How to Create an Effective Networking Presentation

By Janet Christensen

Networking effectively can significantly increase your business profile and lead to greater profitability and success. It is one thing to talk about your business one-on-one with people, however, when the opportunity arises to do a presentation to a group, many business professionals are reluctant to accept the opportunity, or when they do, find creating and delivering a presentation very stressful. After all, you are an expert in your field, yet not likely a professional speaker. You do not want to turn the golden opportunity to profile your business into a missed opportunity, or worse, create a poor impression.

The following outline provides a format for creating an effective 15 to 20 minute networking presentation, which can be customized to profile your business in the most appropriate and dynamic manner. It will help you to plan what to say and what to leave out, organize your information, and deliver it with confidence. Also included are some presentation tips because it's not just what you say, it's how you say it that makes the difference between “okay” and “great.”

The purpose of your presentation is to give an overview of your business, products, and/or services so that people know what it is you do. Then, when they, or someone they know, needs what it is you offer, they will contact you or refer you. (The purpose is not to give your life history, the entire history of your company, or to put them to sleep.)

Introduction: (2 minutes) You want to get the audience's attention right away so open with something different, interesting, and lively.

• Do you have a product you can demonstrate?
• Do you have a success story you can share?
• Is there something unique to your business/product/service that you can open with?
• Are there interesting/attention grabbing statistics that you can use that relate to your business?
• Are there questions you can ask that create interest about what it is you do/provide? For example, what brings your customers to your service or what problems do you solve for your customers?
• Is there an exercise you can take the audience through to create interest in what you do?
  

Once you have their attention, then introduce yourself and your company, products, and/or services. Keep it brief. If you have a tag line, use it here as a lead in to the main part of the presentation.

Presentation: (7 to 9 minutes) If you can give an example or sample of what it is you do, by all means do it. If you can pass on useful tidbits of information, do that. By doing this, you are becoming the expert in their minds.

1. An overview of what it is you do, your product line, and/or your service. How long in business?
2. Credentials/qualifications of you and your company.
3. Hours of operation. Geographic area you service.
4. Who is your typical/ideal customer? What is your market niche?
5. What are the features of your business/product/service? Do not spend a long time on this. Just list them.
6. What are the benefits to your customers? Spend more time on this and fully outline the benefits.
7. What makes you stand apart? Why should someone deal with you and instead of your competition? (Do not slam the competition here – focus on what you do.)
8. Outline any special offers, if any, that you are offering the group for attending.
   

Conclusion: (2 to 4 minutes)

• Summarize your products/services.
• Who is your ideal customer or referrer? Who needs you and what you do?
  
• Call to action on your special offers. Closing Statement – Use your tag line.
  

Questions and Answers (approx. 3 minutes) If no one has any questions, it means you did a great job in explaining what it is you do. Thank the group for their time and attention then sit down and relax.

Presentation Tips

• The key to a good presentation is to know what it is you are going to say and to practice a few times beforehand. Get a supportive person who you trust to listen while you go through the presentation and get constructive feedback. Failing that, practice in front of a mirror. You can even tape your presentation and listen to it.
  
  
• Smile. Take a deep breath and relax. Work on the basis that everyone there is interested in what you have to say and they are supportive. They are not out to get you.
  
  
• Be aware of your body language. Stand tall with open body posture. Be animated. Do not slouch, swing from side to side, pace back and forth across the floor, fidget, or stand with your arms crossed.
  
  
• Be aware of your voice and speech. Vary your volume, the rate of speech, and tone. Pause for effect and emphasis at appropriate times. · Interact with the audience if it is appropriate to do so. For example, you can ask questions, get input or feedback. (E.g., Has anyone ever encountered this problem before? What is your concern when you shop/look for...? )
  
  
• Be energetic and enthusiastic. If you aren't excited about what it is you do, no one else will be.
  
  
• Use humour and/or a joke if you can carry it off and as long as it is tasteful.
  
