September 2004

How Not to Work with Clients:
Three Silicon Valley Executives Offer Advice

Highlights of the July 2004 WIC Meeting

By Linda Popky

Don’t wait until a project is over budget to ask the client for a project extension. Don’t tell a prospective client everything you can do before you find out what it is they want done. Don’t email someone who prefers voicemail, or leave voice mail for someone who’d rather work through email. And, whatever you do, don’t underestimate the importance of building your own personal brand.

These were just a few of the tips that three senior Silicon Valley executives shared during the July 2004 WIC meeting panel discussion on “Under the Covers: The Inside Scoop on What Companies Really Look for in Consultants.” The panel featured Jere King, vice president of corporate communications services at Cisco Systems; Carol Montgomery-Adams, former vice president of worldwide marketing for NetManage; and Joe Sipher, senior vice president of marketing for Virgin Pulse. Their insights can help consultants be better business partners—for small-, medium-, and large-sized organizations.

Listening Is Critical

Jere King of Cisco says she looks for consultants who are experts in the subject matter at hand, have experience with the type of project required (including good references), and possess strong communication skills—in listening, as well as presenting ideas. “They need to be able to listen and articulate back what they’ve heard,” she said. “A lot of ideas don’t get implemented, because they aren’t well communicated.”

Joe Sipher of consumer startup, Virgin Pulse, agrees. He often finds that consultants arrive touting their particular domain expertise, which may not be relevant to the assignment at hand and can turn off the potential client. “Consultants should listen first and understand what the customer knows and what they don’t know,” Sipher advises.

Carol Montgomery-Adams, formerly of NetManage, a Cupertino-based software company, advises consultants to stop and listen to what the client is saying. “Too many times consultants give you a ‘Chinese menu’ of what they can do,” she said. “Before you communicate everything you’ve done, find out what the hiring manager wants and tailor your presentation to their specific needs.”

Start with the Basics to Build Rapport

It’s the basic, easy things that make a difference in whether or not a consultant builds a rapport with a client, according to Joe Sipher. “Be responsive—call or email back quickly. And if you can’t get me an answer quickly, let me know,” he said. Sipher advises understanding the right mode of communication. “Get a sense of what is the client’s preferred form of communication. Don’t call if they prefer email, or vice versa.”

Sipher also recommends that consultants keep close track of the billing process—logging hours and costs and telling the client in advance when an assignment is reaching the pre-agreed limit or when a purchase order will need extending. “Make your client look good internally,” he advises. “Surprises are a bad thing.”

Stand Out from the Crowd

How do you stand out when everyone is trying to do business with a company like Cisco? Jere King says one of her biggest challenges is keeping up with the sheer volume of - calls, email, and written material she receives from consultants and agencies who’d like to work with her team. The fact is, most of the fancy brochures and mailings she gets go straight into her recycling bin.

King notes that she puts a lot of weight on an individual’s reputation in the market. For example, have they worked with others whose opinions she values? Her recommendation: Put the time and effort into building a personal brand in the marketplace. Do something to get publicity and stand out. “If I read about someone in a business magazine or even a local weekly paper, that means something,” says King. “If you’re someone people write about, that makes a huge difference at my level. And it’s important to keep up-and-comers on the radar.”

King advises that a little publicity smartly done can go a long way for a consultant. “Take some of the money you’d put into that fancy collateral and put it into publicity—it’s money well spent,” she recommends.

Tips from the Experts

• Come prepared. Do your research on the company before you attend the meeting.
• Be upfront if you’re not the right person for the job. Refer someone else, but let the contact know about your area of expertise and when he or she should consider hiring you.
• Simplicity is valued. Keep contracts short and to the point. And be sure to get agreements in writing.
• Be proactive about what the client is doing. Support the immediate goals identified by the client. You can look for other projects later.
• Be a better business partner. Keep track of your billing. Warn the client long before the project is over budget.
• Be careful not to over bill or to “nickel and dime” the client on a project. Think of the long-term relationship.
• Take responsibility for the project, as if you were an employee. Show you are 100 percent committed to the project and to making your client team look good.

Linda Popky is president of L2M Associates, a strategic marketing firm that drives technology companies to improve their bottom line by more effectively leveraging their marketing programs, processes, and people. Visit her Website to learn about common marketing myths and how to avoid them.