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| Welcome |
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 One
morning this past spring, I was running along a sun-lit
beach path. Only a few people were up and about, but
I noticed one solitary figure in the distance gazing
over the vast expanse of beach in front of him.
As
I watched, he pulled a pair of lightweight headphones
over his ears, grabbed a sand scoop, and fired up his
all-terrain metal detector. He was searching for hidden
“treasure” on the beach. Over the course
of the next few hours, he patiently scanned one small
patch of sand after another, hoping to find something
of value.
He
didn’t.
Whenever
we strive for results based mostly on hope, success
is illusive. For many consultants, using the Web to
help build their practices seems like a hope-based exercise.
Our study of hundreds of consultants’ opinions
about their Web marketing efforts bears this out. This
month, David Maister explores this issue in his article,
“Adventures in Modern Marketing.” Maister
provides some certainty to support our hopes.
We’re
also featuring articles on how to avoid a bad meeting,
why writing a book changes the consultant as much as
it changes a practice, and what you can learn from taking
time off.
Alan
Weiss weighs in with some advice about keeping it real.
And Kerry Patterson and Eric Patten continue their series
on crucial conversations by giving us tips on handling
project setbacks.
Over
the past several months, many subscribers have suggested
that we offer an audio version of some of our content.
So, beginning this month, we’re bringing you our
first three podcasts. Debbie Weil, corporate blogging
consultant and author of The Corporate Blogging
Book, covers the ins and outs of that
subject. We’ve also got podcasts on making your
marketing easier and how to create successful client
communication programs.
So,
this month’s issue has many things to read or
listen to. I’m ready to head back to the beach.
What are the chances that guy is still searching for
his treasure?
Enjoy
the issue. And send me an email
if you have comments.
Mike
McLaughlin
Editor, Management Consulting News
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| Interview:
Gene Zelazny |
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Since 1961, Gene Zelazny, the Director of Visual Communications
for McKinsey & Company, has helped countless professionals
clear the clutter from their visual communications.
His original book, Say It with Charts,
defined a visual communication style that is as fresh
today as it was twenty years ago. He’s followed
that initial work with the books, Say it
with Presentations and Say
it with Charts Workbook.
This
month we ask Zelazny for his latest thinking on what
it takes to create a great presentation in a world of
skeptical audiences
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| The
Writing on the Wall, by Alan Weiss |
 |
 The
Winter (Spring, Summer, Fall) of
Our Discontent
I’m
encountering so many whining, moaning, complaining consultants
that you’d think they were forced into this profession
at gunpoint. It’s not like they entered the profession
only after finishing four years of post-graduate work,
interning, and amassing six figures of debt.
Most
just mentioned to passersby, “I’m a consultant,
do you need one?” and they were off and running.
Not exactly a high cost of entry.
Read
the article
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| Adventures
in Modern Marketing |
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 by
David Maister
In
June 2006, I asked the readers of my blog to advise
me about the best way to raise the awareness of my website.
This question prompted the most comments of any of blog
post since I began. I have combined that advice here
with reflections of my own on what I have learned from
my use of the web in my consulting practice.
Read
the article
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| Crucial
Conversations: Managing Setbacks |
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by
Kerry Patterson and Eric Patten
There’s
nothing like sitting back at the end of a consulting
project and basking in the glory of a major success.
Not everyone believed you would succeed. It took a tremendous
amount of work, you struggled to make mid-course corrections,
and key players did not quickly jump on board; but in
the end, you accomplished more than you projected.
But what about those mid-course corrections?
If
you had to fix something along the way that must mean
something went wrong. And if that’s the case,
how did the client react? Did the CEO sit down with
you over a pleasant lunch and brainstorm possible course
corrections? Did internal and external consultants view
the setback as an important data point in helping craft
changes to the intervention?
Or,
did the HR and other internal consultants threaten to
pull the contract? Did your client see the setback as
evidence that your consulting team was incompetent,
untrustworthy, and soon-to-be unemployed?
How your client responds to setbacks is largely dependant
on what you’ve done to clarify expectations. At
VitalSmarts, we learned this the hard way.
Read
the article
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| One
Piece of Sales Advice You Can't Live Without |
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Well,
there are actually eleven pieces of advice in RainToday's
thirty-four page ebook titled, The
One Piece of Advice You Can't Sell Without.
The ebook was authored by eleven people—including
me—who have opinions on what it takes to sell
professional services.
What's
great about this ebook is its focus on selling professional
services, not cell phones, copiers, or twin screw extruders.
You'll also find insightful articles by:
- Seth Godin, author of Small is the New
Big and Purple Cow
- Sam Reese, CEO of Miller Hieman sales training
company
- Alan Weiss, author of Million Dollar Consulting
- Jill Konrath, author of Selling to
Big Companies
- Paige Arnof-Fenn, CEO of Mavens & Moguls, columnist
for Entrepreneur
- Mike Schultz, Publisher, RainToday.com
- Keith Ferrazi, author of Never Eat
Alone
- Larry Bodine, Founder, Law Marketing Portal
- Paul Dunay, Director of Global Field Marketing,
Bearing Point
- Frank Stasiowski, CEO, PSMJ Resources
So
grab a copy. It's yours for the asking.
Read
The
One Piece of Advice You Can't Sell Without.
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| Coming
Attractions |
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“Most
of us never deliberately attempt to learn much about
the full scope and scale of our influence at work. Our
legacy is something we think of only at the end of our
tenure at a company, or when we’re on the cusp
of retirement.” – Robert Galford and Regina
Maruca
It’s
never too early to consider the long-term impact you’ll
have on an organization, whether it’s your own
practice or a client’s business. Robert Galford
and Regina Maruca, authors of Your
Leadership Legacy, believe that if
you think about your legacy now, instead of waiting
until you’re wrapping up your career, you’ll
be a better leader today.
Next
month, we’ll talk to Galford and Maruca to understand
the far-reaching implications of this one idea.
Look
for the next issue of Management Consulting
News on October 3, 2006.
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My
mantra is that it takes the same amount of time
to present five ideas on one slide as it does
to present one idea on each of five slides.