  
• Use a PowerPoint or overhead presentation to keep you focused and on track if it is helpful. If you are using one of these, practice ahead so that you are comfortable and confident in using these tools. It is distracting when the presenter fumbles around with gadgets or technology and it makes you more nervous. Also, have a backup plan in case the equipment fails. Be able to go on without technology.
  
  
• If you are using PowerPoint or overheads, include key points only. Do not have your entire presentation, word for word, on the screen and then read it. The audience can read. You know your stuff. Allow the key points to guide you and elaborate on them. You are having a conversation with the audience.
  
  
• If you have samples, photos, visual aids, etc. they will enhance the presentation and take some pressure off you to carry it all. Let these do some of the demonstrating and speaking for you.
  
  
• Have handouts that are pertinent and make sure you have your contact information on them.
  
  
• People love freebies, as long as they are useful. Whatever it is you give away, make sure it has your name, logo, and contact information on it. If you do not have a suitable free sample to give away, is there something you can use to make you memorable? Be creative.
  
  
• Have fun!
  

Janet Christensen passionately inspires potential as a professional speaker, Passion Map facilitator and writer. She can be reached through her company Unlimiting Potential at (519) 434-5397 or toll free 1-888-779-3061 fax (519) 434-8344 email info@janetchristensen.com Web site www.janetchristensen.com.

Published in Networking Today, February 2006.

Cross-Selling Takes Teamwork

By John Boe

Progressive company's understand the power of cross-selling and recognize it as a critical component for promoting both customer retention and revenue growth.

What is cross-selling? Cross-selling is nothing more than team-selling with other specialists within your company, all working in partnership on behalf of the customer's best interest. It's a proactive, ongoing sales process designed to provide your existing customers with a full range of your company's products and services.

The good news is, cross-selling is one of the most profitable and least risky endeavors a company can undertake. The bad news is, if your cross-selling program is not properly administered and monitored you run the risk of losing customers and creating conflict within your sales team.

Not surprisingly, two of the key elements that make cross-selling work are trust and convenience. Your customers already possess a degree of trust in your company, and this can be converted into additional sales that are not directly related to their existing products. Some might suggest that customers are irritated by cross-selling and perceive it as an aggressive sales approach.

Interestingly enough, consumer research indicates that the reverse is actually true. Most customers prefer a full spectrum of products and services and appreciate the convenience that is provided through a comprehensive cross-selling approach.

Would You Like Fries With That?

While you may not have recognized it was happening, the last time you ordered from a fast food restaurant there's a good chance you experienced cross-selling. Cross-selling is a well-established and highly effective marketing practice utilized by a wide variety of industries, ranging from financial institutions to fast-food restaurants. When you cross-sell related products and services to your existing customers, you are making a smart decision.

Developing a systematic approach to cross-selling brings in additional revenue with relatively low expense and effort. Marketers wrack their brains and develop expensive advertising campaigns solely designed to get prospects to focus on their offers. When you cross-sell to existing customers, you don't have to compete for their attention. In addition to generating new sales, cross-selling promotes customer loyalty and as a result, keeps competitors at arms length and your business on the books.

What Makes Cross-Selling Work?

Cross-selling begins with uncovering your customer's needs and laying the groundwork for other specialists to assist you in the selling process. The best place to introduce your customer to the concept of cross-selling is during your initial needs analysis meeting. It's important that you inform your customer early in the needs analysis process that you do not work alone, but represent one aspect of a team of specialists all working to help them achieve their goals. When you cross-sell you don't claim to be the expert, you're more of a partner in the process, guiding your customer toward another qualified specialist within your company. You are responsible for setting the tone and preparing your customer for a smooth transfer to an additional specialist.

Unfortunately, many salespeople fail to do a thorough “needs analysis” and as a result, frequently do not identify potential products and services that fall outside of their area of expertise.

Ask questions and take good notes. Ask about their goals and what concerns them. When you discover an area of potential need, be certain to ask your customer what steps they have taken, if any, to address the concern. This collaborative approach also helps you view yourself as a planning partner. Effective cross-selling is all about guided self-discovery. Through a series of thought provoking, open-ended questions, successful salespeople assist their customers to uncover potential needs.

