We consultants do love talking about our process.
If you ask—and sometimes even if you don’t—we’ll tell you all about our 15-step proven system to solve whatever challenge you have that’s in our wheelhouse.
The only problem?
Clients don’t care about process, they care about outcomes.
Which is why the best consultants and advisors talk about process only as it relates to their outcomes:
“To ensure we design a workable solution, we’ll need to interview the leaders of your team.”
Whether you’re in a new business meeting or writing copy for your website, a consistent focus on client outcomes keeps your head in the right space.
An easy way to think about it is this: what is the transformation you’re delivering to your client?
The more profound the transformation, the easier it is to pull your ideal clients in with the right emotion.
Let’s say you’re an executive compensation consultant. If your focus is on making sure pay is market-based, you’ll pretty much sound like everyone else.
But if instead you talk about aligning pay to business goals and have an impressive grasp of your client’s industry, your conversation shifts from a service (how do we review pay practices?) to a transformation (how do we incent the right people to change their behavior?).
Side benefit: changing the conversation to transformation doesn’t just make it easier for the right clients to choose you—it also leads to value conversations.
As in the opportunity to price your services differently and significantly increase both your impact and your revenue.
Some more examples of services vs. transformations:
Executive coach: I’ll help you figure out how to change behavior that isn’t working vs. I’ll help you unlock your team’s genius.
Financial advisor: I’ll get your finances in order vs. I’ll help you live the life you value most.
Designer: I’ll design you a beautiful logo vs. I’ll make your big ideas come to life.
Did you notice that the first is a feature and the second is a benefit?
Transformations are always about the benefits.
How are your clients different after they’ve experienced you? What are the deepest changes you’ve helped them midwife?
Those transformations are what you want to be leading with—on your website, in your conversations and every day in your work.
Related:
6 Ways To Make Your Pitches More Powerful And Compelling
