The Weekly Brief
Thought Leadership - in less than two minutes
Years ago, at a futurists' workshop for a telecommunications business, the workshop participants were briefed on technological, industry, social,
Words
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The best sales letter ever written
Recently I've had trouble breathing. It's not Coronavirus. It's been a bit random. I&
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An unusual perspective on knowledge-work
In the 1930s my great grandparents won contracts to transport goods by canal from London to the Midlands, using horse-drawn
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Rapport factors you shouldn't ignore
Rapport factors you shouldn't ignore
Last week's brief was based on a single question, "Do
The Weekly Brief
The challenge of creation in a problem solving world
When I run possibility thinking workshops my opening question is obscure. "What do you get when you solve a
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Going from okay to excellent
This week I saw another example of deliberate practice and how small, incremental changes can make a massive difference to
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3 habits to make yourself a better consultant
If you want to establish a new habit it seems that micro-changes to existing behaviour are the way to go.
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How to sow seeds in a recession
Many consultants are quite content to wait for their client base to initiate opportunities. We call this order-taking, and in
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Now tell me what you really think
If you think it's easy for clients to decide which consultant to work with, think again.
They have
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Uselessly vague prospecting
When we say "Acme Construction" is a prospect it’s uselessly vague. Even when we say "The
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Are you an empathic authority?
Too many consultants relegate themselves to a position of order-taker. You must position yourself as an empathic authority, so you
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Reboot your network
A while ago there was a meme, something along the lines of “advice for my younger self”. Recently that’s
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Here are the reasons clients don't want your consulting ...
Are you excited by the idea of getting a puncture?
Probably not.
But, when you get a puncture the chances
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Jumping in too early.
Consultants who are subject matter experts get kudos by demonstrating they know stuff. It’s therefore not surprising they can
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What's really going on
“ … all of us hold on tightly to many things we don’t really have.” This line from Patrick Rhone’s book - This Could Help - got me thinking about our attitudes toward pipelines, relationships, and services.
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The single most important thing to do
So why do most consultants - and the agents they hire - focus entirely on abstract 'attraction' methods of marketing? I feel the answer to this question has something to do with focus and confidence.
The Weekly Brief
Consultancy is just a means to an end
What if there are only two reasons for hiring you? Because they probably are!
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Living with extremely high-drive individuals
Selling new business is tough because you're certain to ruffle feathers and upset some people. However, be assured, high-drive executives like to be challenged - providing it is done with respect and rapport. They are looking for people who bring fresh ideas, who are prepared to take risks, break th