During the needs analysis interview, I highly recommend the use of a checklist that incorporates all of your company's products and services. Relying on your memory alone is a poor business decision, so take the time to jot down key information. The integration of customer information and behind the scenes paperwork is essential to facilitate a seamless handoff.

Keys to Achieving Cross-Selling Success

When developing a cross-selling program, it is critically important that everyone in the organization buys into the philosophy and fully participates in the program. The foundation of every successful cross-selling program is rooted in a strong incentive system based on personal recognition and financial reward.

Because of the complexity, there also needs to be a standardized software tracking system in place to monitor compliance and coordinate cross-selling activities between specialists. The true value of any sales program can only be measured through the customer's eyes. Steps should be taken to actively survey customer satisfaction throughout the process. Once a company links specialists, business processes, and data they make it easy for their salespeople to act on behalf of their customers.

Companies that fail to implement an effective cross-selling program actually do a disservice to their customers and in effect, leave the backdoor open to their competitors!

John Boe presents a variety of training and motivational programs for meetings and conventions. John brings over twenty years of experience as an award-winning sales trainer to the platform. His programs are unique, consistently well received, and get results. Visit www.johnboe.com for more information.

Published in Networking Today, February 2006.

Is My Product Appropriate for Mail-Order Catalog Sales?

By Jim Tilberry

Here are 14 criteria to judge whether your product has potential to be a catalog winner. Although it's not necessary to meet all of these criteria, the more it meets, the greater the likelihood it will be successful in mail order.

1. It makes sense. Upon seeing your product for the first time, most people would understand the value or usefulness of it.
   
   
2. It's new. Ideally the product should be fairly new with limited or no exposure at trade shows or in stores.
   
   
3. It solves a problem. Your product solves a common everyday problem that's never been addressed before. Or it solves a problem in a unique way or a much less expensive way.
   
   
4. It's unique. There's absolutely nothing like it on the market.
   
   
5. It looks good. Your product photographs well. An attractive eye-catching photo works wonders for sales.
   
   
6. It's simple. Your product has just one main function and solves just one problem. It takes less copy to explain a simple gadget than one with lots of "bells and whistles."
   
   
7. There's a widespread market. Naturally the larger the catalog market for your product, the larger the opportunity. Unfortunately, certain consumer markets, although big, are not necessarily big catalog markets.
   
   
8. There's a year-round market. The bigger the window of opportunity for your item, the better. It's usually more profitable to get steady sales throughout the year than to be limited to a short seasonal market.
   
   
9. It's safe. Ideally your product should not be dangerous in any way. There's no risk, or at least limited risk of injury to the customer. There are no small breakable parts for children to swallow.
   
   
10. It's durable. Your product will easily ship without breaking.
    
    
11. It's easy to supply. There's an adequate inventory with a short lead time (less than 4 weeks) on production. Plus, you have backup suppliers lined up, in case you need them.
    
    
12. It's priced between $5 and $100. Ideally the perceived value is over $5, unless the product can be sold in sets. Although there is no upper-limit price, generally products selling for over $100 have slower sales through catalogs.
    
    
13. It's easy to mail. Your product is UPS-shippable. If it's particularly long or odd-shaped, you can provide the product in a re-shipper box. Preferably the product should also be lightweight. Naturally the higher the price/weight ratio, the better.
    
    
14. It's patented. Although it's not absolutely necessary that your product be patented, with a patent you can ward off "knockoffs." The catalogs will also feel better about advertising your product if they know you are the rightful owner of the idea.
    

Jim Tilberry is President of Tilberry Direct Marketing. His business specializes in helping inventors and small companies sell their consumer products through mail order catalogs. Email: tilberrydm@aol.com Phone: 630-837-1915 www.catalogrep.com

Published in Networking Today, February 2006.

