Keep Your Eye On The Ball
I was reading where Wayne Gretzky claimed he was successful because he skated to where he thought the puck would be, not where it was. In warfare, people firing at planes from the ground were taught to "lead" the plane
Don’t Drill, Think Big
Thinking big is about thinking laterally, not about drilling down. Too many people learn more and more about less and less. Think differently. An example: A great many people talk about customer evangelism. Why not talk about the epiphanic customer, who
What’s Your Metaphor?
Don't be alarmed because you don't know the buyer's company or industry as well as the buyer does. You never will. The key is to create a metaphor that you own to draw the buyer OUT of his or her world
Strut Your Stuff
Early in my career, a veteran consultant, arrogating wisdom, gave me some really bad advice—"Be humble and low key," he said, "don't overwhelm the prospect." Shortly thereafter, the briefly low key Alan was facing a buyer who said, "You don't
Self-Esteem and Skills
I've found that continually building skills can be undermined if one's self-worth (reflected in self-talk) isn't commensurately improved, and building self-worth can be dysfunctional if the requisite skills don't accompany it. In the chart above, you can see that strong self-esteem
The Purpose of A Business
The purpose of a business is to offer value (through products and/or services) to customers, who pay for the value with cash or equivalents. Minimally, the money received should fund the costs of operating the business as well as provide
What You Can Learn From My Wife, The Consultant
A new cupcake shop opened on Main Street in East Greenwich. This is the most affluent city in the state, sometimes called a "country club of a town," and these niche shops are all the rage in many states. My wife
Why The Wall Street Journal Doesn’t Ask Me To Consult
Someone named Sue Shellenbarger answers a "work and family mailbox" in the Wall Street Journal on occasion. Google tells me she's the former head of the paper's Chicago Bureau and has written a couple of books on topics such as
Broncos Lose to Ravens By Trying Not To
Payton Manning's come-back year came back to haunt him last night as the Denver Broncos were upset by the Baltimore Ravens in Denver. The fault lies with the Denver Coach, John Fox. He repeatedly called for conservative plays instead of trying
When A Consultant Is Impressive
When A Consultant Is Impressive: • Not every question is answered with an attempt at profound wisdom, but rather with, "I don't know," or "What makes you ask that?" or "I'm reminded of a client engagement…." • There is a conversation about