As a consultant, I frequently have individuals come to me with plans for projects that they would like help with. They often have what seems like the start of a worthwhile endeavor. It’s hard not to be excited at the prospect of helping someone. Unfortunately, it’s pretty common that the individual is not in a position to authorize my involvement. They don’t have control over a budget and the ability to make a decision to invest in the project.
This isn’t a show stopper, we just have to find the person who can authorize the work, the buyer. The buyer is the person that can make a unilateral decision to move forward without seeking someone else’s approval. I need an opportunity to hear the buyer’s expectations. I need to hear from the buyer what will make the investment worthwhile. And then I need to find a way to help such that the value we create far surpasses the price I charge. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. It’s sustainable business.
Frequently though, the person that comes to me will swear they’ve been given the power to make the decision. That the person who will authorize it will simply sign off on whatever we agree to. That I just need to get them a proposal and they’ll take it to the buyer for me. Or one of my favorite replies: the buyer won’t understand all the details. These are just a few of the responses.
If you don’t insist on meeting the buyer, here’s what will happen. One time I had an individual come to me. She presented what seemed like a great opportunity to work together to produce a significant impact. When I asked who will authorize the project, she said it was her decision and that the project was very urgent. Of course, the urgency seemed legit from what we discussed about the project. So, I created a proposal. I sent the proposal and long story short several weeks later the real buyer chimed in and said it wasn’t a priority.
Here’s what’s unfortunate:
– Although the project wasn’t on the buyer’s radar, it may still have been worthwhile. I could have worked with the individual to put together a case for the buyer to demonstrate how valuable the investment could be. And maybe the project would’ve become a priority. Who knows, never got the opportunity.
– Perhaps there was a way I could have helped with current priorities to clear the way for this project in the future. But, without a relationship with the real buyer, this wasn’t possible.
If you don’t meet with the buyer, you’re going to repeatedly run into situations just like this where even simple expectations like priority will be completely misaligned between the individual that comes to you for help and the buyer who can authorize it. The only thing you’ll accomplish in sending a proposal anyways is wasting everyone’s time.