Words
The Sunday Dispatches archive...
Before and after
Let's think about before and after. That is, what was it like for clients before they used your services (or product) and what was life like afterwards? Here’s a couple of examples. Example 1: Business Accounts with Xero Before Xero I used Quicken 2000. My accounting workflow
Superconnect by Richard Koch & Greg Lockwood
Interesting book with some unexpected perspectives about networks and networking. Especially how the unlikely connections can lead to big things. ISBN: 0349122318 Date Read: September 2013 How strongly I recommend it: 9/10 My conclusions — the directives 1. Swap the delusion that we can control the world as individuals for
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Leave something for the client to say
Many of us are conditioned, while growing up at school, that solving problems means having all the answers. Later in life this manifests in our telling clients what we know. (And using big words like 'manifests' instead of 'comes out'!) We try, pre-sale, to impress
3 reasons 'ghosting' happens after you've sent a consulting proposal
Coming up to Halloween it seems the right time to write about this. If you’re not familiar with the term ‘ghosting’ it’s defined on Wikipedia as: ... breaking off a relationship by stopping all communication and contact with the partner without any apparent warning or justification, as well as
Is "attraction marketing" the best way to find new clients?
With the rise of content marketing, attraction strategies are very popular ... writing articles, posting on social media, conducting webinars, redesigning websites ... But, are these activities the best way for consultants to find significant new business? Let's get some perspective. Without looking too hard I was able to find:
Avoiding the gravitational pull of black hole communication
Consultants who agree the client's next actions at the end of meetings sell more. It's a great habit. Doing so ensures the client understands what's expected from them, as well as what they can expect from you. It means they are buying into a
4 rules for reaching out to executives
Lots of advisors suggest outreach is a numbers game, where you monotonously grind out emails, LinkedIn requests etc. But if you want quality connections, with senior executives, it's not about numbers and grind. Outreach requires thoughtfulness ... word craft ... sequencing ... and resilience. 1. Do your homework Nowadays executives are
7 ideas for improving your sales performance
1. Set standards. It is impossible to have accountability without standards. 2. Separate new business and account development. New business is psychologically harder than account development, both are less comfortable than delivery. 3. Be purposeful. Have an objective and key results for every sales interaction. What is your most wanted
Message management
When meeting executives for the first time you might default to your safe zone ... pitching your firm and its 'unique' methodology. Interestingly these 'unique' methods all look very similar to senior people - usually a series of right facing arrows! And if that's the case,