Their book was a sales pitch. Their discovery call was a sales pitch. Their email nurture was a sales pitch. This was going to be a $75,000 investment, yet after after reading the book, consuming other content, and speaking to the consultant several times, I had no idea what they would actually be like to work with.

What I did have, was a bad taste in my mouth about someone who seemed like the were going to come in with a cookie cutter approach, push me through their cohort, and I would be no better off than I was before, but with $75,000 less in my bank account.

Now there are plenty things wrong with the sales process in SaaS, but at least you can get a demo and see the product prior to making the purchase, or maybe even a free trial. This technically doesn't exist in professional services... or does it?

Mind the Gap

Just because a formal "demo" doesn't exist in professional services doesn't mean that your prospects aren't concerned about the unknown - they most certainly are skeptical of your ability to deliver what you promise.

The way most consulting firms address this is through testimonials and case studies. The consultant I was considering did too. For that matter, they had a ton of great testimonials in their book, in their pitch deck, and in their emails. But it wasn't enough. I actually felt more skeptical after seeing all of those. There seemed to be a growing gap between what the testimonials said and the case studies promised and how the consultant presented themselves and their expertise.

I've written about how "underpromise and overdeliver" is a bad play, but "overpromise and underdeliver in your sales process" is equally problematic for client acquisition. Any perceived gap between what your marketing promises and the actual interactions someone has with you pre or post purchase, creates a major brand problem, and at scale, your reputation will suffer.

How to Demo the Intangible?

Services are intangible. So how do you demo something that one can't see or touch?

Demo, is short for "demonstration" and consulting is guiding someone based on your deep expertise. So a consulting demo, is really just a demonstration of your deep expertise. Using that definition, what are some ways that we as consultants can demonstrate our expertise? My guess is you already do some of these things, but you likely don't think of it as a demo:

• Publish research
• Write articles
• Host webinars
• Speak at events
• Ask discovery questions
• Guide their purchase decision making

Most of you are already doing some of these things, but you likely see it as marketing and sales activity - and it is - with the purpose of selling. But if you reframe it as a demo - a demonstration of your deep expertise - you will likely do things differently and better. You will publish better research. You will write better articles. You will host more insightful webinars. You will ask better discovery questions. You will act like an advisor in your sales and marketing, not just in your delivery.

This means that everything you do in your marketing and business development needs to focus on SHOWING the following:
✅ Your understanding of key business objectives and challenges
✅ Your credibility in the market
✅ Your unique point-of-view (but make sure the language is accessible/understood)
✅ Your participation in the industry ecosystem

This means ensuring that your messaging is fully aligned from marketing, to business development, and finally to delivery.

As they consume your content, and talk with your business development team, they should FEEL like they are getting a glimpse of what it will be like to work with you, and they should increasingly FEEL like they can trust you and your people to deliver.

I Chose a Different Consultant

Reading about my experience, you might think that I was a tire kicker - maybe I just wasn't ready to spend that kind of money?

But I actually was, and I chose to work with a different consultant.

This one also had a book. Several in fact. You have likely read one of them. Their sales process wasn't a sales pitch, but instead was a guided discovery - it was just as much about them discovering whether my business would be a good client fit, as it was about helping me discover things about my business and my needs. There were far fewer testimonials, and even asking for references was a bit of a stretch, but I felt like I had a much better grasp of what it would be like to work with this person, than I did with the other one. It felt like a much lower risk decision.