Hold the Backup
Stop thinking you need validation and, worse, taking the time to provide it whenever you speak. • You don't demand to see the collegiate records of your dentist, nor the last inspection reports from the board of health. • You don't demand
How to Impress A Buyer
If you want to impress a buyer at your first meeting in the buyer's office, think about these techniques: • Google the firm and find out something about it's recent history worth discussing. • Google the person and find something in his
Respect and Affection
Too many consultants want to be liked. They are desperate for affiliation or even deeper regard. However, what we need from buyers is respect. You can respect someone without necessarily liking them. (Speakers who use the stage for their own
Fees Are Never Too High
Everyone reading this who is trying to be successful in professional (and personal) services has heard the buyer's rejection: "This is more than we anticipated spending." "This is not something we've budgeted for." "This is an amount which we never
THE BENTLEY CARD
The Bentley Card, providing credits to all of my work, is no officially cross-species. © Alan Weiss 2013
The Daily Sabbatical
I've been fortunate to have worked and spent time with a variety of thought leaders: Walt Mossberg, Walter Isaacson, Dan Pink, Marshall Goldsmith, David Maister, et. al. Nearly all of them have talked of "sabbaticals" to recharge the batteries, work
Another Million Dollar Consulting® College Completed
Back from the Castle Hill Inn in Newport. Next College: week of May 6. We have four people already.
A Person of Interest
The new TV hit show, Blacklist, is absurdly ridiculous. But James Spader is so good that we record every episode to make sure we don't miss any. I saw him on Broadway in Race, where co-star Kelley Washington, the current
The Ideal Career
Someone approached me not long ago and said, "I've figure you out. You only do what you love to do and are great at. And you've built a career around it." That didn't come as a surprise to me, but it
Create Some Perspective
As consultants, we often need to create perspective. That's because if we simply and uncritically compare issues and performance around us, we may find we're on the fast track to the lowest common denominator. The media fill the air with bad