3 Proven Ways to Overcome Sales Objections to Consulting Services
Starting any business can be intimidating, but starting a business as a consultant can be extra intimidating. It's no surprise that many budding consultants miss some of the key steps in the sales process. In this post, I’ll be sharing some of the main resistance you might hear when you're selling consulting offers and some proven ways to overcome sales objections to consulting services.
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Common Resistance & Ways to Overcome Objections to Consulting Offers
Even small miscalculations when selling consulting services can significantly reduce your chances of making a sale. Remember consulting services are traditionally quite high-ticket.
Before any call, it pays to spend a little extra time to learn about your buyers and their needs so you can better explain how your services fit into their bottom line. In addition, being prepared to handle sales objections when selling consulting services is essential if you want to create those lasting relationships with the right potential customers. You’ll want to be able to navigate the tricky landscape of responding to their concerns with a balanced, professional approach that doesn't give them all this free advice, but conveys your services in the best light.
As an expert in your industry, you’ve probably mastered this in the work you’ve done until now, but there are nuances that make selling consulting services unique. I've found the proven strategies to address concerns and objections while successfully communicating with potential clients as you move through these sales cycles and establish long-term connections here regardless of whether or not they decide to work with you.
Be Clear on Their Return on Investment
Some potential clients may initially shy away from investing in consulting services when they leave a call. This sometimes happens with the students in our Fractional Freedom consulting certification program. In analyzing their conversations, it seems they weren’t very clear on the return on investment for the client.
This can be a result of not having sufficient background knowledge on the business or even an ability to conceptualize what that return on investment could be like. This is common for those coming from a done-for-you or done-with-you type model as they move into consulting services. There’s a default to always being focused on that tangible result instead of your area of expertise.
A key indicator that the potential client may be feeling unclear about the benefit you provide is an invitation to a second call or an offer to show you access on the inside of their program or their offers. Maybe they are asking to send you a product so you can learn more information. In these scenarios, this tells me they liked meeting you and they think you're smart and they think you're great, but they really don't understand how the consulting services would benefit them in a specific and clear way.
As a mindset switch, it’s important to draw attention to what you could help with instead of what you're good at or the tangible outcome. Being able to articulate that ROI fosters trust between ourselves and our partners.
It's our responsibility as problem solvers to assure that every stakeholder on the call can have a complete understanding of how their investment will yield results that directly benefit them.
Stress the Importance of an External Perspective
As you can imagine for an entrepreneur or a CEO, making the decision to invest in consulting services isn't easy, especially when the buyer is considering other available alternatives, like maybe making an internal hire for having an employee solve the problem at hand.
In these situations, it's really important to remind them that an employee is typically hired to implement a system or a process, while a consultant is brought in to create that system.
When I point this out to potential consulting clients, they often have a lightbulb moment. Oftentimes, they may not be considering it in that way and instead assume their best approach is to hire an expensive employee who will, in turn, figure out the solution. But more often than not, this strategy backfires.
The reason why it backfires is, first of all, the internal employee doesn't have a fresh perspective or specialized knowledge that a consultant could provide.
And second of all, their job is on the line. The employee may not be willing to push or take the risks in a way that a thought partner could.
Offer Longer Term Support
Over the years, I’ve found it’s a common concern that consultants will swoop in, give advice, expect the entire team just to figure out how to implement it, and then peace out with their paycheck. This may be a result of people having experience with short-term consulting services like VIP days or retreats or strategy days that are so popular with consultants.
Understandably, this is a big objection for people who are experienced consulting buyers. And, in my experience, that is not the right way to sell consulting services. The reason is that I recognize that 80% of the success of a project lies in putting the fundamentals and recommendations I make into practice.
At our company, we are dedicated to helping clients complete their goals and see lasting change. We're committed to being there every step of the way for guidance and support and to answer questions. It's my belief that this sets us apart from other consulting firms and is a way to overcome sales objections along the lines of, ‘well, are you just gonna come in and tell us what to do?’
Overcoming Sales Objections to Consulting Services
In conclusion, overcoming objections when selling consulting services requires that you are really clear and understand the benefits of your consulting services and you're able to help others recognize that in a very clear way. Remember to stress the importance of an external perspective when you're selling consulting services, as well as highlight that you are available to help clients in the implementation, or you have team members who can do it. When you are able to demonstrate your value and show ROI in this way, the client will understand you and your services are worth the investment.
To further explore sales objections when selling consulting services, or even just how to get ideas on how to become a consultant, I’m offering a free guide. Inside you’ll find information about how to turn your expertise into a money-making consulting offer and everything you need to know about how to increase sales, reach more potential customers, and finally have that consulting business that you've been dreaming about. It's a guide that summarizes all the questions that I've gotten from so many of you over the years into a simple and easy to understand process and how to get your consulting business up and running.
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