A Billion Here, A Billion There, Pretty Soon You’re Talking Real Money
Annual expenditures on: Employee heft: $50-60 billion Breakage and equipment repair: $50 billion Lawsuits: $500 billion Security: about 3 percent of annual budget Training: $60 billion Consulting: $400 billion Unproductive meetings: $37 billion And you can't sell high-value help for six figures? (All statistics from an AI search)
Get Charlie
Two technicians from Verizon couldn't solve our home phone problem in four hours. Two weeks later, a third technician solved it in 15 minutes. With a large company, you can't control the expertise, critical skills, or experience of the people
Not “Woke,” but “Wake”
Don't leave your fate in the hands of others. For medical issues, obtain a second (or third) opinion. The same for home renovations or vacation trips. For your business, don't allow clients to miss payment dates or depend on your bookkeeper
A Matter of Choice
We often think we have binary decisions when we do not. "I have a conflict, my dentist has an opening but it'd during my workout time. Which should I choose?" The real question is: "How can I accommodate both?" The answer is
You Need This
I was interviewing someone once for a marketing job for a client, and I asked her to define "marketing." She couldn't do it. Someone present accused me of a "pressure interview." I think you should be able to define your
The Better Thing
People tend to pride themselves on fast response, and that's a good thing. But what about "anticipatory response," when you suggest something the other party didn't even realize was needed. It's called "marketing." That's an even better thing.
Who’s on First?
I recently talked to someone who used his virtual assistant to coordinate with a speakers bureau secretary who reported to her boss, and then the boss spoke to a meeting planner at a client, who went to her boss for
The Wrong Road Too Often Travelled
You don't fail with a proposal when you submit it and the buyer rejects it. You fail when you and the buyer have not achieved conceptual agreement on outcomes, metrics, value, and ROI prior to creating the proposal.
Okay, Let’s Begin: Your Basic Premise Is Wrong….
We're here to be respected in business, not loved. We need to challenge, push back, and confront buyers. They are surrounded by people who are obsequious and sycophantic. Why would they need to hire someone from the outside who simply
Would You Be Willing to Introduce Me to….
If you can't ask for referrals from your past and current buyers, or from influential people you know, because you "don't want to intrude" or feel that you're bothering them, then you don't appreciate your own value. Entire industries—real estate,