In my previous post, I mentioned the value of asking questions. Here’s another reason: it will help you make more money.
Potential clients tend to ask a lot of questions.
- What would you recommend I do?
- How would you handle this?
- How have you dealt with this with other clients?
- What problems do your see with this situation?
- What do you think we should do? We’ll hire you if you give us a good recommendation.
Many prospective clients fish for answers. Often, they have no intention of hiring a consultant at all. They just want to interview several consultants for their perspectives on a project. In some cases, the clients do hope to hire someone, but they just want to pay for implementation of a recommendation, not the research that goes behind it.
Don’t play this game. In meetings with prospective clients, you should be asking more questions than giving answers. It’s okay to talk about your background and abilities, but steer clear of giving free advice.