Today I talk to Paul Fioravanti a nationally known expert about some of the perception challenges service businesses face when it comes to sales and marketing.
Ask the average business person what their perception of “consultant” is and be prepared for expletives. It seems the only other profession more maligned might be “used car salesman”.
Even consultants are wary of using That Word. It has baggage. People think consultants tell them what they already know, charge egotistical prices and “light on deliverables”.
Thus is the bane of people who sell expertise. It’s intangible, sometimes hard to measure and easy to claim. It seems like for every qualified consultant there are ten who lost their jobs and woke up one day as an “expert”. Until they find another job. Yet selling expertise is a huge business – from creative to technical, in today’s global market you can find someone who sells that expertise.