This article is reprinted from The Consulting Journal
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Techniques: Client characteristics

by David Blakey

By knowing your client's characteristics, you can work better with them.

[Monday 14 June 2004]

I would like you to think about a person in each of three of your clients. In each case, the person should be someone whose decisions affect the client's purchases, especially its purchases of consulting assignments. The three clients that I want you to think of will be:

  1. Established, a client you have worked with for at least two years;
  2. Recent, a client you have worked with for less than a year; and
  3. New, either a client you have worked with for less than three months or a prospect.

The established client

First, consider your established client. Think about the person rather than the organization that they work for.

Their characteristics

Now answer the following questions. Write down your answers and thoughts.

  1. Do they keep up-to-date with industry trends and innovations? Think about the magazines you have seen in their office, the exhibitions and conventions they have visited, the web sites they have looked at, and your conversations with them.
  2. Do they embrace or reject new technology and methods? Think about recent consulting assignments and your conversations with them.
  3. Do they embrace or reject standards, procedures and formal methods of working?

Your knowledge

Now look at your answers. Did you know of these characteristics before you wrote them down? Although this may be the first time that you have thought about these characteristics, you probably did know of them. Your experience with the client will probably have taught you their characteristics, without you being aware of it happening.

Your behaviour

Assume that you knew about these characteristics, even if you were not aware that you did. Now try to think of occasions when this knowledge has affected the way in which you dealt with the client.

  1. Have you written reports and presentations to fit with these characteristics, by appealing to the client's views?
  2. Have you avoided some issues in conversations with the client, so that you did not arouse their opposition?
  3. When they have asked you questions, have you given them answers that you knew would appeal to their views?

You have have done any or all of these without being aware of it at the time.

My recommendation

I recommend that you become aware of these characteristics, by making an effort to identify them and note them.

The recent client

Next, consider your recent client.

Their characteristics

Answer the questions again, writing down your answers and thoughts.

  1. Do they keep up-to-date with industry trends and innovations?
  2. Do they embrace or reject new technology and methods?
  3. Do they embrace or reject standards, procedures and formal methods of working?

Your knowledge

Compare your answers with those for your established client. Is your knowledge of their characteristics as good?

Your behaviour

Now consider if you would work better with your recent client if you knew as much about them as you do about your established client.

  1. Would your reports be more acceptable to them?
  2. Would your conversations be more comfortable?
  3. Would they be happier with your answers to their questions?

My recommendation

You can improve the way that you work with your clients by identifying rapidly their characteristics, their likes, their dislikes and their prejudices.

The new client or prospect

Finally, consider your new client or prospect.

Their characteristics

Answer these questions.

How much do you know about whether:

Your knowledge

Now consider whether you can quickly increase your knowledge of any of these areas. You may be able to find out in a few minutes whether they keep up-to-date with trends.

Your behaviour

If you have this knowledge, you can now:

Where you lack knowledge you can remain neutral. You can hedge your bets.

My recommendations

With new clients, and particularly with prospects, you should try to identify their characteristics and then use this knowledge. If you are unable to quickly identify their characteristics, you will need to present a neutral position.

The first stage is to become aware of the knowledge that you have and the knowledge that you still need.

Summary

Recommendations

For each consulting assignment, make a list of the characteristics that will affect it. The three that I used above may be a useful starting point, but there are many others. Some that may be useful to you are their attitudes to:

List them before an assignment or proposal. Retain your list. Review it regularly.

Caveat

There is, of course, one overriding caveat to all this. Whatever your client's characteristics, they should not affect the substance of your recommendations.

Imagine that your client is averse to new technology. Imagine also that the best option for them is new technology. You should never avoid recommending this best option just because you know that it will be harder for them to accept. The fact that you know that the best option will be harder for them to accept should make you work harder earlier to make the option more acceptable to them.

Note that you work harder and earlier. You should never be in the position of making a recommendation and then having to work hard to justify it. If you do the hard work earlier, you should be able to alter your client's opinions sufficiently for them to accept your recommendation later.



The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

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