Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you feel you have so much great value to offer a potential client — that you are so much better than anyone else they may have considered — yet the client hesitates to bring you in? Why?
First, You Must Self-Assess
Ask yourself:
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Are you a professional trainer, coach, and organizational design consultant who has spent many years honing your craft and investing in self-development? Do you consider yourself a lifelong learner who openly speaks about it?
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Over the years, have you earned well-recognized industry accreditations that reflect your professional journey? Do you make them visible publicly (for example, on LinkedIn or your website)?
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Have you not only read dozens of books and case studies but also authored or co-authored some yourself? Do you blog or write articles about your experiences and insights?
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Do you speak publicly (in webinars, at conferences), have your own website where you offer free educational content to your community, and have tens of thousands of followers attending your events, reading your newsletters, and benefiting from your expertise?
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Are you a one-person entity that you have relentlessly built over years — responsible for your own networking and business development — on top of your paid work?
If you answered “yes” to most of the above, you might be facing some real challenges.
What Are Some of Your Potential Challenges?
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When you try to engage with a client and sound very knowledgeable (even if it comes naturally), you might unintentionally create an impression that your aspirations and intentions are inflated. Without intending to, you could be perceived as someone who wants to come in, take over, set your own tone, and run the show.
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If you attempt to impress others with your knowledge too soon, the effect could be the opposite of what you expect: you might put people you interact with in an uncomfortable position — especially those who may be much less experienced than you, unable to speak at your level, or even competing for the role because their old roles were downsized. Key Steps to Success
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You might be competing against a very large pool of external candidates or consultants usually sourced through staffing agencies or traditional preferred vendors and presented as “coaches.” Today, coaching is a highly commoditized and overloaded term. In reality, many such candidates are coaches in name only. They are willing to engage at deeply discounted rates and easily fit into existing reporting structures like any other traditional “human resource.” Once in, they often become individual performers (for example, tool administrators, backlog stewards, or metrics collectors) — a classic coaching anti-pattern. Key Steps to Success
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You might be trying to enter a client company’s domain that is tightly controlled by a large consultancy that already brought in its own expensive resources and installed home-grown “best practices” presented as heavy PowerPoint decks and playbooks. Even if you have extensive experience with these practices, unless you explicitly express strong support for them initially, you may be perceived as a challenger or corporate misfit. Key Steps to Success
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Although the most generous rate of a highly experienced independent professional — like you — is still just a fraction of what a large consultancy would charge, if you cost more than a coach-centaur (described above), you may price yourself out of the client’s range. Key Steps to Success
What Can You Do to Mitigate These Challenges?
First and foremost, remember: you only get one chance to make a first impression. You are fortunate if you get a second.
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Really strive to understand what a client’s real goals and aspirations are. When you meet a client — even for the first time (whether it’s an interview or an informal lunch) — listen to their concerns and feel for their pains. Keep your strong views to yourself and tone down what you may know; do not overwhelm the client. Sometimes a client won’t be explicit about their real problems, so you may need to read between the lines and ask thoughtful, probing questions — but be careful not to probe too deeply or too soon.
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Don’t up-sell yourself. Don’t speak about your own qualifications, credentials, or past successes — unless it’s absolutely necessary or you’re asked. Of course, it would be ideal if someone else paved the way for you and spoke highly of you, so you are fairly represented. If you must refer to your past experiences, present them as circumstantial and based on past conditions; try not to sound absolute or categorical. Key Steps to Success
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Always remember that when you meet a client, you are entering their territory, and eventually, you will leave — and they will own everything you have done for them. You may not even have a chance to claim credit for your work because the results may only become visible after you are gone. For that reason, be clear about your intentions upfront: tell them you don’t want to “take over, become the hero, challenge everyone, and change everything.” This can be hard, because despite your genuine intentions, your experience may still cast you as a leader-challenger.
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During your initial interaction with a potential client, even if you identify something that you feel strongly needs correction, avoid stating that too soon — unless you are explicitly asked for your opinion. It’s wiser to offer assurance that you see potential for collaboration and are ready to support their efforts. Only after you fully engage and dig in should you gently steer the client in the right direction by offering alternative perspectives and guidance as needed.
In Summary
Being highly qualified and experienced does not automatically qualify you as the best candidate. Many situational conditions must be considered when interacting with potential clients. Often, not all of your assets and resources should be revealed all at once — even if your intentions are genuine and you feel you have nothing to hide.