Key Takeaway or Top Tip # 10 from our veteran consulting Best Practices to Grow Your Consulting Business “If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now” panel discussion is to
Know Your Unique Selling Proposition
Be clear on what you Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is and what differentiates you and your services. Be able to articulate that crisply. Understand what value you bring to clients and which types of clients benefit most from what you deliver.
For example, two things I do extraordinarily well are:
1 – Listen very well and am able to translate what I’ve heard into implications and actions for clients
2 – Get to the core issue(s), which once identified, leads to very effective strategies, decisions, and actions
These abilities make me an asset to companies trying to figure out what actions to take for optimal success, whether for branding and messaging or new product development or how to incent behavior – whether purchase or loyalty or consumption of products or services.
Another example would be if you are a graphic artist. Identify what makes you unique and valued. Is it your expertise in a certain industry or type of client? Or that you have broad experience across multiple industries that you can cross-pollinate to clients in any industry? Or is it instead that you can turn things around faster than anyone else? Is it your style or approach in dealing with clients? Is it that you have the ability to capture 1000 words in one image?
What makes you special and unique? And, then use that insight to identify which types of clients benefit most from this capability. They then become your target market.
Everyone loves a story. It paints a picture that appeals to our intellect and to our emotions. I use success stories of what we have done for other clients (on a ‘no-names’ basis unless it’s a publicly-disclosed deal) to demonstrate how we might be able to help them. They can easily imagine themselves painted into the picture and experiencing a similar, successful outcome. If germane to the situation, and well-told, a good ‘war’ story is a powerful tool to engage your prospect. (Note: Ask questions and listen first, per tip above, then tell a few well-chosen stories!)