Many people resist starting their own consulting business because they've got a fear of the phone. I've met more than one person who couldn't stand the thought of having to make calls to clients. Well, after my post on fear of public speaking, I decided to look into other fears that might hinder the success of small business owners...and fear of the phone stood out.

Via Peter Benson, I discovered a simple exercise for overcoming phone fear. It's really best targeting at people who fear cold calling. Benson suggests that you simply write a script and start calling. That's it. Feel the fear and do it anyway, I guess -- and you'll soon lose your fear.

Have you ever had to deal with fear of the phone?

After my post on public speaking, some of you naturally wondered if there was a connection to selling, especially since I linked to a post on sales skills. Well, yes and no.

Yes, it helps if you can speak in public. You can speak at tradeshows, conferences, seminars, meetings, teleseminars and so on. You can teach courses and get up in front of people all the time.

But, no, you don't have to be great at public speaking. You can manage clients via direct mail, email, phone calls, one-on-one meetings, conversations and so on. Introverts have tons of great business qualities.

The key is to build on your strengths and to find ways to mitigate your weaknesses. Try doing a personal inventory to figure out your best qualities and where you need more practice. Focus on success and you'll find a path.

Does the thought of public speaking make you feel ill? Fear of public speaking is called glossophobia.

I'm not a shy person. Far from it. I'm a classic ENTJ. For many years, I thrived on speaking in public. But, one day, I was asked to give a presentation to a group of three people. When I got there, I realized that I'd run into two of the people before. I knew one of them had it in for me. That made it difficult to start talking. To make matters worse, at the end of the presentation, one of those two people accused me of breaking the law during my presentation. He accused me of copyright infringement. I was shattered. I take copyright very seriously. However, this individual worked in a field where copyright was discussed regularly. So I took him at his word. I apologized and left.

Later, I did a little more research and confirmed that, I did not infringe anyone's copyright. My understanding of fair use and private business meetings was correct. It was the prospective client who was wrong.

But it didn't matter. The event shook me up enough to keep me from speaking in public for a couple of years. I turned down opportunities. I didn't want to take a risk again.

Still, I'm an ENTJ. I plan. And then I carry out that plan. I knew that, by taking small steps, I could conquer my glossophobia and start speaking in public again.

So I contacted a tiny organization. I asked if I could make a presentation to a small group. And I did it. And I survived.

Then I started going to professional association meetings. I started asking questions. That brought attention to me. I spoke well. After a while, I was sometimes asked to address the group. No problem. I was among friends.

Next, I applied for a job as an instructor. I'd be speaking in public (albeit to a group of about four people) once a week for a few months. I'd be teaching a subject I knew well. And I did it. And was hired again.

But the client wanted to know if I could teach another subject...one that I wasn't sure I was good at. I'd have to study to get ahead of the students. I decided to try it. And I got better reviews for teaching that content than I did for teaching the stuff I knew by heart!

Pretty soon, I was teaching several classes. And then a major university asked me to teach a course. I did that, too. And was asked to teach more courses.

So, although I was never a shy person, I conquered a one-time fear of public speaking. Next week, I'll give suggestions for conquering a fear of public speaking.

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Related

• Sales skills

You may have heard of the Pareto principle, where 80% of your revenues will come from 20% of your clients. I'm not sure how true that holds for consultants, but it's always seemed pretty likely to me. While it's good to find new customers, it's a lot easier to build strong relationships with current clients so they will buy again. Heck, they bought from you the first time. So how do you do it?

Speedy delivery makes a great impression. No one wants to wait forever for a project to arrive so it is critical to deliver on time, if not ahead of time. Depending on the kind of work you do, the quicker your clients receive their projects, the quicker they can hire you again.

Provide repeat customer discounts. Show your customers that you care by offering them special deals, discounts and coupons. (I particularly like the idea of offering a bigger discount for invoices paid within seven or 15 days, as it rewards loyal clients and puts money in your hands faster!)

Offer good customer service. Responding to email inquiries within a reasonable amount of time and properly addressing concerns makes a good impression and keeps clients willing to do business with you.

Streamline purchases. Do not make it difficult for customers to buy from you. I learned this the hard way, years ago, when a loyal client complained that my lengthy contract added to his workload. I started offering "change orders", so that he could order more services without needing to deal with a multi-page contract.

Remember, the secret to success is turning customers into repeat customers. So, always make that first purchasing experience a positive one. Scratch that. Make ALL purchasing experiences positive!

