5 Ways to Show Clients You’re Worth Every Dollar They Pay You

You’ve landed a project and it’s about to start. It’s expected you’ll deliver on your promise of driving results for your client. Just don’t wait till the end of the engagement to showcase your success. Building a reputation as an independent consultant who’s worth the investment happens when you’re managing expectations at different touchpoints.

According to the author, across nearly two decades of his consulting business, he has made the mistake of overly focusing on the details of the work at the expense of orchestrating an intentional relationship with the client.  Accoring to the author he did the work to the best of his ability, but did any of it matter? He never heard from them again, and no surprise, as he didn’t think they had enough clarity as to the value he provided the team.  That’s a missed opportunity. They might have hired him again for a new project or referred him to their colleagues on a different team or at another firm if he was better at showcasing his impact.  Based on his experience he suggested four steps any consultant, coach, fractional leader, or solo business owner can take to build a reputation as a results-focused, client-centric partner that’s well worth the cost.

1. Deliver on the promise of your offerings as a starting point.  Whether that’s identifying security vulnerabilities as a cyber security consultant or decreasing the new-hire ramp up time as a fractional HR lead, getting the work done is priority one.  The floor here is you complete each deliverable or reach each milestone as laid out in your contract as no amount of communicating your impact will be beneficial without project delivery. Think of each project you’re working on as a two-way track of completing the required tasks and involving the client as a participant in delivering the final output.
2. Use your track record to illustrate the process.  It’s standard that you kick-off a client engagement by describing the process you’ll go through from start to finish. You want to make it easy for them to align with your workflow, so they know what you’ll need from them and when. To help make this explanation memorable and understandable for continued buy-in, reference how similar clients went through the process.  Referencing past customers with shared attributes makes the process more tangible and the outcomes verifiable as opposed to just points in a presentation or email.  Keep in mind, you’ve got to customize the work you’re doing for a new client and communicate this distinction, as even the impression of a one-size-fits-all approach could limit the perceived value of your offerings.
3. Send a weekly recap email for continued visibility.  For every client, it’s in your best interest to send the contact(s) that hired you a weekly recap email with a concise update on recent progress, roadblocks you’re up against, and next steps.  This recap gives them continued visibility into how the engagement is progressing, where they can offer assistance on a timely problem, and the ways you’re contributing at each stage.  Cumulatively they give clients confidence that the project is moving in the right direction, awareness of when complications arise and how they’ll be handled, and a documented track record of the support you provided.  
4. Find an immediate (meaningful) win.  Sometimes the big results come at the end of an engagement, which takes time, but don’t hold off until then to deliver tangible results. Small, meaningful wins early on and throughout the engagement can build immediate trust that you’re as valuable to the client as you’ve claimed.  Just don’t conflate a win with working on any task related to the project. You’re looking to solve an immediate challenge, move the project forward more quickly than expected, or pinpoint an unfolding issue or opportunity. In the best case scenario, you’re addressing an aspect of the work that the client mentioned directly. It shows you’re listening to their needs and adapting quickly.
5. Measure success by a client’s independence in addressing future challenges.  The best case scenario as a consultant is that your client does not become overly reliant on you for support, and is instead empowered by your guidance to be self-directed in the future.  Research indicates a successful consulting relationship is largely assessed by a client’s self-efficacy or enhancing the “clients’ intrinsic capabilities to navigate complex professional challenges independently.”