Business of Consulting

The first 90 seconds of your speech will determine how closely people will listen after that. You'd better capture their attention right from the outset or you'll be competing with email, lunch choices, and car loans for the rest of the

An advisory to consultants on how to deal with your clients: Are they prepared for emergencies and crises? I don't think Boeing was, though being in their business you'd think they'd be. Most people can't put on an aircraft life vest

Do you hear from some prospects, "We can do this ourselves"? Well, aside from the fact that if they could they would have already, consider these: • University admission bribery scandals • Vacillation over whether to ground Boeing MAX 737s • Brexit's total ambiguity

I'm going to teach you today what to do when a prospect or client buyer asks for something unreasonable, like a fee reduction, or your physical presence when unnecessary, or collaborating with human resources. This is based on 30+ years

If you want to see the difference between a true innovator and a conman, consider Jeff Bezos opening a new chain of food stores in addition to Whole Foods; and Elon Musk trying to sell Teslas online, with no showrooms,

RFPs (requests for proposals) are used by government agencies and some non-profits and for-profits. They are almost always pretty useless. They seek "deliverables" and not results, are created and evaluated by low level people, and demand that billing be by

Don't jump at every offer of an interview, webinar, etc. Ask what the show's demographics are and how many people are reached. A lot of people are merely trying to build their own audience by doing interviews, and it can

These people are paid—many times in addition to their salaries—to lower vender fees irrespective of the value the vender provides, and they consider consultants to be merely venders. The solution for you is never to deal with them. Your relationship is

I surf through TV morning news when I'm on the road, as I am now in Miami, and every single broadcast looks the same. Two (always diverse) anchors, a woman reporting on the traffic, usually a woman doing the weather,

One employee in a coffee shop in the morning is friendly, prompt, and wishes you a nice day after thanking you for your business. An employee in another shop across the street ignores you for a few minutes, then is surly,