If you’re original to runt business consulting, you may assume there is no such thing as a prospect or client being too fervent about jumping headfirst into a major IT project. Enthusiasm is a qualified thing when it comes to signing your firm’s miniature business consulting contract, just? Well, not always.
Manage Clients’ Optimism
Although hype isn’t exactly a sales obstacle, you need to manage client expectations regarding "unjustified" optimism at your earliest opportunity. During limited business consulting projects, there is often a need to combat hype with vertical industry software solutions.
Keeping Client’s Expectations Realistic
The little business owner or manager may return from a trade demonstrate with a fine glossy brochure (and mouse pad) for an industry-specific application. Since your itsy-bitsy business consulting client thinks the application is the best software since Lotus 1-2-3, he is ready to originate up his firm’s checkbook -- but wants to rush the application by the internal guru and your puny business consulting firm, first.
Although the ISV’s marketing literature and Web location seem quite professional, upon further investigation you learn this $5,000 per seat package is built on an MS-DOS-based Clipper database engine (circa 1991) .
The Bottom Line about slight Business Consulting
While your client might have been impressed initially with the demo at the trade display, you need to overcome the hype surrounding the application and establish your client from making a ample investment in an application that should’ve been retired or supplanted years ago. Otherwise, your prospect or client may raze up squandering scarce IT budgetary resources that could be better invested in the network solution that you’re recommending.
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In dealing with apathy toward dinky business networking, discontinued technical attend is another worthy counterforce, especially when you’re talking about vertical, industry-specific software, such as niche applications designed for accountants, attorneys, physicians, realtors, auto body shops and restaurants.
Providing Support
After a clear point, the independent software vendor (ISV) selling vertical, industry-specific software draws a line in the sand and stops providing technical abet, annual updates, and patches for older versions of their product. So, if your client is an accounting firm that needs updated tax tables, your client is forced to upgrade the tax software, which often, in turn, forces an upgrade of the server.
This results in a call to your firm to upgrade their server (and several related highly lucrative product sales and service opportunities for your shrimp business networking firm), all as a result of the "domino do" from an ISV calling the shots.
Let Them Know What Their Competition Is Doing
In addition to fears of unreliable systems and vendor-mandated upgrades, you can also overcome apathy toward cramped business networking by discussing your prospect’s or client’s competition (without naming names, of course) .
If you work with many miniature businesses in the same industry, and you’re seeing a software or more general technology trend that drastically alters the competitive landscape in your prospect’s or client’s industry, by all means call this to your prospect’s or client’s attention.
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