Words
The Sunday Dispatches archive...
Straight-talkers build client confidence.
As consultants our work has lots of variables and stakeholder perspectives. We have to sort through, and make sense of facts and opinions. Then navigate organisational politics and make useful recommendations. In these complex situations our advice can get lost. Particularly if we over-complicate our language and aren'
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ...
... I ran workshops for leaders in large corporate organisations. They wanted change. Sometimes their situation was remedial, where something wasn't working. Mostly it was generative change, taking what worked well for them and amplifying it. Very occasionally it was transformational. I learnt a lot hosting these workshops. As
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
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
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