Words
The Sunday Dispatches archive...
Communicate what you do better than anyone else (an exercise)
I created this exercise after hearing people say their job in IT wasn’t understood by their parents. It’s now my ‘go-to’ for starting a business value proposition workshop. As a thinking exercise it works for any job. I know you’ll enjoy it. Just start by answering
What to do with thinking time
A previous perspective I wrote about ended like this ... "you'll need to change something to maximise your chance of getting attention. What will that be?" Thank you for reading it. Did you come up with an answer? Chances are you didn't and skipped onto
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
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 business
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