Your client doubts the effectiveness of your strategy. How can you convince them of its benefits?

To avoid clients doubting the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, the strategist must truly understand the organization's values and future aspirations. Designing the strategy outcomes to match the organization's values is fundamental as it will facilitate internal stakeholders' buy-in and cultivate advocacy among the client's executive team/board. A strategist should not progress to strategy formulation unless stakeholders' analysis is done at an optimal quality. The client's doubts about benefits and results indicate vendor hubris or content recycling practices. During the formulation phase, relevant KPIs are developed to reduce the variance during implementation and enable the strategy to deliver the promised outcomes.

Here are some ways to convince your client of your strategy's effectiveness: A. Focus on Benefits: Explain how your strategy directly addresses their goals and solves their problems. B. Data & Proof: Back your claims with industry trends, case studies, or data showing similar successes. C. Transparency & Collaboration: Acknowledge concerns, involve them in the process, and offer a pilot run (if possible) to build trust.

One of the best ways to demonstrate to a client who doubts the effectiveness of your strategy as a consultant is to clearly and transparently explain all the steps and objectives to be achieved. This way, it will be easier to understand the criteria behind the strategy and the considerations made. Explicitly stating the reasons behind actions makes them more comprehensible and easily acceptable.

In a polite and professional way, it's important to recognize that past successes don't guarantee future results, but they help balance the power in our client relationship. Showing our past successes demonstrates our ability to solve problems and our organized approach. Explaining the reasons behind our strategies can ease the client's worries by helping them understand our methods better. This openness not only strengthens our track record but also shows we're committed to finding the right solutions for their specific challenges.

In some cases, it is about the client's perspective and how they see the world. In situations like this, it might be useful to try to have an open conversation. Even though it is not guaranteed, it could help to bring underlying issues that need to be addressed, perhaps through a different professional with a different set of skills. Another scenario is when our recommendation is not aligned with the client's idea of what needs to be done, what they believe is right. In that case, the real objective needs to be discussed again: is it about reaching evidence-based conclusions or the client's preconceived notions of what should be done?

To convince your client of the benefits of your strategy, you can: 1. Present data and evidence supporting the effectiveness of your strategy. 2. Show how your strategy aligns with the client's goals and objectives. 3. Provide case studies or examples of successful implementation. 4. Address any specific concerns or doubts raised by the client. 5. Offer to make adjustments or modifications to the strategy based on their feedback. 6. Communicate confidently and clearly explain the rationale behind your strategy.