Trust Based Selling

Account management is the bridge between the consulting practice and the client; sales are the traffic that goes over the bridge. A good quality bridge will carry more traffic, but equally having a great bridge but no traffic is a waste of effort. Account management needs time devoted to it – a commodity which is scarce for busy professionals.

This well proven programme helps account managers identify the areas where they can most profitably invest their time.

This course is for all those who are responsible for managing relationships between clients and their consulting practice.

By the end of the workshop you should be able to address the challenges of:

• building the client relationship when clients want a commodity service; positioning the account manager as a value added business partner to the client
• understanding clients whose needs are changing
• developing new business in a structured way
• engaging effectively with clients
• knowing what constitutes effective performance

The workshop is based on our STAR approach as follows:

Situation appraisal

• Who am I? Strengthening the sense of identity of the Account Manager in respect of clients
• Persona marketing: In this session, we identify the main types of individuals AMs have to deal with in clients, and what drives them
• Assess client maturity: A progressive model of client maturity, identifying needs both for the practice’s propositions and factors affecting the buying decision

Tactics

• The value builder process:Introduction of this and its application to account planning
• Setting criteria of success: Towards a scorecard for business management in the consulting practice
• Projects as a means of transmitting value: Scoping projects. Ensuring that they represent real value for money for the practice and the client

Action

• Becoming a trusted advisor: Review of the David Maister work. Factors at work in your practice. Developing “trusted behaviours”. Active listening
• The sales meeting: Practice in engaging, campaigning and closing a sales meeting or series of meetings
• Dealing with difficult situations:Identifying these and practicing how to address them through a series of short role playing exercises. (Includes negotiating, handling difficult questions and objections)

Review

• Case review: What a case review is and how to conduct and get value from it
• Performance development: Getting value from and applying the learning

We run this programmes in-house for account teams and tailor it to suit their specific needs. Sometimes we spread the programme across more than one session, allowing time for action back at work.