The Trouble with Selling Services, Part 1

Most people consider it a big hassle to buy a new car. Yes, it's fun, too. And certainly it feels great when you're out on the road in your shiny new vehicle. But getting there can take a lot of work.

Unless you've got money to burn, you want to make sure you make a wise purchase. You have to research and compare things like available features, warranty, reliability statistics, and even dealer reputation. It's a big purchase, and you don't want to make a costly mistake.

Contracting with a professional service provider is a little like buying a car

Likewise, contracting with a professional services provider (be it an engineering firm, legal services, accounting services, or a management consultant) is a big decision. A mistake could not only cost you a lot of money - it could possibly sink your business. Nobody wants that!

The intangibility factor

While a car is at least tangible, professional services are not. That intangibility makes it difficult for your prospects to clearly picture exactly what it is you offer. This raises the level of perceived risk. How are they supposed to evaluate and measure the value of your service? It's not as simple as comparing the cost of routine maintenance or mpg of various model cars.

If you have a hard time explaining clearly what it is you do for clients, not only is it difficult for you to create focused marketing materials, but from the client's perspective it's also that much tougher for your prospect to sell the idea of hiring you to his or her boss.

You see the problem here.

So - what can you do about it?

I'll discuss that in Part 2.