Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo® – 4/20/26
The airlines’ major frequent flyer programs began with American Airlines back in 1981 (though Texas International Airlines had one in 1979). Everyone quickly followed. Travelers fell in love because they were earning free trips without paying anything extra for the ticket. You may feel the travelers were and are silly. Well, the average major airline today has a liability of about $7-10 billion if these points were all cashed in.
Although there are attempts to squelch this with blackout periods and restricted seats available, this is none the less a very real monster under the bed. However, many people never cash them in or they allow the points to expire. (When I hit it big I stopped staying in Marriotts, and my daughter used my points for my wife and herself and our two granddaughters to fly to California. The stunned Marriot agent told her that the account had four million points available, and she had never seen such a balance. More recently, since Marriott owns every other hotel brand around the world, I’m inadvertently accruing again.)
Airlines and hotels figure some of the points won’t all be used at all. This is called “breakage,” believe it or not, and it’s the monster-slayer.
Another example of this is the US Postal Service, which prints about $14 billion in postage stamps each year. But it’s estimated that over half of this amount is never used for postage because it goes into collections so there’s no attendant labor involved. My own, advanced US collection goes only to 2020, because for at least a quarter century the postal service has been printing what’s known as “wallpaper”—stamps to attract collectors which are actually unneeded. Hence, they have their own monster repellant.
Stay with me: I provide “unlimited access” to me for my top clients, both corporate and individual. That seems like it can’t be fulfilled, and many people ask how I can do it. It’s simple: Virtually no one abuses the privilege. In fact, many people apologize for “bothering me” or ask if they can have an appointment. One year I had 36 corporate clients, and these days I have hundreds of top-echelon consulting clients globally. They call when there’s a need and, since they’re so successful, the needs are relatively few and reasonable. (Many tell me they've “found” the answer as they're explaining the issue to me. I tell them to keep it up.)
This is my monster multiplier: Even successful top people don’t generally offer this, and I’m probably the most approachable and reachable person at my level in the world. (Try to reach and receive personal responses from my peers.)
Use your airline points. Collect stamps if you like. But provide unlimited access. Then go sit on the beach. The monster is working for you. In my case, I've named it “Perceived Value.”
Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering, and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationships. —Ross Perot
Deals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. That's how I get my kicks. —Ed Koch
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. —Warren Buffett
Value is what people are willing to pay for it. —John Naisbitt
Monetizing Thought Leadership: https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/monetizing-thought-leadership/
THE RIGHT ATTITUDE FOR THE RIGHT ATTITUDE: HOW ELITE CONSULTANTS EARN MORE BY THINKING DIFFERENTLY
Date: June 23-24, 2026
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Fees: Starts at $2500
This is not for those who need more tactics. It’s for those who seek an identify shift to shamelessly build brand and command the income justified by their value. Objectives:
- The economic prism to best evaluate opportunities and clients
- Creating and justifying high fees without guilt or trepidation
- Exploiting the reasons buyers pay six- and seven-figure fees
- Before and beyond a brand: a repositioned identity
- Creating a business that serves your life, not the reverse
Topics and Discussions
- The economics of expertise
- Better positioning trumps “more leads”
- The active volcanoes of IP
- Revenue depends on value clarity
- The supremacy of recognized value
- Continual value creation
- The psychology of capturing value and ignoring price
- Offensive, not defensive proposals
- Walking your talk, talking your walk
- Surpassing “trusted advisor”
- The IA (indispensable authority)
- The myths of likeability and accessibility
- Distance without arrogance
- Rejecting positive and dysfunctional relationships
- The authority/brand/gravity alchemy
- Visibility is not authority
- Thought leadership is framing, not solving
- To market upward you can’t go sideways
- The ROI journey begins at the destination
- There must be “reasonable certainty”
- Work backwards from outcomes
- Confidence and competence over credentials
- Your internal transformation
- Road closed, do not proceed
- Scaling is something you do to fish
- Only profitable growth makes sense
- The “E” word is elevation, not expansion
- Your life cannot serve your business
Who should attend?
- Experienced consultants, speakers, coaches in any field
- Those seeking a great lifestyle, not a specific monetary goal
- People who can openly share and be honest with colleagues
- Those who feel their talents and value can be spread much farther
- Those who feel under-valued and under-appreciated
Applicants will be “curated” to ensure proper interactions.
$2,500 per person
$3,500 to include second morning with Q&A with Alan demonstrating transition needs for each attendee
$7,500 to include four hours of one-on-one coaching in 30-60-minute segments within six months, flexibly scheduled
$10,000 includes dinner with Alan one-on-one in a great restaurant
You will no longer struggle for client affection, selection, or projection. You’ll be chosen because of your identity and authority.
Summary: You’re not “buying” information or tactics, you are investing in a new way of thinking about yourself, the market, and long-term, sustainable immediate and passive income for your value.
London: On May 18-19 (1.5 days) I’m running a “cabaret style” session in my suite in London on how to create the identify, esteem, and market profile required to be a seven-figure consultant. The fee is $4,500, which includes a reception/dinner evening at a Michelin-star restaurant, a light breakfast and lunch. Write me: [email protected] or register here. I have one space available.
2026 Zoom Workshops
January 6 Maximizing the coaching/advisory dynamic
February 3 Maximizing speaking spin-off business
March 3 Role-playing tough conversations
April 7 Maximizing workshop effectiveness spin-off
NEXT May 5 Maximizing current events potential
June 9 Role-playing tougher conversations
July 7 Maximizing low project labor practices
August 13 Maximizing panels—participant/moderator
September 8 Role-playing toughest conversations
October 6 Maximizing publishing potential
November 2 Maximizing lifestyle potential
December 8 Maximizing 2027 personally and professionally
All sessions are approximately 90 minutes beginning at 10:30 US eastern time. These sessions are $450 each, or the entire year for $5,000. Add three months of weekly 30-minute coaching for $2,500, a total of $7,500. (My cards are accepted for the full-year, and for the full-year and coaching options, not for individual sessions.) All sessions will include video recording, visual photos, and Zoom Companion summary.
Register here: https://alanweiss.com/store/quick-pay/
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