Words
The Sunday Dispatches archive...
Before solving.
Before solving people's most critical issues make sure you understand the results they want.
The fear of stretch goals
Many consultants fear setting stretch goals. They worry they'll fail or overcommit. Here’s how you can do it and succeed. #1 Inspire yourself. Ambitious targets push you. They inspire greater effort and creativity. So, don't settle for easy wins. Set yourself up to achieve more
Stop asking dumb 'consultant questions' - Provide some leadership
Value creation with insight and a point-of-view “Winning sales” isn’t a useful mindset for client advisors. Offering insight, using your consulting skills, is a more congruent approach. My friend Stuart talks about educating people so they can buy. That’s the way I like to think about
10 questions to ask yourself when evaluating a consulting deal.
10 questions to ask yourself when evaluating a consulting deal. 1/ Has the client acknowledged your experience and expertise? 2/ How clear is the issue the client wants to resolve and what success looks like? 3/ Have you offered convincing case studies showing similar results? 4/ How will funding for
Not sure how to develop an interesting point of view?
Not sure how to develop an interesting point of view? Here's a useful 5-step method for you: 1/ Identify a client-worthy issue. 2/ Research and gather data. 3/ Develop a compelling case story. 4/ Anticipate objections, so you respond respectfully. 5/ Prepare to present your idea
Early steps to proactive business development.
Early steps to proactive business development. #1: Find big, urgent, expensive issues. #2: Make sure clients want these fixed.
Three undervalued thinking skills.
Three undervalued thinking skills consultants need to use more deliberately during pre-sales situations. 1/ Putting a project's outcomes in the context of the client's business strategy and goals 2/ Surfacing a project's implementation opportunities, risks, and resourcing needs. 3/ Checking and uncovering interdependencies
Applying Harry Potter 'reverse engineering' to your meetings.
I was listening to a Podcast earlier this week. An idea came up from one of the speakers. They explained how they reverse engineered the entire first Harry Potter movie. They went through it scene by scene and wrote down: • The setting • The dialogue • The “plot” action It took them
A single habit top consultants have that you can copy easily.
1 Habit Top Consultants Have That You Can Copy ... And Immediately Improve Sales Performance Most successful consultants share the same handful of things in common: They are experts in their field and recognised as such. They have, and offer, a different and useful perspective. They love working with other people
Any consultant can differentiate themselves in the client's eyes.
Any consultant can differentiate themselves in the client's eyes. It's easy. First, learn more about the client's priorities, needs, and goals. Second, show you understand these better than anyone else. That's different.