Archives

All subjects

  • field notes (1)
  • performance (4)
  • The Brief (205)

    • Monthly

  • 2022: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • 2021: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • 2020: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • 2019: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • 2017: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • 2016: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • 2015: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • 2014: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    • Random

  • Which are the best books on selling consultancy?
  • How predictable is your performance?
  • We Avoid Hype …
  • How to sow seeds in a recession
  • 3 ways to handle broadcast behaviours

    • The Brief

  • 23-04-22 Part 3: How to make closing comfortable
  • 17-04-22 Part 2: Why is closing a concern for consultants?
  • 10-04-22 Part 1: What concern about selling comes up most for consultants?
  • 03-04-22 Why you should bring more inquiry into conversations.
  • 31-03-22 What about managing your broadcast behaviours?
  • 19-03-22 3 ways to handle broadcast behaviours
  • 13-03-22 What is it about ‘broadcast people’?
  • 06-03-22 The touchstone in context
  • 27-02-22 Touchstone
  • 20-02-22 What happens when you start initiativ-ing?
  • 13-02-22 We Avoid Hype …
  • 06-02-22 Danger Zone Guesswork
  • 30-01-22 The How And When Question
  • 23-01-22 This Quote Is So Good
  • 16-01-22 Insight and Empathy
  • 09-01-22 Referability Habits
  • 04-01-22 A thought for the first business day of 2022.
  • 12-12-21 How to get better at business development – Strategy #3.
  • 05-12-21 How to get better at business development – Strategy #2.
  • 28-11-21 How to get better at business development – Strategy #1.
  • 27-11-21 Business development and consultancy growth
  • 26-11-21 Getting on the bandwagon … without questioning the bandwagon.
  • 14-11-21 Are you building trust right from the start of client meetings?
  • 07-11-21 Who do you want to meet?
  • 31-10-21 Steal this interview and questions. Then figure out how they work.
  • 17-10-21 How to get unconsidered issues onto the client’s agenda.
  • 12-07-21 Some thoughts on referrals.
  • 05-07-21 Influence without selling …
  • 27-06-21 The client is the crib sheet
  • 20-06-21 Subtraction and consulting skills
  • 15-06-21 Three consulting skills …
  • 13-06-21 Straight-talkers build client confidence.
  • 06-06-21 A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away …
  • 05-06-21 Pareto Principle is the ultimate performance hack.
  • 16-05-21 A big mistake leaders make with their team
  • 02-05-21 Are you building a consulting business, or a practice?
  • 04-04-21 The first sign you’re a trusted consultant
  • 28-03-21 Can I get some Valium?
  • 21-03-21 Do you short change yourself?
  • 14-03-21 The extremes of buying consultancy
  • 06-03-21 The dangers of different and similar
  • 05-03-21 Communicate what you do better than anyone else (an exercise)
  • 02-03-21 What to do with thinking time
  • 08-02-21 The ‘big cheese’ request algorithm.
  • 31-01-21 Are your clients seeking or shirking?
  • 24-01-21 Show don’t tell … or go to hell
  • 17-01-21 I’m kind and work hard … you should marry me
  • 10-01-21 The practice before the outcome
  • 08-11-20 Were the sleeves of his coat rolled back?
  • 01-11-20 Getting paid what you’re worth
  • 27-10-20 Thought Leadership – in less than two minutes
  • 25-10-20 The best sales letter ever written
  • 18-10-20 An unusual perspective on knowledge-work
  • 11-10-20 Rapport factors you shouldn’t ignore
  • 04-10-20 The challenge of creation in a problem solving world
  • 20-09-20 Going from okay to excellent
  • 13-09-20 3 habits to make yourself a better consultant
