Pareto Principle is the ultimate performance hack.
80% of people know about the Pareto Principle. Only 20% apply it. And only 20% of that 20% apply it with any rigour. 4% of the total. That's a big knowing-doing gap. Here's an example. Many boutique consultancies have a couple of gorilla accounts. It'
A big mistake leaders make with their team
Here's something you might find useful in your consultant, business developer, or leadership role. It's wisdom that comes from 20 years facilitating meetings in big companies. It wasn't until I switched my career from Sales Leader to Consultant that I noticed many leaders spoke
Are you building a consulting business, or a practice?
Important question, because there's a difference. Practice building people are always busy, with delivery work. They never seem to have the time (or financial) freedom to take strategic actions. This manifests in an attitude where marketing, sales, partnerships, and leadership are all put second, or third ... made to
The first sign you're a trusted consultant
The first sign you're a trusted consultant is when a client calls you to talk about their issues. How do you get into that position? Not by making every email, call, or meeting an opportunity to sell. Quite the opposite. As a consultant, your role is to help
Can I get some Valium?
"Sure no problem." Imagine a teenager goes to their Doctor and asks for Valium, they say they need the pills for sleeping. They look tired, the GPs busy, so writes a script for Diazepam. The teenager leaves. How happy would you be if you were that teenager'
Do you short change yourself?
Many consultancy owners price work using a time-and-effort model. It’s simple, but is it fair? What if fees were based on the client's desired result instead? Here's a scenario. A client is stuck with a problem. They've had it for three years. Three
The extremes of buying consultancy
Seems to me there are two extremes when clients buy consultancy. At one end of the spectrum there are complex projects, driven by top-executives, which are seen as mission critical. With these you'll work with executives to clarify their vision and help them make strategic decisions. Usually scoping
The dangers of different and similar
In my SAP consultancy days a client came to the office for an Export Invoicing demonstration. He arrived wearing flamboyant clothes and with bouffant hair. Both highly irregular in business at the time! Before the demonstration he thoroughly explained why his Export Invoicing needs were different to those of other
Communicate what you do better than anyone else (an exercise)
I created this exercise after hearing people say their job in IT wasn’t understood by their parents. It’s now my ‘go-to’ for starting a business value proposition workshop. As a thinking exercise it works for any job. I know you’ll enjoy it. Just start by answering this
What to do with thinking time
A previous perspective I wrote about ended like this ... "you'll need to change something to maximise your chance of getting attention. What will that be?" Thank you for reading it. Did you come up with an answer? Chances are you didn't and skipped onto