What works. A lesson from business legend David Ogilvy

You'll find lots on "attracting clients" written for consultants. And you can easily waste a lot of time on activities that support this type of bullshit. After all, it all seems very reasonable and desirable.

I'm not saying that "attraction marketing" isn't worthwhile. Writing a book, having a professional website, doing regular social media, speaking at events. They're all a great backdrop ... for the main event.

The trouble is it's easy to get lost in these activities and forget their sole purpose - which is, of course, finding and selling consultancy projects that benefit clients. They're also a great way to procrastinate. To avoid the hard graft - and the fear - of reaching out direct to prospects and sometimes being rejected.

So, I like to remind my mentoring clients that the main event starts with reaching out, then a marketing conversation that uncovers a project, which in turn leads to a sales conversation where they can qualify the project's value and propose a solution.

And, if you want to find higher-value consultancy projects, doesn't it make more sense to invest your limited time getting out and about, meeting prospective clients?

Bullshit marketing isn't a new problem. In this old film, David Ogilvy talks about Direct Response Advertising versus Classic Advertising. He describes a very similar issue to the one I'm writing about. You should watch it.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that advertising sells consultancy. But there are lessons we can take from Ogilvy's comments. For example we might try this checklist for any business development work you commit to.

1. Know your outcome. What do you want as a result of this business development activity?

2. Guide the journey. What needs to happen to move things forward?

3. Always ask for action. What do you want the client to do, specifically?

4. Measure results. How will you know if the activity has moved a sale closer to a close?

I think Ogilvy would have said that anything else is BS Marketing. Ultimately it's about doing what works. If you choose to not do that, do so knowingly - you might be sewing a great backdrop, you might be protecting your ego needs ... but it's not selling.