  • 06-09-20 How to sow seeds in a recession
  • 29-08-20 Now tell me what you really think
  • 05-07-20 Uselessly vague prospecting
  • 28-06-20 Are you an empathic authority?
  • 21-06-20 Reboot your network
  • 14-06-20 Here are the reasons clients don’t want your consulting …
  • 28-05-20 Jumping in too early.
  • 27-05-20 What’s really going on
  • 26-05-20 The single most important thing to do
  • 25-05-20 Consultancy is just a means to an end
  • 24-05-20 Living with extremely high-drive individuals
  • 22-05-20 What does good look like?
  • 20-05-20 Avoiding the gravitational pull of black hole communication Part II
  • 04-04-20 Before and after
  • 02-04-20 Superconnect by Richard Koch & Greg Lockwood
  • 25-11-19 One free app – 7 questions – personal status update
  • 18-11-19 Leave something for the client to say
  • 29-10-19 3 reasons ‘ghosting’ happens after you’ve sent a consulting proposal
  • 09-10-19 Is “attraction marketing” the best way to find new clients?
  • 17-06-19 Avoiding the gravitational pull of black hole communication
  • 12-06-19 4 rules for reaching out to executives
  • 18-05-19 7 ideas for improving your sales performance
  • 12-05-19 Message management
  • 25-04-19 My Weekly Review
  • 03-12-17 Who do you want to meet?
  • 19-11-17 The sky is falling!
  • 12-11-17 Food for thought (or at least to drink)
  • 05-11-17 Staying sane in the mad world of sales prospecting
  • 29-10-17 4 things to do to improve next year’s sales
  • 22-10-17 They’re just not that into you
  • 15-10-17 How do you start a sales sprint?
  • 08-10-17 Package your message like a zombie attack consultancy
  • 01-10-17 Stretching sales performance targets
  • 24-09-17 How to do a rough-cut sales analysis
  • 17-09-17 Why inequality is good for sales
  • 10-09-17 Patterns, distinctions, and demonstrating authority
  • 03-09-17 Before you send that email – a quick checklist
  • 02-07-17 How prospects view offers and value
  • 01-07-17 Business development snippets (for reflection)
  • 30-06-17 5 ways to avoid the feast or famine cycle
  • 29-06-17 Seal the deal – a lesson in mental toughness
  • 25-06-17 What’s happening when a deal stalls?
  • 17-06-17 What is it you do?
  • 11-06-17 How counting to six improves your prospects
  • 04-06-17 Are your prospects dawdling?
  • 28-05-17 How do clients know you’re any good?
  • 21-05-17 Selling as a team sport … it’s not what you think
  • 14-05-17 Schedule business development time
  • 07-05-17 Mirror, mirror on the wall …
  • 30-04-17 Practice as a powerful tool for sales success
  • 23-04-17 What’s the difference between understanding and empathy?
  • 02-04-17 Build Your Dream Network by J. Kelly Hoey
  • 19-03-17 Which are the best books on selling consultancy?
  • 12-03-17 The relationship frame and business development hokum
  • 05-03-17 How to alienate prospects
  • 26-02-17 The secret of the puppy dog sale
  • 19-02-17 Going against gravity
  • 12-02-17 Are you interesting, or interested?
  • 08-02-17 The power of simple listening
  • 01-02-17 Are you doing value-subtraction?
  • 29-01-17 How many £20/hour tasks are you doing?
  • 22-01-17 Can this executive buy?
  • 15-01-17 It’s worth paying attention to attention
  • 10-01-17 Are you problem solving, or creating?
  • 08-01-17 How do I talk to top executives? (aka the C-suite)
  • 01-01-17 That resistance you feel
  • 18-12-16 Stop selling the process
  • 16-12-16 Have the courage to say no.
  • 11-12-16 4 ways to quickly add value
  • 04-12-16 3 common mistakes in first meetings
  • 27-11-16 Let’s meet and catch up
  • 21-11-16 10 decisions clients make before buying consultancy
  • 20-11-16 Mentoring or Coaching
  • 19-11-16 10 tips for tenacious follow up on emails
  • 13-11-16 Sorry I dozed off reading your email
  • 06-11-16 Lessons from editing prospecting emails
