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Discovery process – key to winning the sale in professional services

Discovery process – key to winning the sale in professional services

Businesses which consistently win in professional services and consultancy, are those which have mastered the art of creating an exact fit between the specifics of the clients needs and their proposals. If  you are effective in establishing value in the eyes of your prospective client, you need not worry about the competition, as you will be the obvious choice. This…
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Do you and your team challenge ‘facts’ ?

Do you and your team challenge ‘facts’ ?

It is interesting to reflect on the 'Fake News' debate that is grabbing the headlines these days. Essentially fake news is about making up or spinning stories which support an agenda or perspective. In other words the 'spinner' already has a particular point of view (BIAS) and is seeking to sell this point of view to others. This bias can…
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What does ‘Innovation’ mean in your business?

What does ‘Innovation’ mean in your business?

If you and your management team are not actively engaged in some form of  'innovation' the chances are that the business will decline and die in the not too distant future. Such is the pace of change. Traditional sectors, where historically there has not been a culture of innovation, are particularly at risk. Innovation initiatives can take many forms: Continuous…
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Build online communities for success in B2C

Build online communities for success in B2C

Social media is now an essential resource to build sales in B2C.  This will become more 'true' as younger segments, who are particularly active on social media, mature into high spend consumers. If your market is retail consumers and you do not already have a strategy to build your online 'community' it is time to do so. How? You must…
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Leadership lessons from professional sport

Leadership lessons from professional sport

It can be useful for those in leadership positions in business to benchmark themselves against professional sports people (particularly those in team sports), and see whether they can glean any useful insights to help them 'up their game'. Consider the following: Self-belief and goals. Professional sports people have self-belief and excel at setting measurable goals against which to benchmark their performance.…
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Know your Competition

Know your Competition

Some Questions. Do you know who your competitors are, both direct and indirect? If so , are you tuned into their sales and marketing strategies? Do you have a process in place to monitor changes in the competitive landscape? Do you have a well informed strategy for countering competitive threats? There is a tendency to be complacent about the competition,…
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The Power of Process

The Power of Process

The word 'Process' has a lot of negative connotations - 'boring', 'time wasting', 'pointless box ticking', 'unnecessary', 'incomprehensible', 'bureaucratic' etc. Yet few can argue but that good processes are a hallmark of all successful enterprises. Smart process is about getting it right, in the most efficient way, first time, 100% of the time.  It is smart processes and checklists (a…
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Leadership and Authenticity

Leadership and Authenticity

Conventional wisdom suggests that openness, transparency and consistency are critical values of an authentic and effective leader, and are key to building and maintaining trust with 'followers'.  But this is tricky stuff ! Consider the following examples : A leader who is open about his weaknesses and insecurities in order to be authentic, risks giving the impression that he is…
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Find a mentor to develop your skills

Find a mentor to develop your skills

Traditional leadership development whether in house or  in business schools focuses on teaching potential leaders what to do in different situations and what behaviours to adopt, with learning through case studies. This 'once off' model of learning is inadequate in an increasingly complex business environment, where there is an ongoing breakdown in long established industry boundaries, and an ever increasing…
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Goal setting Pros and Cons

Goal setting Pros and Cons

Overwhelming research demonstrates that goal setting has a powerful influence on individual performance and motivation. Goals are potentially energising and motivating. Challenging goals lead to higher levels of effort. Deadlines lead to more rapid rates of work and  making a 'public' commitment to a goal, recorded in writing, enhances personal commitment to its achievement. But there are real problems with…
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