In the November/December edition of Consulting , we reviewed Adrian Ott's new book, The 24-Hour Customer . As a former HP executive, and currently CEO and founder of Exponential Edge, she knows first hand why time will be one of our clients' most valuable assets in the 21st Century. In this edition of One-on-One, we ask Ott to consider the challenges that time poses for consultants.
Consulting: F rom your perspective as a leading strategist in Silicon Valley, w hat's the biggest change and challenge you've seen during the last few decades?
Ott: The advent of mobile devices means that everyone is multi-tasking. There is more competition for your clients' time then ever before. And researchers have found that time-starved executives don't always make the best decisions. They've found that when people multi-task, it takes twice as long and increases the error rate. When you're on a conference call with a client, you now have to assume that they are spending at least part of the time thumbing on their BlackBerry and not necessarily listening to every word you're saying. This new reality provides tremendous challenges to consultants, both when you are trying to sell new work and trying to hold client meetings during the course of a project.
Consulting: How do you step in front of their BlackBerry?
Ott: It's not always about getting louder. No one wins the attention arms race. No one likes to be yelled out. That's not a way to build relationships. The key is to plug into the ebbs and flows of people's attention. Listen for when they're saying they're on deadline and 'this just isn't a good time' or 'not now.' If what you've got to say is valuable, there are times when they are willing to listen and pay attention. You've got to focus on those opportunities.
Consulting: How can consultants best position themselves to take advantage of those opportunities?
Ott: With so much white noise, clients are seeking help to distinguish hype form reality. And, as a result, they are particularly apt to listen to peers' recommendations. There is nothing more powerful than having a colleague, friend or family member tap you on the shoulder and say 'You should look at this". This is why referrals and social media are so powerful. They reduce the time necessary to qualify a new provider. Social networks can also enable you to monitor the competition—see what experiences customers are sharing about them.
Consulting: Can consultants use social media to save time and better qualify their own prospect lists?
Ott: Absolutely. In fact, I think there's a bigger opportunity here than most realize. As a result of bad consultant experiences or because of a new business needs, clients are often in need of alternatives for a new project. Consultants should see questions being posed on Facebook and Twitter as a plea for help. It's a great opportunity to address your client. Be careful, because it's also an opportunity for your competition to come in.
Consulting: What else should consultants do to better engage with clients with respect to their time needs?
Ott: I think there are several ways consultants should position themselves to show their value from a time perspective. You can stress your value from a: time management perspective — making clients want to spend time with you because you're intrinsic to their success.; time saving perspective—being the most convenient or best positioned to help them anticipate what they'll need next; or by helping clients go into auto pilot—by outsourcing or otherwise taking over non-core business needs from their daily routine.
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