Most consultants struggle with marketing, lead generation, and business development because they have not mastered marketing and positioning. Thus, in this Expert Insight Interview, Ahmad Munawar discusses how to fill in your pipeline with five or six figures consulting deals. Ahmad Munawar is a Founder of Boutique Growth and the 90 Day Pipeline program, helping boutique consultancies to create demand, attract attention, and make revenue.
The interview discusses:
- Power positioning
- The three pillars of power positioning
- The transformational journey
The Power Position
There isn’t any silver-bullet to help you fill out the pipeline but the hard work of power positioning. Power positioning means adopting a position in your target market as the only viable choice for your customers.
People sometimes tend to have a broader target market and later on try to specify it. That depends on the stage of the business. New businesses should distinguish between deals they want and deals they take. As a new business owner, you need to make deals that bring bread to the table. However, the goal is to get to the position where you only pursue and make deals that bring you the highest price for the least effort.
The Three Pillars
Many hesitate to be direct in their messaging about why they are the best for the customers. The hesitance comes from a lack of self-confidence, and confidence is indeed the by-product of positioning. There are three pillars of power positioning. The first one is to get client clarity. Always go for the market that you have the most familiarity with because that is where you will feel the most confidence. The second one is problem specificity. Get clear on the specific problems that you can solve for the clients. And the last one is to find the point of view that makes your offer different and unique.
Moreover, fall in love with the market that you serve and not in the solution you provide. If you fall in love with the market, you will become resilient and adaptable to the market’s dynamics.
The Transformation
And lastly, focus on a transformation that your client is going through and not on a single transaction. The transaction kicks off the long transformational journey. How much time you spend with your clients depends on the level of expertise. While some consultants like to embed themselves in the organization, experts want to provide short and effective service. They want to be present when it is the messiest, deliver the transformation and leave. That way, they can install the capability and build trust in clients to become self-efficient.
Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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