How to Hire Terrific Employees: Part One

Part One: Adopt a Screening Process That Reveals Applicants’ Qualities & Skills

By Cynthia Wall

Choose the staff who make your business inviting to customers and profitable for you. A three-part article hiring process to help you find employees you can trust.
Your customers are looking for more than the latest model or best price. They want to engage with employees who know the products and services, and are also sensitive to their needs. Savvy business owners treasure the peace of mind that comes from having employees with whom they can communicate easily, and are eager to help the business be successful.

Have you ever lost sleep over having to reprimand or fire an employee? Most likely this was due to an unpleasant interaction with a customer or co-worker. Many managers were taught to look for candidates with a background in needed skills. For businesses that depend on excellent customer service, it’s often wiser to hire people who naturally care about others. This is because it is easier to train good-hearted people in practical skills than to try to teach empathy.

You may wonder if you have the knowledge, skill, or patience to direct such a hiring process. Take heart. If you love your business and know your customers, you have all the information you need.

Hire In Haste, Repent In Leisure

It’s tempting to hire someone after one lively conversation. However, this magical feeling of rapport is only one of many important elements that may indicate a good fit. A thorough hiring process benefits everyone. You gain the confidence to make a commitment to new employees, and they are invited to communicate honestly with you.

For twenty years as a psychotherapist and business consultant, I have counseled business owners in solving problems caused by mismatched, unproductive, or insensitive personnel. The best way to avoid this struggle is to use a hiring process that highlights interpersonal qualities as well as an aptitude for the job.

Three Elements of a Thorough Hiring Process

To identify a candidate’s personal qualities, a hiring process needs three distinct elements of screening, probation, and evaluation. Each step gives you the opportunity to determine if a prospective employee can help you meet the goals unique to your business. No one can hurry this exploration and count on good results. Using all three elements allows you to detach from the natural tendency to want to like and be liked. You are not pressured to make an important decision with too little information. Your reward will be finding employees who make your business a delight for the customers, co-workers, and you.

Screen for Qualities as well as Skills

Promise yourself to base this major decision on more than an initial interview. People who shine under pressure and claim dazzling skills will not necessarily have empathy for customers or loyalty to you. Someone who appears less confident initially may turn out to be an ideal employee.

Make sure the job application includes questions to answer in writing: describe interests, unusual background, or skills. Find out if they are artists or photographers, what their hobbies are. Where have they traveled? What books have they read?

You can sense how they would interact with your customers while discussing their interests and experience. You can weigh their ability to carry on open conversation, which is a basis of good sales and customer satisfaction.

Get the Most from the Initial Interview

This is where you learn if job candidates follow your instruction and respect your time, and how they dress for work. Schedule at least an hour – you do not want to hurry this process. Use the following guidelines to make your meeting as productive as possible:

• Throughout the interview, remind yourself to stay neutral and avoid showing negative reactions or giving eager praise during an interview. Breathe easily to keep calm and centered. Allow short silences between your questions. Pay attention to expressions and body language as well as words.
  
  
• Hold the interview at your business, even if it means meeting before or after regular working hours. It’s important for them to see the workplace and for you to watch their responses.
  
  
• Make it clear you want them to arrive on time, dressed for work, with a fully completed application, and three work and two personal references.
  
  
• Ask them to write their reasons for wanting to work in your business. Include a request to write briefly about personal interests and unique experiences. Note if the handwriting is legible (ask for a sample during this meeting if the application is typed).
  

Begin the interview by reading the application with care. Did they follow instructions? How do they communicate in writing? Invite them to discuss work and life experiences, and if there was anything they want to add after they have seen your business. Notice if they interrupt you and how thoughtfully they answer questions. You are looking for clues about their ability to listen to customers and other staff.

Discover Applicants’ Working Style and Personal Qualities

Always use a script when interviewing candidates. Prepared questions allow you to focus on the most important topics. Avoid setting them up for “yes/no” answers. Give real examples from your own experience. You want them to see the importance of discretion and customer service. Let their answers direct your follow-up comments and queries to disclose their strengths and limitations. The following questions take you deeper than surface impressions.

