Coaching consultants to boost sales

with the 12boxes approach to structuring client conversations

See what you get with 12boxes coaching

Situation specific distance coaching at times when it counts

A robust framework for thinking through, planning and conducting client conversations

Online resources and guidelines accessible at any time

The overview

Discover how we can transform the way your consultants develop business with existing and new clients from day one

The psychologist’s view

Hear what people say

Nick Shannon
Director at Management Psychology Ltd

“12boxes is a superb framework for thinking through, planning and executing the process of client engagement.”

Joanne Jacobs
Facilitating innovation in enterprise; speaker, strategist, writer, communicator, director

“I find 12boxes of great help in learning from my professional experience.

“As well as being an elegant tool for client engagement and for understanding relationship building, it is also a wonderful lens for observing and learning from the way others interact with clients.

“I highly recommend 12boxes”

Matthew Harris
Business Resilience Advisor

“If you want to sleep better at night and you’re a consultant or considering a move into this field, then Malcolm’s twenty-minute Discovery Call is a must.”

Control the client buying process

Offer proposals that will be accepted

Be paid for the value your firm delivers

Here's how it works

1
We discuss your business objectives and work out a customised programme to fit your budget and circumstances

2
We teach your consultants how to think through, plan and carry out their client meetings so that they build trust quickly and get committed buy-in from clients by using the unique 12boxes structure

3
We support them as they use it in the field with coaching and planning sessions at a time and place to suit them to help them win the business you seek

Find a question or ask your own

• What makes 12boxes different to other approaches?

Most sales training is based on a linear sequence: first you to this, then you do that.

This is rather like giving someone travel directions to cross a city. In 12boxes we use linear sequences, but we also teach an underlying structure which is about how clients perceive their situation, the problems associated with it, and the available solutions.

This is more like a map. Having the map gives the seller many advantages.

• What are the advantages of the 12boxes map?

Making experience accessible: The map is the way we take one person’s experience of client situations and quickly transfer the knowledge to others.

Client focus: The map is about the client’s perception. This means that the conversation is all about exploring the client’s perspective and developing solutions from their point of view. Even when clients give information ‘out of sequence’, it can immediately be placed on the map, and the resulting narrative summary tested with the client straight away. Buy-in is achieved because the client ‘owns’ the narrative.

Agility: The perceptions of the consultant and the client are constantly changing. It is very easy to update the map in the light of new information so that the consultant never loses control.

Scalable: Each client decision maker and influencer will have their own perspective. The map can be personalised to them. Maps can be quickly drawn up for meetings, projects, companies and even industries. Each gives rise to a coherent narrative.

Planning: Meeting preparation time is reduced. There is no need to waste time producing yawn inducing slide decks. Consultants can quickly plot a detailed hypothesis in advance of a meeting which can be tested and updated with the client. Solutions appear to arise from the conversation instead of being brought to the meeting.

Better proposal writing: The map generates the structure for the important part of the proposal where the consultant demonstrates understanding of the client’s situation and need. This narrative can be tested with the client and the consultant will only devote time to writing a proposal when there is a high probability of it being accepted.

One sheet of A4 paper: The 12boxes map enables the consultant to summarise complex situations in a way that carries the maximum information with minimal distraction from the task in hand.

  • It provides a single framework for thinking through the opportunity, planning a meeting, engaging the client in purposeful conversation and structuring the proposal.
  • Each box on the map is associated with an aspect of the client’s perspective, the questions that will elicit the required information and how the consultant should move the conversation forward.
  • It offers a precise framework for reporting progress in terms of the client’s reactions and the achieved buying effects.
• How can I transmit my experience to other people in my organisation?

All client buying processes have a similar structure. 12boxes is a template for mapping it.

Using this template, we can draw on your experience to capture how each stage is typically expressed by your clients.

We can then teach the structure to other members of your team and show them how to move clients through the buying process in a way that is compatible with their personal style.

• Will the team be limited by the scope of my experience?

No. The templates we create based on your experience are just the starting point.

Your team members will test them with clients and adapt them to each circumstance.

This will give them the confidence to develop and test their own ways of delivering value to clients.

• If my team has already received some training, will 12boxes clash with it?

If techniques have been learned which work in the context of selling high-value complex services, they are likely to be compatible with the 12boxes approach.

12boxes has been described as by experienced consultants as a ‘deep structure’. As such, it explains how such techniques fit into the overall picture and why they work. 

• Why is external coaching better than in-house coaching?

Both have their place.

Internal coaching is great for pointing to in-house resources and experience that can be drawn upon.

The confidentiality associated with external coaching means that participants are not concerned that any vulnerability they display during the learning process will count against them in terms of career progression. 

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