The Weekly Brief
Memos written for consultants Aug 2014 - June 2024.
The 'big cheese' request algorithm.
You know that getting executive attention is a major challenge. A quick call with you; the answers to your questionnaire; reading information you sent over; or your full-blown meeting request. Ignored. Denied. Postponed. Why? Okay, put yourself in the executive's shoes. [There are some assumptions here, suspend disbelief
Are your clients seeking or shirking?
Performance accountability shows up as a 'results ownership' mindset. It is different from an 'order taking' mindset - accepting the delegated responsibility for tasks. There are people who embrace performance accountability and people who avoid it. It's interesting to consider this distinction in a
Show don't tell ... or go to hell
More on how to stand out in sales without talking about a USP. The first USP brief offered an approach for sales dialogue, without pushing a USP. It seemed to strike a chord. One owner asked me if a USP is a useful way to think about the advantages you
I'm kind and work hard ... you should marry me
Consultants grab the unique sales proposition (USP) concept hoping to differentiate their offer. It might work in marketing but is a poor tool for sales. The USP grates with me. It presupposes clients want an answer to the question "why us?" It guesses buyers value "different"
The practice before the outcome
Just before 2020 year end I lost my (man's) best friend. Chile the beautiful working sheepdog in the photo. We had sixteen amazing years together. Half spent competing in Working Trials, which is the most challenging dog sport in the UK. It's like training a Police,
Planning for 2021 ... but not as we know it Jim
We're into another year and you'll no doubt have had several nudges toward setting goals for the year. And after 2020 you may be resistant any kind of planning. Why bother with all the uncertainty? Better to see what comes up next. Well, here's
Were the sleeves of his coat rolled back?
It's been a strange week. The UK Government announced the move into Lockdown 2.0 (November 2020). Then had to revamp the key charts used to justify it. And the 2020 American election vote counting is almost over . There are claims of widespread fraud, without evidence. As we
Getting paid what you're worth
I've noticed how often consultants underplay their expert contribution to client results. This manifests in different ways, including: * Pricing engagements using day-rates. * Specifying activity-based deliverables. * Accepting client directives without challenge. * Emphasising doing, not insights and advice. These behaviours come from a 'hired hand' and time-and-effort mindset.
Thought Leadership - in less than two minutes
Years ago, at a futurists' workshop for a telecommunications business, the workshop participants were briefed on technological, industry, social, and political trends. They were then split into groups and assigned roles representing their own business, or those of a potential competitor. The gist of the workshop was for these
The best sales letter ever written
Recently I've had trouble breathing. It's not Coronavirus. It's been a bit random. I'm allergic to cats and this has the same wheezy symptoms. It's the way I imagine asthma feels. Not pleasant. I've been trying to figure