• What do you imagine you would like best about working here?
  
  Caution Answers:
  
  • “It will be easier than my last job.”
  • “I don’t know”
  • “I haven’t thought about it.”
  
  Welcome Answers:
  
  • “I love the kinds of projects and products you have.”
  • “I like helping people.”
  • “I’m intrigued by what you do/sell.”
    
    
  What do you guess your biggest challenge working here might be?
  What were difficult elements of your last job?
  Also, tell me about your favorite parts.
  
  Caution Answers:
  
  
  • Notice body language: Is she really thinking, or merely treating these as tricky questions?
  • Quick denial that there could be any challenges.
  • Defensive or blaming comments about her last boss or co-workers.
  
  Welcome Answers:
  
  
  • Meets your gaze and gives genuine responses that reveal self-doubts or fears.
  • Talks about previous employment with a positive spin on facing difficulties; honest assessment about why she did not work out there.
  • Likes similar elements of this job opening.
    
  
  
  Follow-up comments and questions:

Everyone starting a new job runs into obstacles. They need to ask questions and suggest new ideas. When someone makes a mistake, they need to be able to come to their supervisor and explain what happened. Always ask: How might we work together to avoid the problems you had in other work situations?

Continue this article…
Part Two: Teach Applicants About Your Business During Screening and Probation
Part Three: Build Interactive Evaluation into Probation and Training

Cynthia Wall, LCSW, is a therapist, consultant, and the author of The Courage to Trust: a guide to building deep and lasting relationships (Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publication, 2005). In consultations, she assists a small business translate the successful strategies of larger corporations and supervise employees with compassionate honesty. Contact Cynthia at www.CynthiaWall.com.

Published in Networking Today, February 2006.

Always Leave Them Laughing: Integrating Humor into Your Trade Show Marketing Campaign

By Susan A. Friedmann, CSP

One of the major objectives of any trade show exhibit is to create a lasting impression in the attendee’s mind. After all, if a visitor can’t remember you, how can he give you his business? You also want to create a positive impression, and unfortunately, that’s harder to do than the negative equivalent.

Which brings us to humor. People love to laugh – and they like other people to laugh with them. Witness the almost constant flood of jokes and cartoons that flit across the Internet: Proof that humor cannot be stopped. You’ll often find that people go out of their way to remember great jokes, where they’ll never, ever stop to jot down the details of an eye-catching graphic. This makes humor an invaluable marketing tool – if you can make it serve your corporate objectives.

Some of you are dismissing this idea out of hand. “There’s nothing funny about my product!” I can hear you saying. Well, what’s funny about rental cars? Beer? Car insurance? None of these items are inherently funny, yet companies in all three sectors have effectively used humor to fix their products in the public eye.

It is important to remember that your trade show campaign should be fully integrated into your marketing plan as a whole. If you are using humor in your television and print media, bring it to the show floor. However, if you are known as a stoic and conservative company, playing for laughs at the convention center will fall flat. Consistency in corporate image is key.

What can we learn from companies that have successfully used humor?

There are four key lessons. Avis Rental Cars “We try harder” campaign centers on humorous scenarios highlighting what would happen if a rental car company wasn’t willing to go the extra mile. They film ridiculous situations, such as an attendant handing out books to customers waiting in long lines, and contrast them with the bright, efficient service a customer could expect from their company. It gets a chuckle – but you’d better believe that when a weary traveler is eyeing the rental car company kiosks at the airport, an image of that book-toting attendant flashes through his mind.

Key #1: Exaggerate the norm

Contrast exaggerated examples of industry “norms” with how your company excels. A restaurant chain that serves large portions could highlight the much smaller servings to be had at the competitor’s. Wendy’s did this very effectively with the “Where’s The Beef?” campaign in the Eighties. Be careful not to explicitly or implicitly identify your competitors, or you’ll be hearing from some very angry lawyers.

