Buy and deliver the consequence, not the service

A plumber offering to replace tubes and pipes, a lawyer proposing to write contracts or a doctor claiming present a diagnosis will loose out quickly to plumbers proposing to plug your leaks quickly, efficiently and economically; to lawyers structuring your acquisition in a beneficial and solid manner; and to doctors curing your ailment fast and without complications.

The successful sales and marketing of services does not consist in the presentation of a series of actions that constitute the service,  but in the offer of an efficient, effective and lasting solution.

HR buyers often approach search consultants with the request to find "someone", and the majority of search consultants present a service consisting of "finding candidates". The former immediately come up with job descriptions and desired profiles; while the latter in return will pitch a search system and methodology. Both however forget to define the value to be realized from the transaction, even less to "dollarize" that value. It is similar to the mute communicating to the deaf, though in this particular case they can find an agreement.

Does the client organization want to double or triple sales, increase revenue per employee, gross margins, to reduce dramatically employee churn, inventory leakage, improve cash flow from operations, reorganize the business unit to such extent that the channel has more depth, customer satisfaction increases, manufacturing yields improve dramatically,... ? I am astonished by how few companies want to initiate a search without a clear idea of what exactly they want to improve, least by how much; and by the search consultants who will avoid any inquiry beyond the plain obvious related to the act of finding an executive.

Of course, job descriptions contain a list of responsibilities described as "the management of the sales team", "report to the VP Manufacturing", "present leadership in customer satisfaction", "deliver great quality", "manage operations profitably and efficiently", "grow international sales" etc...  They are common to the majority of job descriptions produced by HR departments. However, they do not cover the tangible and intangible improvements in value to be delivered by the executive to be brought in.

Search consultants must offer a solution to a business problem. Though that business problem is related to filling a critical and sensitive position, the solution is found not in the search for an executive, but in delivering someone uniquely qualified to create the specific improvements sought.

Search consultants who relentlessly ask questions to frame and define the value sought by their prospect are the right people to entrust the critical task of bringing in executive power. Shy away from those consultants pounding on their search methods and systems: hammering with a blindfold on is guaranteeing a risky and painful outcome. Caveat Emptor.