“Sounds good, can you send me a proposal?” These words used to excite and terrify me. Then, I’d go off to write an amazing proposal to wow the prospect and win the business. So much stress, for so little success. … Read More
sales
Do you own your own business, or does it own you?
Most of us start our own business because we want more freedom, more control, more spaciousness to pursue our purpose. Sometimes, though, it seems like the business starts owning us– even more than the corporate jobs we left. It’s hard … Read More
The Olympics, Degree-of-difficulty, and Sales
USA and France played 2 amazing basketball games this weekend– the men’s final on Saturday and the women’s on Sunday, As a basketball fan, it’s great to see the games get competitive, with amazing players from all over the world.My … Read More
The Olympics are the wrong inspiration
This weekend I finally got a chance to watch some of the Paris Olympics. (Amazing drama, especially in the men’s 100m dash.) While I enjoyed watching and listening to some of the expert commentary, I realized that it’s easy to … Read More
If you rely on referrals, what’s your referral strategy?
For years, I relied on referrals, but I wasn’t intentional about it– I didn’t have a referral strategy. I just hoped I’d get a good referral. And even if I didn’t get a good referral, I felt obliged to pursue … Read More
When does a solo consultant need a CRM?
I get this question a lot, sometimes from folks just starting out as a consultant, often as a corporate refugee, and sometimes from folks who have been consulting for a while and maybe even tried a fancy CRM that felt … Read More
You don’t have to be superhuman to be a super connector
When I grow up, I want to be like those awesome people who always seem to be putting the right people together– super connectors. I used to think you had to be some kind of extroverted freak who actually enjoyed … Read More
No Referrals, Thanks, We’re All Full
So many consultants and other expert businesses rely on referrals for business development. But you wouldn’t know it. You’d think many of them were trying to avoid referrals. Have you seen folks do any of these: What do to instead?
The 2 Words You Don’t Want in Your Positioning Statement
Your positioning statement, elevator pitch, brand story, whatever you want to call it, should be doing a lot of heavy lifting for you. But there are 2 very short words that always weaken your positioning. (And I know some folks … Read More
What’s on your Not-to-do List for 2024?
Lots of folks make resolutions to do X, Y, or Z in the New Year. Nothing wrong with that, I say. Except that you might have made similar resolutions last year. And maybe the year before that. And before that. … Read More