You're facing resistance from a skeptical client about your consulting approach. How can you win them over?

When dealing with a skeptical client, it's essential to approach the situation with empathy and understanding. 1. Don't Argue or Try to Prove Your Point: Engaging in arguments can create a confrontational atmosphere and may further entrench the client's skepticism. 2. Acknowledge and Accept Their Concerns: Validate their feelings and concerns, demonstrating that you take their skepticism seriously. 3. Provide Thoughtful Consultancy: After understanding and acknowledging their concerns, offer your professional advice and solutions. This approach builds trust and shows that you are genuinely interested in helping rather than just proving a point.

Show them proof—case studies, data, whatever it takes. Explain your approach clearly and how it benefits them. Address their concerns head-on without dodging. Be confident but not arrogant. Show them you’ve done this before and it works. And if they’re still doubting, ask them what they want and adjust accordingly. There, now you’ve got a plan.

What are the reasons that your client is skeptical? Realistically, there is a limited list. Most likely - they don't fully trust you, they haven't fully bought into your process or solution, or they are distracted by conflicting priorities/voices. Your job here is to be in full curiosity mode - treat this as a mini-discovery just like you would in the sales process. You can't possibly solve this problem and move forward until you understand the actual root cause of it. Get curious. Ask why (use the 5 Whys technique to get to the bottom of things). Don't even try to solve yet - just seek to understand.

A collaborative approach & patient listening will always be helpful in your consulting approach: 1. Listen actively to understand their specific concerns and reservations about your approach. 2. Provide concrete examples of past successes and case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of your methods. 3. Offer a clear, step-by-step explanation of your approach, emphasizing how it addresses their unique challenges. 4. Propose a small-scale pilot project or trial period to showcase tangible results with minimal risk. 5. Be open to incorporating their feedback and adapting your approach to better align with their needs and expectations.

This is the basics of management. Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control... Active listening will be part of the analysis to understand not only the issue but to build the approach. Once the analysis has been dissected the client is driven to the planning process parallel to the prevailing business environment. All way through the client should feel that you are showing elements like self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills (EI). These are key to build trust with the client,

From my experience, once we understand their viewpoints and apprehensions we should explain the rationale behind our strategy. We should use anecdotes, our previous project examples that back our logic for the suggestions we make. We should remember our aim is be just make them see our perspective without really trying to prove them wrong.

El consultor generalmente no va a saber más que el cliente en conocimiento del negocio del propio cliente. A veces se puede tener la tentación de realizar recomendaciones sobre su negocio en base a la experiencia acumulada por el consultor, pero es importante manejar con cuidado ese límite. Una vez marcado dicho límite, también es importante que el cliente sea consciente que el consultor es experto en su ámbito. Quizás el cliente haya vivido uno o dos procesos similares durante su carrera, pero hay que trasladarle que es muy poco probable que tenga más conocimiento que el consultor (igual que pasaba en la otra dirección).

What truly matter are not only success stories from the past, but quick wins within the ongoing project. That said, nothing demonstrates the approach feasibility better than collecting low-hanging fruits previously unseen for the client. Definitely, it always requires some preparation and splitting the project into phases having clearly defined outcomes and outputs, but most importantly, it just works.

When facing resistance from a skeptical client about your consulting approach, offering assurance is crucial. Start by clearly explaining your methodology and how it aligns with their goals. Provide concrete examples of past successes and relevant case studies to build credibility. Ensure regular updates and transparent communication, addressing any concerns promptly. By demonstrating your expertise and commitment to their success, you can build trust and win them over.