By David A. Fields
A sweet, little black bird just fluttered by. It might be a Brewer's Blackbird or a Common Grackle. I don't really know, because I'm not an ornithologist and, frankly I wouldn't have given it a second glance were it not for one detail: I'm awaiting my flight at Gate 9 of the San Jose airport and tweetie is on the wrong side of the window. My side. Inside.
What my fellow travelers and you know, beyond a doubt, is that something has gone awry and corrective action must be taken for the good of the bird, the airport and the fellow over at Gate 11 whose shiny pate looks suspiciously like a landing zone for avian calling cards. We know this because of a concept that is worth its weight in platinum for consultants: distinctions.
This particular distinction is obvious; however, since I'm a consultant talking to fellow consultants, I have included this handy Airport Waiting Guide (AWG):
Clients love distinctions. They pay oodles of money for a spiffy set of freshly minted distinctions and that is why you should take a look at your proficiency with them today. Though this subject may strike you as elementary, I can assure you that effectively brandishing a brilliant distinction is harder than it first appears and the upside for mastering the skill is phenomenal.
For instance, one of the early, famous set of distinctions dreamed up by high-horsepower consultants was The Boston Consulting Group's matrix. One moment BCG divides the world of business units according to their growth and market share, and the next moment executives all over the world are opening the corporate coffers to discover whether their divisions are cash cows, dogs or shooting stars.
When you break open a gift-pack of powerful distinctions during a client discussion, your rewards are:
1. Magnified client appreciation. An extemporaneous display of distinctions shows you know their issue so well that you can instantly shape an unruly mop of chaos into a neatly coiffed, intuitive framework. "Gosh, Mr. Client, you've been talking about plant throughput rates for forty minutes, but what you really have here is a morale issue, not an equipment issue." KaBlam, you're hired!
2. A 1,000-watt spotlight shining on your creativity. Everyone knows the standard view of the world, but your distinction shows reality in a whole new light. "Sure there are hundreds of shapes of pasta, Mrs. Client, but for your purposes what matters is not the shape, nor whether they will stick to the wall, but whether they will stick to the ceiling." KaBlam, hired!
3. Control of the conversation. The client moves from wondering whether you can help to asking what the distinction means for them and how you can help. "Oh, uber-consultant-gal, you're right: we fit exactly into your Modalist category. Does that mean I should change our hiring profile for entry level positions? Can you help with that?" Why, yes I can! KaBlam, welcome to the team!
4. Ddifferentiation. You catapult out of the competitive set. In a good way. "I was interviewing firms that have experience in the archaeological device industry, but you're right: my competitors are really kids with sticks. Do you have expertise in that area?" Why, yes I do. KaBlam, let's start Monday!
5. The appearance that you are listening well. As long as your distinction truly does capture what the client is expressing, the client tends to gush, "That's what I meant, only you said it better." They might even exclaim, "KaBlam!" before engaging you.
"David," you might interject, "plenty of insightful frameworks already exist. For instance, your Airport Waiting Guide is destined to be a consulting classic. Why not whip out one of the proven winners?" That's a fair question, my friend. Relying on someone else's distinctions is OK, of course. But if you do, you have to give attribution to the original thinker and there's always the chance that the client has already looked through that particular set of metaphorical spectacles. Therefore, let's go into the workshop and craft a batch of gold-plated, mega-powerful, client-winning distinctions for your consultancy.
STEP 1. In your area of specialty, what differentiates clients' performance? What separates the good from the bad and ugly? Your answer should be evidence based, but plenty of well-accepted distinctions have little evidence to support them. Intuition is a compelling rationale. Rustle up at least half a dozen of these differences. For example, in the world of market expansion, companies with a portfolio of base-hits typically outperform those swinging Babe-Ruth-style for the fences on a single pitch. In addition, the successful companies are more likely to have back-up plans in place prior to entering new markets and they are more likely to protect the new market organization from traditional corporate requirements.
STEP 2. Which of the distinctions you have identified in Step 1 are most meaningful? What are the clear demarcations you/your client can consistently and easily use? For instance, differentiating between totally cool equipment with lots of interesting dials versus boring, boxy machines that sport only an on/off switch may be less useful than separating out process steps that are at industry benchmarks versus those that are significantly below typical run rates.
STEP 3. What is the implication of each outcome/distinction? You must have a clear action associated with each distinction. The addictive power of BCG's matrix wasn't hidden in the separation of divisions into four buckets or the cute picture in each quadrant. No, executives effused praise for the framework because it established exactly what to do in each situation. You milk a cash cow; you wish on a star; you donate your dog to the ASPCA.
Voila; delectable distinctions. To serve them up well you need a varied menu and you need to practice each one to recognize where they apply. This is the challenging part because practice is neither fun nor sexy. Nor do we get instant rewards and feedback. Trust me, after seeing a zillion consultant/prospect conversations, a consultant who knows his frameworks inside out looks like he's wielding David Copperfield-esque magic, whereas the unprepared advisor who tries to advocate untested insights is closer to a six year-old with a deck of cards. The explanation is more confusing than the trick.
You can even differentiate among distinctions:
Potential Project Size=Small; You're Offering=Distinctions
Potential Project Size=Respectable; You're Offering=Taxonomies
Potential Project Size=Woot!; You're Offering=Ontological Rubrics
Finally, if you want to muscle up your distinctions to the Herculean level, transform them into powerful, client magnets by reframing them as diagnostics. If clients love distinctions, they swoon over diagnostics. Your framework is still you on the outside preaching to the client.
A diagnostic, on the other hand, engages the client in the action. It's the difference between yawning at John Kasich's explanation of red states versus blue states and cheering or decrying Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Are you a Republican?" speech.
Distinctions and diagnostics are more than a gimmick; they provide tremendous value for clients by simplifying their situation and allowing them to actively participate in the recommendations. With some time, thought and practice, you may find a handful of distinctions and diagnostics are your most effective selling tools.
Once I showed the AWG to that bald man at Gate 11 he immediately engaged me at a handsome fee to develop an Airborne Soil Avoidance solution. I snipped off the price tag before handing over the umbrella.
David A. Fields is a consultant, founder and managing director of The Ascendant Consortium. Field is also the author of the forthcoming The Executive's Guide to Consultants . He can be reached at david@davidafields.com.
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