  • 30-10-16 Confidence tricks
  • 23-10-16 How to enthuse clients about your consultancy offer … more 
  • 16-10-16 How to enthuse clients about your consultancy offer  
  • 09-10-16 Top of mind consultants
  • 05-10-16 Painting by numbers isn’t art
  • 28-09-16 It was 20 years ago today …
  • 18-09-16 4 signs a prospect relationship is going nowhere
  • 12-09-16 Meetings with senior level decision makers
  • 08-09-16 Why revenue and profit are rubbish metrics
  • 28-08-16 Do it right
  • 21-08-16 Be selective. Be directive.
  • 14-08-16 First Seven Jobs
  • 08-08-16 Getting it
  • 31-07-16 How permissive are your clients?
  • 24-07-16 Leave things behind
  • 17-07-16 Step out of the content
  • 08-07-16 Why objection handing doesn’t work. And what to do about it.
  • 26-06-16 Are you helping your client look good?
  • 19-06-16 What wine & zombies teach us about using ‘cred-decks’ to sell
  • 12-06-16 13 provocations for consultants who sell
  • 05-06-16 Impact prospects with thinking sessions
  • 29-05-16 10 questions to encourage clients to speak
  • 26-05-16 The myth of average
  • 22-05-16 What works. A lesson from business legend David Ogilvy
  • 11-05-16 How to improve the odds of reaching prospects by email
  • 06-03-16 The single page quarterly sales focus
  • 05-02-16 The simple exercise that dramatically improves sales
  • 31-01-16 The devil in the detail
  • 29-01-16 The power of nothing
  • 23-01-16 A brief review that turns failures on their head
  • 17-01-16 4 steps that dramatically increase results from meetings
  • 14-01-16 Someone speaks and nobody listens … is that communication.
  • 10-01-16 How predictable is your performance?
  • 29-12-15 The biggest mistake groups make at strategy workshops
  • 20-12-15 Personal impact
  • 10-12-15 Selling is a game
  • 04-12-15 What to do when a deal stalls.
  • 27-11-15 Stop being a process junkie and become a client issue expert
  • 20-11-15 Erasing the discomfort of feast or famine in consultancy
  • 07-11-15 The sound of silence
  • 31-10-15 Are your executive conversations compelling or commonplace?
  • 23-10-15 Hello persuasion … meet resistance
  • 16-10-15 The perils of consultant speak and how it kills sales
  • 10-10-15 How do you create desire for your consultancy?
  • 02-10-15 How consultants blow initial prospect meetings
  • 24-09-15 Will these 9 unusual questions to help you qualify and close?
  • 18-09-15 How to get amazing email responses – lessons for consultants
  • 11-09-15 Consultants: Are you working in a proposal factory?
  • 07-09-15 Permission to fail
  • 04-09-15 Are you a fact addict?
  • 27-08-15 Qualification is the secret sauce
  • 21-08-15 Sales prevention methods and techniques
  • 13-08-15 Sloping shoulders and Teflon underpants
  • 07-08-15 Five things you can do today to overcome buying inertia
  • 05-08-15 Four fears that stop clients buying consultancy projects
  • 22-05-15 Work is difficulty and drama.
  • 21-05-15 Empathy before problem solving
  • 10-04-15 Steal this idea. How you can get good at working with others.
  • 03-04-15 Minimum viable product and the creative sale
  • 01-04-15 Flight from Shadow
  • 27-03-15 When should you not use your expert mind?
  • 23-03-15 Meetings don’t need to be toxic
  • 19-03-15 Beat the FUD factor and reposition to win the complex sale
  • 06-03-15 What Big Blue taught me about fear, uncertainty and doubt
  • 27-02-15 How outcome framing put a mega-project back on track
  • 13-02-15 Here’s a different approach to client intimacy
  • 20-01-15 How to make hard choices
  • 08-09-14 3 simple tweaks to improve your initial meetings
  • 02-09-14 Before and After
  • 26-08-14 What are you talking about?
  • 08-08-14 Are your frustrated by crazy busy clients?
  • 06-08-14 Are you really listening?