Via Shaun Brown comes this week's Friday 5: a list of the top 5 sales pitch tips. He emphasizes the importance of audience participation:

The more rapport you have with an individual or a group, the more receptive they will be to your message.

Many consultants launch right into a sales pitch, instead of taking time to connect with their audiences. It makes sense to build rapport, especially in a business like consulting. You're really selling yourself -- your skills, expertise, approach and personality. If you can't build a connection with the people evaluating your services, you'll never win.

Here's this week's Friday Five, a hand-selected top 5 list. This week, learn 5 ways to start writing winning proposals. Chris notes:

Provide references: Buyers may not take the time to contact your references, but providing them up front speaks leaps and bounds about how you believe in and back up your work.

Make sure you have permission before you start handing out names. A surprised or angry reference won't make much of a reference. And rotate your contacts. If your references get tired of fielding calls, they'll be less enthusiastic and may ask to be removed from your list. It's better to change things up. Besides, you probably need to handpick a list of references for every proposal.

Related to proposals

• Learn more about writing proposals.

Welcome to the Friday 5. I've decided to introduce a weekly top 5 list, as a way of lightening up Consultant Journal and introducing readers to other blogs. For the next few weeks, I'll be running a Friday 5 -- a top 5 list that I've discovered. I invite readers to submit their own top 5 lists or to share their own thoughts in the comments (as always).

Let's kick off the Friday 5 with the top 5 mistakes in selling to small business owners, via Small Business Trends. If you're practicing your basic selling skills, pay attention to this tip:

Recognize that when you’re selling to small business, you’re on a series of dates with an owner. And since it’s so personal — because it’s their money, it’s their company, and it’s their problems....

Aint that the truth. Owners of the newest, smallest businesses fret over every cent they spend. Some of them worry so much that they'll nickel and dime you. I once had a guy ask if he could hire me in 15-minute increments. Um, no. It takes me that long to send out the quote and invoice for the work.

Writing a sales proposal to win the hearts and minds of those evaluating it can be tricky. A key part of writing a winning sales proposal involves following the structure set out in the request for proposals (RFP).

Pay careful attention to the details required for your proposal. Many RFPs specify the structure of your proposal. You'll want to be sure to follow those guidelines to a T.

Typical proposals include:

• Title page
• Letter of introduction
• Contents
• Introduction
• Background - your understanding of the client, their problems and their objectives
  
• Project Overview
• Scope
• Methodology
• TImeline
• Materials and Facilities Required
• Budget
• About Your Company (why you're best for the job)
• Terms and Conditions

Related to proposals

• Writing proposals
• Proposal goal
• Proposal audience
• Proposal details

Free selling skill course -- that's what the ads say. But just how good can a free selling skill course be? In most cases, if you sign up for a free selling skill course, you're just going to be taking in a sales pitch for something else. Sure, the speakers or writers may talk about selling skills, but it's more likely that they're just warming you up for their own spiel.

In most cases, you'll need to pay for a decent selling skills course. You may be able to find valuable basic selling skills articles on the web and in trade journals -- many excellent consultants put together articles as a way of promoting themselves. But few would go to the trouble of creating and delivering a full course for free. Course development takes time -- often a minimum of three hours of preparation for every hour spent teaching the class. If you really want a selling skills course that includes valuable information, you'll need to pay for it.

Related to free selling skill course

• Basic selling skills
• Lead generating the old-fashioned way
• Finding new clients

Writing a good proposal can help you win new business. But, if you're going to have a fighting chance, you need to meet the requirements of the request for proposals (RFP).

How to meet the details of an RFP

1. Read the request for proposals (RFP) document carefully.
2. Note the intent, goals, organization,decision-makers and other background information.
3. Scan carefully for requirements and needs.
4. Format -- check the page size, font, colour, number of copies, and other details required. Do you need to use a binder or any other sort of materials?
5. Content -- are you required to structure your proposal in a certain way? Are section titles given? What information must you include?
6. Timeline -- create a timeline for all dates mentioned and use it as the basis for managing both the proposal and the project
7. Submission -- how must the proposal be submitted? By fax, email, mail, courier or in person? Do you need to provide extra copies?
8. Create a checklist for requirements. List all the requirements, right down to the letter. Note the status of each. Refer to page numbers. Some consultants incude such a checklist for the client when they submit the proposal, but it's also a good way to manage your own work.

Related to proposals

• Writing proposals
• Proposal goal
• Proposal audience

Writing a proposal is something you'll be called on to do many times in your consulting career. Once you're established your proposal goal, you need to consider your audience.

