"Position Yourself in Your Customer's Mind"

When sitting down with clients, we focus on trying to find their (real) problematic issue. Much of the time they'll tell us something is bothering them, and we'll later find out that it's simply the effect of a much greater problematic cause. It's then up to us to make the customer see the solution that will be more than a temporary fix to their problem.

Take the job of the interior designer, for example. Their clients know they do not like the current design of the room, so they call in an expert to help them create the look they want.

However, if they knew what they really wanted, why would they need the designer? Couldn't they just tell a laborer to get to work?

So the designer's job is to take what is already in their client's mind and alter it, showing the customer what they really want, and letting them take credit for the idea. (By the time the space is complete, even if the customer's original idea is used in some fashion, it's most likely the designer who knew what would work within the space, and actually came up with the most practical idea.)

The example above can be applied to any sort of consulting business. Many times the client knows the have a problem, and thinks they have a solution. Go in, alter their solution so it actually works, and give them credit for it. Now they've got the real solution in their mind, one they've collaborated on and contributed something of value to, and of course, one that involves you.