Consulting bulimia

 

Not so, apparently. In fact her argument is that the net effect is actually positive. The pleasure of buying things, minus the guilt of owning them, minus the pleasure of owning them, equals a small amount of residual pleasure.  Assuming the hours spent shopping are not considered to be hours wasted (rather enjoyed) , the formula delivers a little bit of pleasure and none of the pain.

 

Bonkers? Maybe. But isn’t this exactly what’s happening in the consulting industry at the moment? If I had a pound for every consultant who’d told me a story about clients wanting to talk but not buy recently, I’d be off to buy myself an iPhone 4 right now (with absolutely no intention of returning it, by the way). Clients, it seems, are being afflicted by consulting bulimia. They know they shouldn’t, some have even been told they can’t, but they just can’t help themselves. They’ve become so used to taking big decisions, or to carrying out big projects, with a consultant on hand, that the idea of living without one seems altogether too scary. So they invite them in, talk to them a bit, and then give them back. Positive net effect.

 

The question for the consulting industry is whether the net effect is positive for them, too. Let’s go back to the retailers who are on the other end of my friend’s shopping bulimia. On the surface of it, her affliction sounds like bad news for them. The effort required to sell her a new pair of shoes, and to take them back, is only slightly offset by the interest they can theoretically earn from her money until she wants it back. Net effect almost certainly negative.

 

But which would they rather: that she was at home not even thinking about their shoes, or in their shop trying them on? Wouldn’t they like her to know what it feels like to own, and wear a pair of their shoes? Of course they would; that’s a marketer’s dream. Because when she has more money, and less guilt about spending what will seem like a smaller amount, she’ll know where to go.

 

Relative to the recent past, there’s not a lot of money around for consulting services at the moment. Within that context, a client who wants to talk – but not spend – ought to be far more attractive than a client who doesn’t want to talk at all. The consulting firms that distinguish themselves will be those who not only respond by talking freely and willingly, but make it a critical part of their marketing strategy to do so.