Consulting Success: How badly do you want it?

If I randomly lined up the first 10 consultants I could find and asked them what’s blocking their path to success here’s what they’d say:

• 4 of them would complain loudly about how other people have either got in their way or haven’t helped them enough.
• 2 would somberly say they had personal reasons that kept them from doing their best.
• 3 would raise their voices and tell me their working on it, they need access to more books, courses or training.
• And the 1 would, in quiet and confident voice, tell me “I’ve already made it a success!”

Is this based on some $5000 survey data? Nope. Have I lined up 100 consultants, 10 at a time and asked them this question? No siree. So I must be feeding you a load of rubbish, right? Could be. But I don’t think so.

I’ve worked and advised enough new business owners and consultants to know, while these numbers may be off a bit here or there, for the most part they’re on point.

No need to fret, I’m not having a bad day. And I’m surely not out to slam anyone. The sun is shining and cool breeze is coming in from window just behind my desk. The city looks beautiful. I’m telling you this for another reason…

Far too many consultants focus on ‘the right’ techniques. They believe when they learn the latest special ‘approach’ the clients will start lining up. Sorry, it just doesn’t work that way.

If you really want to succeed in consulting, you’re gonna have to get off your ass, hit the phones, walk the pavement and get in front of real people. Yes, you can do much of this online, but you actually have to connect with someone. You can’t just read or study your way to success. It’s about doing.

In Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling he very accurately states “Selling isn’t about techniques. Selling is about focus and creative verbal exchange.”

Techniques are good to know. They can help. But you need to create your goals and then go out and make them happen. That’s the true path to success in this business.