The Contracting Meeting

Based on "Flawless Consulting" by Peter Block​​​​
Chris Pang
Tony Guo

"The interaction between the consultant and the client during initial contracting meetings is an accurate predictor of how the project will proceed."

 -Peter Block "Flawless Consulting" (2011)

During the contracting meeting, consultants will be able to judge the client's "degree of openness, spirit of inquiry, and authenticity of communication."

     -Edgar H. Schein "Process Consultation: Its role in organization development" (1988) 

Before
The
Meeting

Content ?

Client ?

Audience ?

Time ?

Objective ?

  • Set Objective
  • Approve Project
  • Impacted by Outcome

Clients

Person

Team

Department

Navigating the Meeting

  • Series of steps that can lead to either an agreement to work together or not together
  • Focus on steps 1 to 8 which follow a path of "agreement"

Navigating the Meeting

  • Goal:
    to develop a stable, balanced and workable contract
     
  • Keys:
    clear and authentic communication
    mutual understanding and respect
     
  • "an agreement to work together"

Step 1. Personal Acknowledgment

  • Brief icebreaker
     
  • Increase the personal comfort level between you and your client
     
  • Set a positive tone for the meeting

Consultant

Client

How about those
Vancouver Canucks?

Small talk is okay, but this is also an opportunity to discuss personal interest in the project and client

I am excited to learn about your business processes.  We have done some great work within your industry.

Step 2. Communicate Understanding of the Problem

  • Acknowledge the unique aspects of the situation
     
  • Restate your perception of the problem
     
  • Reassure your helpfulness

Consultant

Client

Our team has worked with a number of companies that have entered this new market, we can draw on those successes to help you as well.

Your situation is unique in that there are few companies in your industry that have successfully entered this new market.

Our expansion goals are simply impossible to implement.

I see you are concerned about the upfront capital costs of expansion, but even more so of the large cultural gaps you will have to bridge

Keys:

  1. Acknowledge
  2. Restate
  3. Reassure

Step 3. Client Wants and Offers

  • Understand the clients' wants - both from the project and the consultant
     
  • Ask about the constraints of the project
     
  • Inquire about the level of support the clients can offer

Consultant

Client

What are your project needs?

Process design

 

Market study

 

Training program

 

Personnel evaluations

Fewer equipment failures

 

Improved sales

 

Better morale

 

Reduced overhead

What do you want from us?

Consultant

Client

What are the
project constraints?

Priority access 

 

NDAs

 

Dedicated staff

 

$$$

Timeline

 

Confidentiality

 

Client availability

 

Budget

What support can you offer us?

Step 4. Consultant Wants and Offers

  • Identify your essential wants and​ desirable wants
     
  • Putting wants into words
     
  • Emphasize what you can offer
     
  • Be clear when stating wants, be cautious when stating offers 

 Wants

Desirable Wants

Essential Wants

  • "minimum needs" or "must wants"

Enough time

Money

Access to key people

Access to data

Client's support/commitment

 Adequate time

  • things you prefer from the client

Client's deeper invlovement

Consultant

Client

  1. State the want in simple authentic language
  2. Be quiet and let client react
  3. If client have any questions, answer them and restate the want
  4. Be quiet and listen for a "yes" or a "no"

Keys:

I need 3 weeks to complete the preliminary work.

Hmmm...

Sure!

 Offers

  • Be realistic about the limits of what can be promised

Clear picture of what's going on in client's organziation

Recommendations on how to improve things

Operating improvements (joint promise between client & consultant)

Step 5. Agreement

Step 6. Ask for Feedback

  • Insurance step
     
  • Test for client commitment
     
  • Test for control

Step 7. Give Support

  • Supportive statements increase client's willingness to begin the project with you
     
  • Make genuine and specific supportive comments

Step 8. Restate Actions

  • A final insurance step
     
  • Make sure everyone is on the same page
     
  • Discuss the next steps

You're Done!

Unless you're stuck...

  • Goal:
    to develop a stable, balanced and workable contract
     
  • Keys:
    clear and authentic communication
    mutual understanding and respect
     
  • "an agreement to work together"

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By Christopher Pang

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