Who do you want to meet?
It's a simple enough question. One I ask of consultants early on ... when they're telling me how hard it is to connect with decision makers. Here's a typical exchange. Clive: Who do you want to meet? Consultant: Executives in big Pharma companies. Clive: Yes,
Steal this interview and questions. Then figure out how they work.
[Written October 2021] The predictors suggest opportunities for consultancy will soar over the next three years. In that context it’s important to understand what you want. Here’s a thinking experiment you might like. It has three parts. Envision your future. Decide where to focus right now. Commit to
How to get unconsidered issues onto the client's agenda.
Assuming you're not order taking. How would you introduce clients to an unconsidered issue, where you might be able to help? 1. Do you start by offering your perspective and asking about theirs? Then use rapport and curiosity to find out how the issue fits with their priorities
Some thoughts on referrals.
This is all simple. That doesn't mean it's easy Main referral sources. * Your clients, current and previous. * Other professionals in your network. Networking for referrals. * Clients may only connect you with others in their organisation. Consider this, that organisation is their career network. * Remember you'
Influence without selling ...
You'll see consultancy business developers in client meetings, mostly 'selling' their services. It's a rookie mistake. Here's why. While Apple can pitch their new fancy pants, colour iMac, and get customers drooling for the new, new thing ... buying consultancy is different. Take
The client is the crib sheet
Here's what a reader said about the previous brief on subtraction. They're applying the second of the capability upgrades I advocate. Listening. In the past my response would have been about how difficult I find it to remember questions like that when talking to a prospect.
Subtraction and consulting skills
Less is more. Flour. Water. Salt. Those are the only ingredients you need to make tasty Sourdough bread. Supermarket bread has five times the number of ingredients, yet tastes like cardboard. I've previously suggested three capabilities are key to great consulting - questioning, listening, influencing. Perhaps they'
Three consulting skills ...
Three things where we, as consultants, can aim for continuous capability improvement. 1. Asking great questions. Imagine you have a contact named Dave. He's interested in bringing you in to work on a project. Unfortunately he has no decision making authority. Telling him "Dave, I need to
Straight-talkers build client confidence.
As consultants our work has lots of variables and stakeholder perspectives. We have to sort through, and make sense of facts and opinions. Then navigate organisational politics and make useful recommendations. In these complex situations our advice can get lost. Particularly if we over-complicate our language and aren't
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ...
... I ran workshops for leaders in large corporate organisations. They wanted change. Sometimes their situation was remedial, where something wasn't working. Mostly it was generative change, taking what worked well for them and amplifying it. Very occasionally it was transformational. I learnt a lot hosting these workshops. As