Win Clients with Consistency - Dr. Cialdini 

Dr. Cialdini is a world expert on influence, persuasion, and pre-suasion. His books, Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion, and Pre-Suasion, have sold more than 7 million copies. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.  

This video is from Commitment to Consistency (3:54) with Robert Cialdini being interviewed by Chris COllins on SDRClips. 

• Summary
• Article
• Take-Aways Critical to Success
• Take Actions Critical to Success

Summary                                                

Consistency in marketing and sales is critical to success for both you and your clients.

Selling your consulting services consistently is like building a bridge, one plank at a time, from first contact with a prospect to securing them as a client.

Consistency is important to every consultant in two ways,

• Consistency in Marketing Ourselves and Our Clients

• Consistency in Ethics, Trust, and Reliability

This article focuses on the first point, Consistency in Marketing and Sales. A separate article describes consistency as important in ethics, trust, and reliability.

Consistency in Marketing and Sales

Consistency in marketing and sales is critical to success for both you and your clients.

Selling your consulting services consistently is like building a bridge, one plank at a time, from first contact with a prospect to securing them as a client. Consistency in sales has two parts.

• Consistently Stay in Touch
  As a consultant consistency in marketing and sales means you must consistently stay in contact until they decide and act. In marketing this process is frequently known as the AIDA principle; Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
• Building Client Processes that Enforce Consistency
  The other side of consistency is building consistency in the programs you deliver, for example, your client’s marketing and sales processes. As a consultant, you must help them build systems, disciplines, and habits so they are consistent in implementing your advice.

Consistency Closes Clients

Close more clients by building a ladder of consistent actions that end with them becoming your clients.

Do this by building a ladder of engagement with your prospects. The first engagement requires a minor commitment with modest value exchange, the second requires a more commitment with greater value. The ladder of commitment and engagement continues until finally, the prospect sees that making a full commitment to become your client is consistent with their prior actions.

The ladder of commitment and engagement continues until finally, the prospect sees that making a full commitment to become your client is consistent with their prior actions.

I’ve used this technique before I knew about Dr. Cialdini’s principles. Each time, it led to winning very large, long-term clients. I would start with a simple lead gen or white paper to make contact, then engage them with a Q and A session, free Lunch and Learn session, or webinar, and gradually increase the two-way value exchange until after about the fourth interaction, the prospects asked me to make a proposal for continued work.

Build a Ladder of Incremental Steps

Starting small is key. A tiny commitment, like agreeing to a brief meeting or subscribing to your newsletter, starts the client journey. It's not just about getting a foot in the door; it's about starting a journey of mutual commitment. From there, you must design each step to lead to the next, bigger commitment naturally. This could mean moving from a free Strategy/Discovery Session to a small but paid trial of your services and then to a full large engagement.

The beauty of using consistency in the sales process is that it feels natural. Each commitment is a logical step forward, not a leap of faith. For the prospect, it's a smooth progression of trust and investment in what you offer. This approach not only respects the prospect's autonomy but also aligns with their self-image as someone who makes wise, consistent decisions.

Another key element of consistency is staying in touch. Just emailing your blog updates or niche insights a few times per month increases consistency and keeps you at the top of the prospect’s mind.

A consistent engagement strategy positions you as a trusted advisor rather than just another vendor. Your consistency builds trust and proves your reliability.

You're guiding your prospect through a decision-making process that feels comfortable to them, it’s a natural progression, building a relationship founded on trust and mutual commitment.

This journey of consistency doesn't just lead to a sale; it lays the groundwork for a long-term client relationship.

Case Study

Scenario
Alex, a consultant, is struggling to convert prospects into long-term clients. The sales process seems disjointed, leading to dropped leads and missed opportunities.

Objective
The objective is to increase clients by streamlining the sales process, making it more consistent and effective at converting prospects into committed clients.

Strategy
Alex decides to implement a step-by-step commitment strategy. He starts by offering prospects valuable but free resources, like a white paper on industry trends, in exchange for their contact information.

Next, he invites them to a free webinar, providing insights and demonstrating his expertise. Following the webinar, Alex offers a no-obligation Discovery Session, identifying specific challenges the prospect faces and suggesting tailored solutions. Each step is designed to build upon the last, increasing the prospect's trust and investment in the process.

Outcome
Prospects must move smoothly through the sales funnel, with each commitment naturally leading to the next. Alex notices a significant increase in conversion rates, as prospects who engage in the initial steps are more likely to become long-term clients. This consistency in the sales process not only builds trust but also positions Alex as a valuable partner in his client's success.

Consistency Over Time Pays Off
“I’ve had some clients take over two years before committing. They need to find the budget, executive commitment, project priority, seasonal cycles, etc. which often takes time. But those large engagements would have been lost if I had dropped contact with them after three or four contacts. Staying connected over that long time doesn’t mean you should commit the same time and resources to hesitant prospects as you would to a hot prospect. But if they are qualified, stay in touch by sending articles of interest, related blog posts, or connecting at association dinners.”

Take-Aways Critical to Success    

Commitment is easy to understand but sometimes difficult to maintain. Make time for it and make it a habit.

Here are basic takeaways and alerts to remember about this concept, 

• Start with small commitments to build trust and guide prospects through the sales process.
• Each step in the process should naturally lead to the next, larger commitment.
• Use consistency to position yourself as a trusted advisor who can be depended on, not just a vendor.  

Take Actions Critical to Success         

Scenario 1
A prospect has just subscribed to your newsletter.

Action
Follow up with a personalized email thanking them for their subscription and offering a free, valuable piece of content related to their interests. This small gesture reinforces their decision to engage and paves the way for further commitments.

Scenario 2

Building engagement after initial contact.

Action
After the prospect has engaged with your initial content, invite them to a free, exclusive webinar addressing common industry challenges. Following the webinar, engage them in a feedback session, asking for their thoughts and offering a complimentary consultation as a next step. This sequence of actions gently elevates their commitment at each interaction, making them more invested in the relationship.

Scenario 3
A prospect has completed a free Strategy/Discovery consultation.

Action

Following the consultation, you can take different approaches that build a consistent ladder to winning the client. The approach you use depends upon your existing brand authority, the client’s immediate needs, and the size and immediacy of the solution.

After the free Strategy/Discovery session, you could,

• Deliver value to the client using free occasional webinars or Lunch and Learn sessions or webinars to build trust and demonstrate your authority. This builds a closer relationship with them and helps you understand their problems. You also build a network of confidants within the company.
• Propose a tailored, low-risk trial of your services that addresses a specific challenge they're facing. Make it clear how this trial is a natural progression from what they've already learned and how it can benefit them.
• Use the 12-step Sales Process to build trust and relationships at the management and executive levels, then apply the 12 steps to a “pre-approved” proposal.