The audience for your proposal is the organization that called for the proposal. It's important to consider the needs and requirements established in the request for proposals. You should also consider the size, structure, industry and environment of the organization.

But don't stop there. Dig deeper:

• Who's going to read the proposal? Will someone screen the proposals and then submit a shortlist to another party?
• Will one person make a decision or will several?
• Who are these decision makers? What backgrounds, jobs, roles and interests do they have?
• Can you curry favour by playing to the interests of those decision makers?
• Will you have a chance to present your proposal to the audience, or must your document standalone?

Always take time to understand your audience. You'll need a lengthy, formal proposal if you're replying to a request from a Fortune 500 company that will put your materials before a committee. You can be a bit more footlose if your proposal is going to the owner of a one-person start-up business.

Related to proposals

• Writing proposals

ComputerWorld's write up on negotiation offers some pointers that can help consultants, not just IT jobseekers. The main ideas I gained from the piece include:

• Preconditioning the client
• Strategically selecting target clients
• Doing a self-assessment and filling in the gaps
• Learning the client's industry
• Creating a great set of marketing tools

As I've said before, negotiation is one of the most important tools in a consultant's toolbox. As part of your personal development, look for ways to hone your negotiation skills. If nothing else, it will help with negotiating your fees.

As I've noted in "Basic selling skills", one of the key steps in any sales model involves finding a fit between your services and the client's needs. Once you've qualified a lead, you need to work on developing a proposal that will make the client hire you.

During the "finding a fit" stage, you should meet or teleconference with the prospective client. You should review information about the prospect and ask questions -- lots of questions. Find out the prospect's current challenges and needs. Work on building a good rapport and establishing credibility.

Focus on determining whether you and the client could work together. Sometimes, you may not have the right background or the client may present professional or ethical quandaries. Wherever possible, refer the prospect to others who can help -- by keeping the relationship professional, you may find the prospect refers you to others better suited to the work you do.

If there's a fit between you and the prospect, the next step involves making a proposal.

More sales articles:

• Basic selling skills

Lead qualification can sometimes be a little trickier than simply getting answers to your lead qualification questions. It may help to try scoring answers, so that you can better prioritize leads

Lead qualification using a scorecard

Is there a budget for this project? (15 points)

• Can the company afford not to take on this project? (5 points)
• What are the dates and milestones for key decisions? (5 points)
• What is this customer’s market position? (5 points)
• What’s this prospect’s financial situation? (5 points)
• Does the prospect understand the value of your solution? (15 points)
• Does this prospect seem similar to others who have bought from you? (5 points)
• Who has the power to make a purchase decision? (10 points)
• Who has the power to approve the budget for this purchase? (10 points)
• Who will influence decision makers for this project? (10 points)
• How does this company make purchase decisions? (5 points)
• What needs to happen before this project is approved by the top decision maker? (5 points)

Total: 100 points

Score the lead using the above questions. If the lead gives you a score of 85, you'll know you should follow up more aggressively than with a lead that scores 25 out of 100.

More about lead qualification

• Finding new clients - part 1
• Finding new clients - part 2
• Finding new clients - part 3
• Finding new clients - part 4
• Finding new clients - part 5
• Basic selling skills

Qualifying leads takes time and effort. But qualifying leads makes up an important part of figuring out whether you can engage a client in the sales process.

You don’t need to grill the prospect to get this information. You can use:

• Corporate website
• Corporate research reports
• Newspaper articles
• Information from others who have dealt with the prospect
• Website discussion forums
• Your business and personal contacts who know about the prospect
• Information from newsletter sign-up forms, contest registrations, tradeshow ballots and other steps in the lead generation process
• Details from your CRM or contact management system
• Notes

Of course, if you can bring up these questions in casual conversation, you can qualify a lead too.

More about qualifying leads

• Qualifying leads by status
• Lead qualification questions
• Finding new clients - part 1
• Finding new clients - part 2
• Finding new clients - part 3
• Finding new clients - part 4
• Finding new clients - part 5
• Basic selling skills

In my previous post, I mentioned the value of asking questions. Here's another reason: it will help you make more money.

Potential clients tend to ask a lot of questions.

• What would you recommend I do?
• How would you handle this?
• How have you dealt with this with other clients?
• What problems do your see with this situation?
• What do you think we should do? We'll hire you if you give us a good recommendation.

Many prospective clients fish for answers. Often, they have no intention of hiring a consultant at all. They just want to interview several consultants for their perspectives on a project. In some cases, the clients do hope to hire someone, but they just want to pay for implementation of a recommendation, not the research that goes behind it.

