to give the client confidence that the job they are being asked to do is not foreign, and they use active listening skills to verify that they understand what the client is saying.
Even when clients push for the answer or the price, world-class consultants resist the urge to go down that path too soon in favor of continuing with the investigation.
Only after a world-class consultant feels that he understands the current state and desired future state does he begin to share his observations and recommendations.
It is easy for a consultant to rush to judgment regarding the nature of the problem and, therefore, the solution. We may start talking prematurely about all the things we know and what can be done to improve the client's current state. People are most comfortable talking about themselves than asking solid, insightful questions about someone else. For this reason, we all fall into the trap and start providing a solution before we really understand the problem.
While the fact is that people like to talk about ourselves and what we know, world-class consultants have figured out how to use this fact to their advantage. They conduct an appropriate amount of research and planning before a call with a client and have a plan for what they want to learn. They ask insightful and open-ended questions designed to get the client or prospective client talking. They may interject with an anecdote or story where necessary to give the client confidence that the job they are being asked to do is not foreign, and they use active listening skills to verify that they understand what the client is saying.
Even when clients push for the answer or the price, world-class consultants resist the urge to go down that path too soon in favor of continuing with the investigation.
Only after a world-class consultant feels that he understands the current state and desired future state does he begin to share his observations and recommendations.
Friday, April 9, 2010
2. Remains a client advocate and keeps the client's best interests and needs top of mind at all times.
A world-class consultant works closely with her client to uncover the real pain and assist them in developing solutions to the problem that allows the business to grow and prosper. Consultants should not conspire with their primary contacts to solve symptoms without addressing the real problems, and they confidently advise the customer to address the root cause of the issues that are being experienced.
Michael McLaughlin, author of Winning the Professional Services Sale, says that "top [professional services] sellers do share this goal: To deliver extraordinary value to their clients before, during and after the sale. To accomplish that, they uncover what each client really needs and use flexible, pragmatic strategies to chalk up wins for all concerned." He goes on to say that "packaged offerings" fundamentally change the consultant or consulting business from one focused on the client to one that is focused on the business.
While consultants must run a profitable business - without doing so we will not be able to work with clients to help them meet their goals - world-class consultants are insanely focused on meeting the needs of the customer. Some times that means telling the client things they don't want to hear, but in the end, it's all about the customer. This does not mean that we don't have to concern ourselves with what is in the contract or delivering a project on-time and on-budget. However, if a consultant determines at any point in the project that the scope of work defined in the contract is not going to meet the needs of the customers - maybe something has changed since the contract was executed - it is that consultant's responsibility to speak up.
You must talk with the customer about what has changed - ask them at key points of the project if anything has changed. When changes are significant enough to render the current SOW irrelevant, work with your client to redefine the project in a way to meets their critical needs, even if that means the project gets smaller.
Another way a world-class consultant can remain an advocate for the customer is to ensure that his company is aware of the client's needs and speaks openly about those needs that are critical. For instance, a consultant in a product company may learn that the client has needs that are not being met by the product or by another department, like Customer Service or Finance. The consultant should bring these concerns/needs to the appropriate people in his company. Do so in a manner that is non-threatening and helpful. Remember, these other groups could be hard at work solving the problem or may not even be aware that there is a problem - you don't want to accuse. Let them know, though, that the customer has a concern and help connect them to the client if they are not already working with them.
Consultants sell and deliver time, ideas, assistance, and guidance. Your goal is to be trusted by your client so they open up and want to work with you. Being their advocate and keeping their needs at the center of what you do will go a long way to showing them that you're on their side.
Michael McLaughlin, author of Winning the Professional Services Sale, says that "top [professional services] sellers do share this goal: To deliver extraordinary value to their clients before, during and after the sale. To accomplish that, they uncover what each client really needs and use flexible, pragmatic strategies to chalk up wins for all concerned." He goes on to say that "packaged offerings" fundamentally change the consultant or consulting business from one focused on the client to one that is focused on the business.
While consultants must run a profitable business - without doing so we will not be able to work with clients to help them meet their goals - world-class consultants are insanely focused on meeting the needs of the customer. Some times that means telling the client things they don't want to hear, but in the end, it's all about the customer. This does not mean that we don't have to concern ourselves with what is in the contract or delivering a project on-time and on-budget. However, if a consultant determines at any point in the project that the scope of work defined in the contract is not going to meet the needs of the customers - maybe something has changed since the contract was executed - it is that consultant's responsibility to speak up.
You must talk with the customer about what has changed - ask them at key points of the project if anything has changed. When changes are significant enough to render the current SOW irrelevant, work with your client to redefine the project in a way to meets their critical needs, even if that means the project gets smaller.
Another way a world-class consultant can remain an advocate for the customer is to ensure that his company is aware of the client's needs and speaks openly about those needs that are critical. For instance, a consultant in a product company may learn that the client has needs that are not being met by the product or by another department, like Customer Service or Finance. The consultant should bring these concerns/needs to the appropriate people in his company. Do so in a manner that is non-threatening and helpful. Remember, these other groups could be hard at work solving the problem or may not even be aware that there is a problem - you don't want to accuse. Let them know, though, that the customer has a concern and help connect them to the client if they are not already working with them.
Consultants sell and deliver time, ideas, assistance, and guidance. Your goal is to be trusted by your client so they open up and want to work with you. Being their advocate and keeping their needs at the center of what you do will go a long way to showing them that you're on their side.
