The Client's Problem May Be a State of Mind

Alan Weiss made a recent post to his blog entitled Poor Is Relative.

I've seen these stats before and they are very interesting in context to the rest of the world we live in. By U.S. standards, those who are considered poor have it pretty good compared to people who are poor in any number of African countries or countries in Southeast Asia for example.

It got me thinking: when we work with clients, do they perceive their problems to be much bigger than they really are? In other words, are they looking at their problem in the right context?

In some cases, a client's problem that they seek our help on tends to be nothing more than a minor bump in the road while they feel as though it is a deep, dark chasm that no one will be able to cross. Other times, their concerns are justified.

As consultants, it is up to us to bring perspective and to put the problem into context. Through our related knowledge and experience, the problem that seems large can be become much smaller and easier to solve in the minds of the client.

This is how we can demonstrate our value in the business community.