Don't play this game. In meetings with prospective clients, you should be asking more questions than giving answers. It's okay to talk about your background and abilities, but steer clear of giving free advice.

Here's some great consulting advice from Peter Drucker:

My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.

As a consultant, it's tempting to take on the role of expert. After all, a consultant is an expert. But don't let that get in the way of learning more about your client. In fact, when working with a client, expect to ask more questions than give answers. You'll learn more and the client will be more confident about your abilities, since you've taken such a strong interest in exploring their needs and problems.

"Ask questions" from Become a Consultant at ConsultantJournal.com.

Lead qualification helps you turn your sales leads into prospects for actual sales. By setting out criteria for lead qualification, you can better prioritize your leads. You'll know where to spend time -- and, if you track what you're doing, you'll be able to tell where things go right or wrong.

Qualifying leads involves getting information that helps you figure out if the lead is a good prospect for a future sale. Sales people usually try qualifying leads by getting answers to a series of questions.

Lead qualification -- questions to help you arrive at prospect status

• Is there a budget for this project?
• Can the company afford not to take on this project?
• What would happen if the company didn’t take on your project?
• What are the dates and milestones for key decisions?
• What is this customer’s market position?
• What’s this prospect’s financial situation?
• Does the prospect understand the value of your solution?
• Does this prospect seem similar to others who have bought from you?
• Who has the power to make a purchase decision?
• Who has the power to approve the budget for this purchase?
• Who will influence decision makers for this project?
• How does this company make purchase decisions?
• What needs to happen before this project is approved by the top decision maker?

 How do you get answers to these questions? I cover that in my next post.

More posts related to qualifying leads

• Finding new clients - part 1
• Finding new clients - part 2
• Finding new clients - part 3
• Finding new clients - part 4
• Finding new clients - part 5
• Basic selling skills

Qualifying leads is one of the most important parts of generating leads. By qualifying leads, you can figure out if the contacts you've generating from your lead generating activities were actually worthwhile. Otherwise, all the people who've signed up for newsletters, sent you emails, handed you business cards or responded to cold calls...well, they're just names on a list somewhere. To get somewhere, you need to qualify those prospects.

 

To properly qualify a lead, you need to start asking questions. But, before you get into that, you need to think up a system for noting the status of prospects. Nowadays, most people use contact management software or CRMs, but you could create some sort of system using folders or even boxes of business cards.

Here are the basic ways of noting the status of prosects who have not yet become leads:

1. No contact made – not yet contacted
2. Can’t be contacted  – you have a prospect, but you can’t connect with the key decision-maker
3. Need already met – the prospect has already bought or otherwise solved their problem
   
4. Lacks financial authority – if a prospect doesn’t have the financial backing to make a purchase, you won’t be able to make the sale.
5. Lacks decision-making authority – the prospect may not be the person to approve the purchase. You may need to try moving up the chain of authority to get approval.
6. May not meet requirements to purchase – the prospect may be in the wrong industry, lack information for you to do your job, not have compatible products/tools, etc. This is very common in areas like IT consulting, where you can’t help a client because they use a Mac computer and you only deal with PCs.

If you've managed to find a prospect with a current need, an adequate budget, decision-making power, and the requirements to purchase, then you can start the lead qualification process.

Sales prospects are key to your business's success. Sales prospects are the people who may be interested in buying from you. And it's your job to turn them into leads, so that you can begin the sales process.

But where do you find prospects?

• Mailing lists
• Direct mail lists
• Tradeshow lists
• Event lists
• Magazine subscription lists
• Your own newsletter subscription list
• Your in-house list of people who have contacted you
• Business cards from tradeshows
• Your contacts
• Referrals
• Cold calling

By putting together a campaign that targets these prospects, you can figure out who's actually interested in the services and solutions you offer. Then you can work on moving those leads further down the sales pipeline.

Posts related to sales prospects

• Basic selling skills
• Finding new clients
• No cold calling and a successful business

Basic selling skills for consultants. Honing basic selling skills can help you achieve greater success.To be successful in your business, you need to be more than just a subject matter expert. You need to be a bit of a salesperson.

In fact, most people already have basic selling skills. Getting better is more of a process of practice and improvement.

Most business sales involve the following basic selling skills:

• Sourcing prospects
• Generating leads
• Qualifying leads
• Finding a fit
• Making a proposal
• Closing the deal
• Delivering the solution
• Maintaining the relationship

"Basic selling skills for consultants | Selling" from Become a Consultant at ConsultantJournal.com.