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Consulting & Relationship skills

Outcomes for a 1-3 day program: 

• Be more effective in your consulting

• Make a greater contribution to your firm by identifying and following up additional consulting opportunities

• Build your own network and use it to create business opportunities

• Learn the process of winning assignments – convert opportunities into leads and engagements

• Adopt the consultancy process to model, monitor and improve service delivery

• Build client and user ownership of your initiatives and solutions

• Develop relationships with your clients leading to increased utilisation of your services and acceptance of your contributions

• Implement practical and tested advice on how to manage the issues of building support for consultancies, managing resistance, delivering ‘bad news’ and in the management of change programs.

• Move up your client's value chain by using consulting methodology as opposed to pair of hands engagement

• Become more influential in your organisation

• Find your work more fulfilling by moving above the contractor role

• Receive templates for consulting tools and recommendations as to when and how to use them

• Receive an extensive manual for post workshop reference.

Target Group: 

• Designed for consultants expert in their own professional area who want to enhance their skills in building relationships with clients and in delivering their consultancy services

Program content:  Consulting & Relationship skills

(a)  Orientation and clarification

·    Distinction between consulting, contracting and service provision

·    4 Modes of delivering consultancy services: contracting, expert, facilitating &  collaborative – appropriateness and insights into how you are perceived

·    Client needs, client / consultant fears. specialisation & generalisation issues

(b)  Consultancy Skills – ‘how to consult’

·    The consulting process – 6 essential steps

·    Four principles for any consultancy:  the politics, people, building ownership and support, risk management

·    Consulting competencies

(c)  Consultancy Skills – Service delivery issues

·    Identifying and managing resistance, leading vs collaborating, delivering bad news, client fears, handling difficult people

·    Contracting: being overlooked, being typecast, being ignored

(d)  Consulting Tools:  a look at some of the key tools

·    Needs analysis / Gap analysis / Questioning techniques

·    Project plans:  a Project Mx approach

·    PIR – Post Implementation Reviews

·    Strategic planning, force field analysis, visioning

·    Facilitation skills, group process

(e)  Client Relationship Management 1 / Marketing your services

·    Nature of services:  intangibles, 3^rd party endorsement

·    Client ladder; relationship marketing

·    Your offer, your services

·    Identifying your target market

·    Building your profile active and passive marketing strategies

·    Networking skills

·    Conversation techniques, working a room!

(f)   Introduction to winning the engagement!

·    The business development and winning processes

·    Researching the need

·    Preparation and customising the offer

·    Approaching the client

·    Conducting the client meeting

·    Gaining agreement

·    Taking the brief

(g)  Client Relationship Management 2

·    Managing expectations and relationships

·    Maintaining the relationship

·    Your key client program – composition and Action Steps / Schedule

(h)  Applied Relationship Skills

·  Skills acquisition and consolidation through customised role plays

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