Answer

A client can only become a buyer of your services if 5 fundamental conditions are met:

1. The client believes there is a significant issue that needs to be addressed--either a problem that is costing a lot or an opportunity which has a high potential payoff.  The client must also have a healthy dissatisfaction with the current rate of improvement. 

2. The client believes there are insufficient or inadequate internal resources and/or time to fix the issue.

3. The client trusts you/your firm to address the problem.

4. The client is comfortable that the right stakeholders are aligned and that the risk is manageable.

5. The client can see tangible next steps to proceed.

This framework assumes there is budget or that budget can be found. Indeed, if a project or program is a high priority for an economic buyer, the funding is almost always assured.

Almost every time there is lots of talk but no action--when things have bogged down in the discussions with a client you thought was a excellent prospect--one or more of these conditions have not yet been met. It's that simple.