Remember the Budweiser frogs? How about the lizards? Or the donkey that wanted to be a Clydesdale? Each of these campaigns was phenomenonally successful, yet only tangentially related to the product at hand. Each approach was slightly different. Frogs croaking Bud-weis-er can be inherently funny, especially if you’ve already had a few brews yourself. It also appealed to the coveted young drinker demographic, as studies have shown an intense brand loyalty among drinkers, generally established in the early twenties. The lizard campaign capitalized on the wry, sarcastic humor enjoyed by Budweiser’s target audience. The donkey campaign tied into the traditional Clydesdale imagery, a strong if staid marketing tool.

Key #2: Know your target audience

Jokes that appeal to one demographic may not work with another. Gen Y shoppers have especially sharp funny bones, and may appreciate dry wit. Tie in your classic marketing efforts whenever possible.

Geico and AFLAC have recently done very well with their talking animal ads. By using the same animals over and over to reinforce the marketing message – after all, that poor duck could surely use some disability insurance of his own by now! Both companies have created brand awareness second to none. Ask the random person to identify a disability insurance company, and chances are that they’ll tell you about AFLAC. Ask them about another disability insurance company, and you’ll be lucky if they can name even one.

Key #3: Create a character

Create a “character” as part of your brand image. This character should show up EVERYWHERE – including television commercials, on the literature you distribute at the show, in your signage and graphics, and potentially as stuffed animals.

The Serta Sheep toys have taken on a life of their own, and each and every one of them goes out with the company name blazoned on the side. That’s humorous marketing at work. Consumers buy these secondary products because of the laugh-factor, and bring a constant advertisement into their home. The influence on subsequent purchasing decisions may be minor, but it is in fact there. Humor can be a great way to convey your marketing message. Geico has done this very well with the “I saved money on my car insurance by switching to Geico!” series of commercials. Exercise equipment salesmen, politicians, animated characters – all have been pressed into service to recite those ten words. Using different settings keeps the audience engaged, while constant repetition drives the message home.

Key #4: Repetition counts

Remember, consumers need to hear a message at least six times before they’ll recall it easily. The trick is to keep the presentation fresh while the message remains constant.

Comedians world-wide will tell you that humor is a tough business. It’s hard to tell what will make one person laugh and another roll their eyes in disgust. However, if a joke falls flat for a comedian, they simply move on to the next joke and keep moving. If you’ve invested tons of time and money in your humor campaign, you need to know these three things:

1. It must be funny. Test the campaign on objective people. Lots of objective people. If the majority laughs, you’re golden. However, if less than half the people get the joke, drop it.
   
   
2. It must be quick. There are great funny jokes that take half an hour to tell. That’s nice. Inflict them on your relatives or when you’ve got a whole room full of trapped subordinates. Customers aren’t going to give you that much of their time. You’ve got half a minute tops to get them laughing.
   
   
3. It must reflect well on your company. Ethnic, racial, sexual, and gender based humor has absolutely no place in the corporate world. Perceived slurs – even if they are made in the guise of a joke – will travel around the world as fast as the Internet can move, and suddenly your company will have all kinds of attention they don’t want.
   

Laughing is a lot of hard work, isn’t it? But once you’ve found the right balance, you’ll have an advertising campaign that will draw the crowds into your exhibit – and more importantly, toward buying your products and services.

Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, is The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. For a free copy of “10 Common Mistakes Exhibitors Make”, email: article4@thetradeshowcoach.com; Web site: www.thetradeshowcoach.com
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Published in Networking Today, February 2006.

No More Root Canals

By Michael W. McLaughlin

You don’t need to be around the consulting business long before you’ll hear a client refer to a consultant (or an entire firm) as difficult, arrogant, condescending, or just plain snooty. Not all projects go exactly as planned, so it’s not surprising that some clients grouse about their consultants. Such barbs come with the territory.

