Our mission is to spark new thinking and ideas for creating a thriving business and rewarding life.

We continue the question and answer format this month. Please send your questions to me at [email protected].

Opening Thought

We have enough perfect storms brewing: Ukraine, Covid, climate, immigration, abortion, social justice, supply problems, staffing problems. But the one issue that affects everyone and isn’t going away anytime soon is inflation. That’s what’s on every front page: inflation.

Consider emphasizing in your work and publicity that you create healthier margins, cut attrition, reduce expenses, raise prices, originate more streamlined and faster new business closing, and so forth.

Every organization needs to protect itself against inflation.

Poor Environment

“I’ve worked with this client last year and his manager called me recently saying they wanted me back. I have second thoughts because of the kind of management they have. A lot of employees left shortly after getting employed. I left after finding out that the owner gave his blessing to his close friend who wanted to have his employee work with me to learn my skills without any compensation or even giving me a heads up on what they wanted to do. In short, management doesn’t provide a safe environment for contractors. His manager told me things have changed but what would be my guarantee that nothing like that would happen again?”

—Mary Sue Abiera

If you don’t need the work, I’d simply walk away. But if you feel an obligation to help, assuming “his manager” is his boss, create a letter of agreement stipulating the working conditions. For example:

• You will not train others unless paid for that work.
• Your IP is yours alone and may not be used by the client without your written permission.
• You will work solely within the parameters of your proposal and any other requested work will require additional fees.

Your mistake originally was agreeing to train the friend’s employee.

Larger Markets

“I’m successful in SMEs up to about $200 million. But I want to go beyond that, maybe not to Fortune 1000 but at least up to three times this size. Yet all my referrals and happy clients are far smaller. How do I make this transition?”

—Dawn Lopés

Your current clients have larger suppliers and customers in all probability. They also have colleagues in associations, civic bodies, service clubs, charities, and arts groups who work with and in larger organizations. The first thing to do is ask for referrals and introductions to these kinds of prospects. Don’t be shy in specifying the company size you’re seeking.

I’d also recommend that, while your current methodology is probably equally relevant for larger firms, you’ll need to change:

• Your examples
• The content of newsletters, blogs, podcasts, videos
• The nature and origin of your testimonials
• Your conversation
• Your reading
• Your business colleagues
• And perhaps even your attorney and accountant

Growth is about innovation and innovation is about change.

I’m pleased to bring three unique experiences to your attention.

Coaching Confidential

Subscribe to my new monthly newsletter, Alan Weiss’s Coaching Confidential™ beginning in September. The charter subscription is only $60 for the year. Every issue will have a case study, a humorous or bizarre coaching adventure, and contemporary coaching methodology. You can sign up here:

Return to Australia

I’ll be making my 19th trip in October, this time to Brisbane, to present a week of unique offerings from passive income and global “reach” to a new strategy approach. Join me and your peers for my latest value to grow your business and decrease your labor facing our “new realities.” There is limited seating capacity. Fees increase on September 1.

Return to London

I’ll be hosting a two-day, high-level discussion of likely business futures globally, financial considerations, global passive income, the new realities of sales, new approaches to strategy, and so forth. There would be a limit of eight people. I’ll also conduct a full-day experience for a larger group, probably a limit of 30, for an entire day which will address new approaches to value based fees, the five essential short-term revenue generators, role playing difficult conversations, the advanced Accelerant Curve, and scaling the practice.

Schedule:
November 29: General Session, 9 to 4.
November 30 and December 1: Intimate Session, 9-4 both days.