Words
The Sunday Dispatches archive...
Holding yourself back in executive conversations?
Holding yourself back in executive conversations? Self-doubt gets in the way of performance in the boardroom. Overcome it. The rewards are huge. Start by seeing yourself as a peer. You'll communicate more effectively, earn a stronger relationship, and achieve greater success.
Stop talking about methodology and service.
Stop talking about methodology and service. Start talking about the client's business issues. Why? Because C-Level executives live and breathe their business. They're not interested in your pitch or process. They want to talk about results and value.
What happens when you suspend your agenda.
What happens when you suspend your agenda (selling) and sincerely want the client to succeed (helping)? You become a co-conspirator working to achieve your client's personal goals. That's a different relationship. It moves things to a completely different level.
It's a common form of business communication.
It's a common form of business communication. Yet we weren't taught how to write outreach emails at school. So we get emails with long, unstructured prose. Content that combines chit-chat with management speak. For me, brief, straightforward, emails are best. Why? Because executives in corporate
Stop scrolling. Start typing.
Stop scrolling. Start typing. How will you help someone reframe a failure today?
Enormous influence.
Some of the smartest consultants I know have built enormous influence through their focus on community - clients, partners, and associates. 🤝
The 80/20 rule still astounds me.
The 80/20 rule still astounds me. Whenever I analyse performance it's in that range. Let's run some numbers for fun. Let's say we have 15 clients. We may find that just three of those contribute 80% of our profits. And twelve produce the
Struggling to find project opportunities?
Struggling to find project opportunities? Clients have issues - problems to solve and opportunities to capture. But you won't hear about them unless you ask. Start a conversation. Raise potential issues you've seen. Find out what they're struggling with right now. Give them a chance
Desirable results aren’t always enough to close a deal.
Desirable results aren’t always enough to close a deal. Let's face it - we've all had enthusiastic conversations with clients that fizzle out when it's time to commit. In their mind the client talks up the outcomes they want, then talks themselves down with
Selling a project idea to a client first requires selling yourself.
But how do you sell yourself? 1/ Make sure the result is compelling. 2/ Check value creation is worthwhile. 3/ Be clear what success looks like. 4/ Want it with your heart. Are you truly interested and excited? If not forget about it until you can be.