Words
The Sunday Dispatches archive...
When coaching ambitious people, remember this.
They want productive conversations ... not just mental stimulation.
Sales theory is all well and good but this is more fun and productive.
1/ Identify a high-value, high payoff client development activity. eg. You want a better sales meetings, so experiment with: * Building rapport and trust. * Talking while sketching out a 2x2 framework. * Asking provocative questions (with precision). * Explaining your point-of-view clearly. * Giving other people attention and listening. Each of
Some consultant's careers get stuck ...
Some consultant's careers get stuck, because they focus too much on their job role, and not enough on their client's business issues. IT consultants are guilty of this when they lead with a technology expertise … I'm an < SAP, Salesforce, Oracle, Azure AWS, etc
Getting business meetings in a recession.
Getting business meetings in a recession. Executives are always 'sick and tired' of something. Your job, turn that frustration into an imperative. How do you do that? 1/ Figure out what the 'sick and tired' is. Understand its impact on the executive. That might be financial,
Are you in the top 4%?
Less than 4% That’s how few consultants introduce themselves well. Mostly the others tell you what their job is. And for me those introductions aren’t at all engaging. Business Process Analyst, Principal consultant, HR Systems Architect, Delivery Manager, Technical Architect, Supply Chain Consultant, Service Design Consultant. Whatever! So,
☀️ How to run brilliant first meetings
This is for situations where you decide to invest in building a highly productive, strategic relationship.You want to lead the client through a value creation conversation and position your expertise. Two different meeting structures 1. You contact a current, or previous, client with something you wanted to talk to
7-day sales experiment
Instructions Sales theory is all well and good. But this is more fun and productive ... 1/ Identify a high-value, high payoff client development activity. eg. You want a better sales meetings, so experiment with: + Building rapport and trust. + Talking while sketching out a 2x2 framework. + Asking provocative questions (with
Hunting NEW business for your consultancy?
Hunting NEW business for your consultancy? You could do a whole load of desk analysis. Or just cut to the chase ... For rapid results here's my #1 strategy: Deliberately connect with named executives ... in organisations that have a similar profile to ... the most productive of your key accounts.
Don't make the mistake of letting clients see you as a contractor?
Some people mistake contracting for consulting, but they’re different. Contractors complete tasks under the clients direction. They’re pseudo-employees. Consultants provide solutions to specific issues. These solutions comprise three types of project, based on providing … insights, plans, or resources. By way of an example, let’s look at
Top performers set unreasonable expectations.
Top performers set unreasonable expectations. For themselves. And others. That’s a good thing because ... I've seen unreasonable expectations lead to: - Visionary goals that became reality. - Higher standards and levels of performance. - Working on what's possible, not what's predictable. - Expensive, intractable, problems getting resolved.