Ep 196: B2B Sales for Consultants: Stop Trying to Get Through the Front Door
Most B2B sales advice assumes you already have access to the decision-maker.
But what if you don’t?
The people you want to work with have assistants, procurement processes, overloaded calendars, and a healthy allergy to vendors, contractors, freelancers, and sales pitches.
And they probably aren’t checking those LinkedIn messages you’ve been sending either.
The problem might not be your pitch.
You might be trying to walk through the wrong door.
I’ve never gotten work from cold outreach. I always find a way to make the connection warm.
For solo consultants trying to land bigger B2B clients, there are three strategies I recommend: finding a third door, creating a gateway offer, and becoming active in niche communities.
Let’s break them down.
1. Stop cold outreach and find the third door
Think about getting into a company as having three possible doors.
The front door is cold outreach. You contact the decision-maker directly, just like everybody else.
That’s the problem.
If a company is hiring a consultant or looking for a specific service, everyone sees the same opportunity. The decision-maker gets bombarded.
Then there’s the VIP door.
This is your existing network. You already know somebody who can introduce you to the right person.
If you have this option, USE IT.
Seriously. It’s gold.
But what happens when you don’t have a direct connection?
That’s when you look for the third door.
Third doors are the unexpected pathways into an organization.
Maybe you attended the same event as the decision-maker. You’re part of the same community. You know a consultant who worked with their company. You have a second-degree LinkedIn connection. Or you know someone who collaborated with them.
Instead of asking, “How do I contact this person?” ask:
Who already has access to this person?
Do a little sleuthing.
Look through their LinkedIn activity. Check the company website. See which events they’ve attended, organizations they belong to, collaborations they’ve done, and people they interact with.
Then look for overlaps with your own network.
Your goal is to identify three potential third doors into each target account.
2. Make your first offer easier to say yes to
Okay. You found your warm introduction.
Now don’t immediately ask them to marry you.
A lot of consultants make their first offer way too big.
You meet a potential client and immediately propose a retainer, annual contract, or full implementation.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
We just met.
Instead, start with a gateway offer.
A gateway offer is a fast, low-risk, outcome-focused engagement that allows a new client to experience working with you before committing to something bigger.
Think:
An audit
A diagnostic
A strategy session
A short sprint
Ideally, it can be completed quickly and naturally leads to a larger engagement.
I like gateway offers with three parts.
First, interview the stakeholders.
You need to understand what is actually happening inside the organization. Clients might tell you their problem is X. After talking with the people involved, you may discover the real problem is Y.
That completely changes the solution you recommend.
Second, document the strategy.
Show them what solving the problem looks like. What needs to happen? In what order? Over what timeframe? What would it cost?
This isn't simply a proposal.
You're giving them a useful strategy they can take and implement themselves—or hire you to implement.
Third, review the strategy together.
This gives the client a chance to ask questions and gives you a chance to address the concerns standing between them and a larger engagement.
Think of yourself like the doctor.
Diagnose first. Prescribe second.
Don’t guess what a client needs and immediately sell them a giant engagement.
3. Build trust in niche communities
This strategy is massively under-leveraged.
Niche communities can include Slack groups, Circle communities, associations, masterminds, industry groups, and conference communities.
Look for communities where either your ideal customers hang out or the people who work with your ideal customers hang out.
But there’s one important rule:
Do not join and immediately start pitching.
That’s not what these communities are for.
Instead, become known as the expert in your thing.
Answer questions.
Share useful insights.
Make introductions between members.
Offer to host a workshop with the community owner.
Build actual relationships.
I once ran a 30-day experiment where I tested different ways of generating business and tracked everything. I found that 40% of the leads that turned into customers came through a niche community.
That’s why I think of niche communities as warm watering holes.
Instead of chasing one specific deal, you’re building trust with a concentrated group of people who either could hire you or could introduce you to someone who will.
Eventually, you become the person people recommend without you even having to ask.
And that brings us right back to those VIP and third doors.
Start building your B2B sales strategy around trust
The third door, gateway offers, and niche communities work together because they all do the same thing:
They meet buyers where trust already exists.
Instead of trying to manufacture trust through cold outreach, you borrow it from warm relationships and then build on it.
Start by making a shortlist of companies you would love to work with.
If you don't know which companies should be on your list, look at who's viewing your LinkedIn profile. Look at companies hiring for work related to what you do. Look inside niche communities for people asking for help.
Then pick one target company.
Find three possible third doors.
And when you get the introduction, don't immediately push for the huge contract. Give them an easy way to experience your expertise first.
One warm connection can change everything.
I once noticed a company repeatedly viewing my LinkedIn profile. I found a connection who could help me get an introduction, started with a gateway offer, and ultimately closed a contract worth around $60,000.
That's the power of making your B2B sales process warmer.
And if you want to build more of those relationships, sign up for the Solo Consultant Summit.
We’re bringing together thousands of consultants and more than 26 consulting experts, giving you an opportunity to learn, make connections, and potentially meet some of the people who become your next third door or VIP connection.
Your next client might not be waiting for you at the front door.
So stop knocking on it.