Friday, April 2, 2010
1. Communicates clearly and completely without bias, attitude, or judgement.
I introduced my Top 10 Qualities of a World-class Consultant last week. Next, I will start to dig into each of the ten qualities, starting with the first quality: A World-class consultant communicates clearly and completely without bias, attitude, or judgment.
Clear, proper communication is a foundational element to any relationship: Husband and wife, parent and child, friends, business associates, and consultants and clients.
All to often, the primary reason for a relationship's failure starts with the way parties communicate. In marriages, couples often blame money, work schedules, and simply "growing apart" for their failed relationships. Yet, I know many successful couples who stay married even when they have financial concerns, crazy work schedules, and different interests. Why are these couples able to make it? They communicate! Its no different in the world of consulting.
While effective communication is a two-way street, the consultants should set the example with regard to how communication should be handled. This doesn't mean that we should dictate how it will happen. Rather, the consultant should discuss with his client how different types of information will be communicated and at what frequency and format. (I recently attended a kick-off call for a project my team is running, and the client indicated that instant messenger is the best way to reach him.)
There are a number of different types of communication that must be discussed throughout the project:
Speaking more to the "how you say it," though. Some consultants still enter a problem discussion or discovery with preconceived notions and biases about what the problem is and how to solve it. When that happens, they fail to drill into the problem deep enough. The worst case is when the consultant gets impatient with the client for "not getting it" and that impatience is expressed through the communications. Remember, if they "got it," they wouldn't need you.
Keeping an open mind throughout your discovery is one way to communicate completely and in an unbiased manner. Be confident and provide anecdotes and supporting information where necessary. Use your expertise, but learn from your client.
Clear, proper communication is a foundational element to any relationship: Husband and wife, parent and child, friends, business associates, and consultants and clients.
All to often, the primary reason for a relationship's failure starts with the way parties communicate. In marriages, couples often blame money, work schedules, and simply "growing apart" for their failed relationships. Yet, I know many successful couples who stay married even when they have financial concerns, crazy work schedules, and different interests. Why are these couples able to make it? They communicate! Its no different in the world of consulting.
While effective communication is a two-way street, the consultants should set the example with regard to how communication should be handled. This doesn't mean that we should dictate how it will happen. Rather, the consultant should discuss with his client how different types of information will be communicated and at what frequency and format. (I recently attended a kick-off call for a project my team is running, and the client indicated that instant messenger is the best way to reach him.)
There are a number of different types of communication that must be discussed throughout the project:
- Project Management Information: Common project management-related areas that require effective communication:
- Project plans, including work breakdown major milestones, and escalation paths
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Project status versus the plan
- Risk Assessment and mitigation
- Action items & issues
- Change Requests
The consultant and client must agree on the format of project management-related communications as well as the frequency and who receives this type of communication. - Engagement Observations: As the client and consultant work together to solve the problem at hand, key observations will be made by the consultants. In some cases, it is appropriate to wait until providing the deliverables to share observations. In other cases, though, key observation should be shared along the way.
Sharing key observations along the way allows a consultant to:
- Confirm what she is learning and gather feedback
- Ask follow-up questions to put a finer point on the observations when necessary
- Let the sponsor know early if their is an observation that may be difficult for him (or the team) to hear for the first time in a larger audience. - Recommendations: In a few weeks, I will discuss Peter Block's idea that a consultant helps customers "find their own answers to their questions." While that is often true, the fact is, consultants are expected to make recommendations that the client will consider and, hopefully, implement. Some of my clients have requested sample recommendations during the selling process.
Like observations, there are times when a consultant should share key recommendations with a client before the final deliverable is provided - often for the same reasons. In some cases, the recommendations are so important, the consultant is compelled to tell the client right away, enabling the client to make a key decision and start implementation sooner.
Speaking more to the "how you say it," though. Some consultants still enter a problem discussion or discovery with preconceived notions and biases about what the problem is and how to solve it. When that happens, they fail to drill into the problem deep enough. The worst case is when the consultant gets impatient with the client for "not getting it" and that impatience is expressed through the communications. Remember, if they "got it," they wouldn't need you.
Keeping an open mind throughout your discovery is one way to communicate completely and in an unbiased manner. Be confident and provide anecdotes and supporting information where necessary. Use your expertise, but learn from your client.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
World-class PSO: Daily Thought
The two faces of professional services: Sales reps all over the world are signing from relief as they wrapped up the quarter, and potentially the year. Reps know if they made their number or didn't. They know what deals are left to come in that will - hopefully - give them a good start to the new quarter. Maybe they are sleeping a little late today before they get up and do it all over again.
Professional Services Managers are also going through a similar process. However, PS managers can't simply sleep late and start the selling all over again. Yes, that is part of what we need to do - start selling again, but now we need to start delivering on our promises - our contracts - and get the work done. We need to look at the backlog, schedule resources, prepare our teams, and schedule the work with the clients.
Hopefully, we all had a record quarter, and we can celebrate our recent successes. The celebration will be short lived, though. It's time to "get 'er done!!"
Good luck!
Professional Services Managers are also going through a similar process. However, PS managers can't simply sleep late and start the selling all over again. Yes, that is part of what we need to do - start selling again, but now we need to start delivering on our promises - our contracts - and get the work done. We need to look at the backlog, schedule resources, prepare our teams, and schedule the work with the clients.
Hopefully, we all had a record quarter, and we can celebrate our recent successes. The celebration will be short lived, though. It's time to "get 'er done!!"
Good luck!
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