Checking Clients' Commitment to Make Certain They Are Ready, Willing and Able to Receive Your Proposed Change

by Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan, Organisational Provocateur

As a consultant you assist your clients to develop innovative solutions to their problems, replace less effective processes with more effective ones, accelerate the pace of progress at their organisations, but there is one snag: The implementation and ongoing use of your solution is out of your control. It depends on the client’s commitment. But commitment is something most consultants almost never fully in their clients.

They go through the problem and needs analysis and take it for granted that the client if fully committed to the projected outcomes and willing to start the journey of improvement. Consultants provide great solutions but since many clients don’t use them, the desired results just don’t occur. Then some clients get pissed off and blame their consultants.

This problem comes from the fact that most advisors present tasks and processes that can be followed intellectually; not end results and experiences, which can be emotionally engaged in. And we all know that emotions make commitments and buying decisions.

In this section we go through a short readiness assessment. You can actually embed this process in your client interviewing process to make sure that by the time you complete the interview, not only you but your buyer too is ready for moving forward towards implementation.

Check client for motivation whether or not they are fully motivated to do the project. You cannot motivate others. Motivation must come from within. If clients expect you to motivate them, your best recommendation may be a referral to the local psychiatric hospital for a check-up from the neck-up.

Check clients' understanding of their projects to make sure they fully understand the project and what it takes to produce the desired outcomes. Ask questions around clarity, implications and how the project will be applied to specific issues.

Check allocation of resources to make sure all appropriate resources are available for the assignment. For example administrative help to transcribe recordings, to write reports and to do basic donkeywork. Remember, you are an consultant NOT an outsourced labourer to pick up the slack

Check for readiness for change. For some clients it is more convenient to live with the problem than to do something proactive about solving it. They may moan and groan, complain and agonise over the problem, but if the solution costs $1 and a bit of work they may back off.

Check client’s readiness for the advisor. This is important because if the buyer has just had a bad experience with a consultant s/he may end up taking that experience out on you. Sometimes it can even turn into violence. Ask them what they think about consultants in general.

Check technical and skill readiness. Clients must have a certain technical background to implement the project. Be careful when totally computer illiterate people want you to set up highly sophisticated, that is, fault-prone network systems. Clients must be able to work with you, thus understand at least the basics of what you will do. You don't do it for them but with them.

Check scope and pace of the project. Do clients fully understand the scope and the pace of the project. Make sure you are not expected to develop a brand recognition program in one week or turn a lazy-lousy committee into an highly effective team in one month.

Check success factors. Here you want to summarise anything that can hinder the success of the assignment. Ask about unacceptable solutions, and make certain both you and the buyer are on the same page with the project.

The historical perspective. You should consider finding out about the history behind the problem and the assignment. Ask about how the problem "evolved", and how long the buyer has been aware of the problem. Also, check if the buyer has ever tried to solve the problem and with what result. Have other consultants ever tackled this problem and with what result.

Based on these guidelines, you can develop your own questions to clarify various aspects of your engagements. Make sure you both speak the same language, so you cannot become an outsourced labourer by becoming the victim of scope creep.

Copyright 1997-2010 Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan. All rights reserved. You are free to use this article in whole or in part. One favour though: Can I ask you to you include complete attribution, including a live website link. Also, can you please let me know where you plan to publish the article.

The attribution: This article was written by Organisational Provocateur, Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan of Dynamic Innovations Squad, a firm specialising in helping consulting firms to sell their expertise at the highest margins. Get Tom's free Practice Management Black Paper when you sign up for his monthly newsletter, Commando Consulting: Lessons And Practices From The Ultimate Professional Service Firm, The Military. Visit Tom's website at http://www.di-squad.com.

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