And some projects call for consultants to “break glass” to achieve the client’s desired outcome, in which case, a certain amount of pain is expected. But what if, as one client put it, working with consultants is like having a root canal? No firm in its right mind wants a reputation for being that hard to work with.

Do you even know what your clients experience in working with you?

Too many consultants measure a client’s satisfaction postmortem, based on the effectiveness of the transaction. If the project delivers the desired outcome, on time, on budget, and the client pays the bill, the project is deemed a winner. Rarely does the client’s experience enter into the satisfaction equation.

Now is the time for consultants to make the client’s experience an integral part of the business. In their 1999 book, The Experience Economy, Joseph Pine and James Gilmore advise executives to battle the onslaught of commoditized goods and services by managing the customer’s total experience: "Businesses that relegate themselves to the diminishing world of goods and services will be rendered irrelevant. To avoid this fate, you must learn to stage a rich, compelling experience."

Every consultant/client interaction evokes emotions, whether it’s a presentation, a meeting, or even a voicemail message. Consultants can encourage a positive response by adding experiential elements to traditional, transaction-based consulting processes. The resulting emotional reaction will help establish a connection between you and the client that helps build the relationship.

What do I mean by adding experiential elements to the consulting process? Think Southwest Airlines, Las Vegas, or Disneyland. Okay, maybe it’s over the top to think a consulting project could be “the happiest place on earth.” But you get the idea. Those businesses attempt to create memorable, emotional, and positive encounters for their customers. The experience is a big part of the service.

This idea isn’t a stretch for most consultants. After all, delivering top-flight client service is in the mission statement of every consulting firm on the planet. Of course, consultants aren’t in the entertainment business, like Disney or the Las Vegas casinos. But why not tear a page from their book and apply it to the marketing, selling, and delivery of consulting services?

Some consultants already focus on the client’s emotional experience. Ask Doug Hall, author, consultant, and founder of the Eureka Ranch. The “ranch” is a colorful, energetic environment where clients attend facilitated sessions to experience the “Aha!” of new ideas, whether that’s imagining new products or breathing new life into old ones.

Hall’s team never loses sight of its objective, which is to deliver extraordinary value. But they use an intense, challenging, creative process to shake loose their clients’ best ideas. This isn’t a style-over-substance approach to consulting. The consulting team conducts rigorous fact-gathering, analysis, and solution development—just like every other consulting firm.

This trend is picking up steam among other consulting firms, as they apply experiential elements to their visual identity, marketing communication, business development, and consulting offerings. Suzanne Lowe, author of Marketplace Masters, believes that creating a positive emotional experience for clients can be a real market differentiator. That’s because your client’s specific experience is very hard for competitors to copy.

The opportunities for experiential consulting are enormous. Dump the stuffy status meetings, staid group sessions, and boring presentations. Take a look at your own consulting approach and products. You’ll find specific areas where you can tweak your consulting services to create memorable experiences for your clients. And there’s no reason why you can’t adopt a systematic, experiential approach to marketing and selling, too.

Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson, in his unpublished manuscript, Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management, makes this observation about human nature: “You remember 1/3 of what you read, 1/2 of what people tell you, but 100 percent of what you feel.” What clients are most likely to remember about you is their emotional reaction to working with you.

Consulting is a high-touch business, and one bad experience can pull the roof in on a client relationship. As one consultant said to me, “If you mess up a client’s experience with your firm—even just a little—it takes a lot of white paint to cover that black mark.” Fortunately, the converse is also true. One great experience can cement a relationship for the long-term. Consultants who bring a cold-fish, know-it-all approach to the table, even if they have talent and skill, may find success in the short-term but will stumble eventually. There are simply too many great choices out there. Clients will turn their backs on “root canal” consultants, and go with the firms that deliver results and a great personal experience.

Michael W. McLaughlin is the coauthor, with Jay Conrad Levinson, of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants. Michael is a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, and the editor of Management Consulting News and The Guerrilla Consultant. Find out more at www.guerrillaconsulting.com and www.managementconsultingnews.com.

Published in Networking Today, February 2006.