What is your value?
When you contact a company with the proposal that they use your nutrition services, what are you selling them? If you think you are selling them a service, it's time to reconsider!
Organizations don't buy consulting services, they buy access to your ideas, your knowledge, your expertise. They sign up to secure access to you and your company so that they can perform better, whether it's the athletes or employees or executives.
As a result of this, as a consultant, you do not want to minimize your services by giving the company a quote for the number of hours worked. You want to give them a quote for the value you are bringing to the company.
Do you know what that value is?
Think about something special that YOU spent money on in the last six months. Why did you purchase that product or service? Really think about it. Chances are, it's because it met some type of need. And the way it was presented was in such a way that you could visualize what it would cost to NOT meet that need.
Think about this:
** You ask the company these questions: What is it they want to accomplish; how will they know they have accomplished it; what will it cost them to NOT accomplish this goal; and how will it look when they've accomplished this goal? Most corporations looking at bringing in a corporate wellness consultant are doing so in order to cut costs.
Here is an example of some of what you'll say:
So, they will be able to save X% of its healthcare costs as a result of working with you. Will this interest them? Most likely.
* Previous companies who have contracted with you have been able to decrease healthcare costs by at least X%. Will this interest them more? Yea!
* You have several programs the company can choose from, so instead of choosing between contracting with you or NOT contracting with you, you can ask, "Which program would fit your needs better?" This gives the company choices that do NOT include "Yes" or "No" to working with you. Do you have a new contract, now? Probably!
How will you 'sell' your value?
Often we look at the features we are selling, not the results. As indicated above, focus on results and be clear about what your value is.
Then sign on the bottom line and smile on the way out the door.
Now your value is MORE than the dollar amount to that contract. Now you have increased confidence and are ready for the NEXT company! And the income level is rising...
Margie
Marjorie Geiser, MBA, RD, NSCA-CPT
MEG Enterprises
