This is a very simple way of demonstrating that you understand your client. And that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say.
Some consultants treat clients as if they are just a source of problems to solve.
Consultants are expected to be on the ball all the time. They probably went through a gruelling testing process to get the job in the first place. They had to show that they could absorb information quickly and respond rapidly.
So, it’s not surprising that this can spill over into the way they relate to clients.
A client meeting can seem like an exciting test. How quickly can you get on top of the problems and come up with a credible solution? And then present it in a compelling way.
But hold on a minute. How do clients really judge whether they can trust a consultant?
I mean trust to the point where they will spill the tea, give you the lowdown, and talk about the kind of stuff you’d wish you’d known before you started the project.
If you think back to the last time you went to someone for serious advice, I doubt that you wanted them to jump down your throat with an immediate answer. Even if it turned out that it was the right answer.
You probably wanted to feel that you were understood. That you were being treated as an individual, and that the person you were speaking to was on your side, had got your back.
Now the good news is that to create that feeling in a client, you don’t have to have a personality transplant and present yourself as a caring person.
Just a few simple behaviour changes will get you a long way. So, don’t just say, “I understand” or “I get it.” And then ask the next question. Demonstrate that you understand and get it.
You could say, “What I understand from what you are saying is …” Or you could say, “Have I got this right? Are you saying …?”
And don’t forget to listen for what is just below the surface. How about if you say, “From what you said, I get the impression that …”
It’s all about getting into the habit of using particular words and phrases like this so that they come naturally, and you automatically demonstrate you have taken on board what the client has been saying.
By showing the client that you have heard them, by going out of your way to offer a little summary of what you have understood so far, you will reassure the client that they have been heard.
When you slow down a little to make time for this, they will feel less need to keep repeating the same stuff again and again, and you may well get to where you want to go in a shorter time.