Your job
“Don’t pitch your value in the sale. That’s marketing’s job. Your job is to uncover the value the client is seeking. Arm yourself with questions, not claims.” Blair Enns That’s it for today. Make questions. The right ones. 🙂
Double Thank You
That’s when your client gives you their money and say “Thank you. The work we’ve done together has really moved the needle.” And that’s when you say “Thank you. For letting me guide and lead to make this change.” It’s double because both gained something. And it’s about what’s important for them (aka the value). Jonathan Stark has his own take on this, and Blair Enns, too here. What was the last double thank you you can recall? 🙂
Seeing things
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things” That was Steve Jobs in an interview. And that’s right, it’s “just” seeing things and connecting them. Creativity comes in a way that it sees something, it makes the connection and brings…
Having a sense
Just because you’re measuring something, doesn’t mean it’s the right one to keep track of. You’re supposed to measure EVERYTHING that really matters to have a sense of where things are going. But that’s that: a sense. So that you can correct course. Everything can be measured. How you judge where that measure is directing you is what makes the difference.
Just like sex.
I mean, there’s no competition for who makes it faster, right? Which brings the question: What if slow is better? What if don’t need to improve the efficiency BUT the efficacy? What if it’s not about how fast / efficient / productive you get to a result, but about what kind of result you’re looking for? As Rory Sutherland in this video says: “What if it’s not about the speed of the commute, but about the commute itself?” What if we’re making the wrong questions? And it’s not about speed (or…
Sometimes it’s just that simple…
When things go wrong, it has (usually) nothing to do with trust. It has nothing to do with a conscious sabotage. Sometimes, it’s just happened. With time, you’ll get to see things that go South very quickly and when you notice, it’s already done. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Or in Robert Hanlon’s words… “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.” Maybe it’s that stupid simple. 🤷
Stop with Why.
Don’t ask why. Don’t ask the reasoning behind. Don’t ask to justify. You won’t get a real answer. All you’ll get is a personal defense of a position, with a heavy load of feelings. It’ll feel like an attack to the other one. Even when you have the best intentions. Start with “What” or “How” “What made you get to this decision / process / move…” “How did you come up to…” These 2 words take off the load of judgement over the question, and detach the person from the behavior. And with that,…
From cool-to-have to game-changer
Yesterday’s message was about thinking of what you think would be cool to have for you / your business 2 years from now. Now, that’s a good perspective to have. However, if you think of something that would be a game-changer in 2 years from now for your business… that’s a different story. Here’s the thing: Thinking of something cool to have can motivate you for some time. Thinking of what a game-changer for your business, that’s the one that will push you to: Think big. Make the hard…
Keeping your promise
All your customers want and expect from you is for you to keep your promise. Kinda “Duh!”, right? And yet, you’d be surprised (or maybe not) how many people, soloists, fractionals, organizations and companies just don’t do that. Not even in the bare minimum. You want to stand out? Keep your word. The bar is so low in your market. After all, you don’t sell your offerings. What you sell are 3 things: Your promise. Your competence. Your confidence. To make your clients better.
2 years from now
Think of that. What do you think would be cool for you and/or your business to happen 2 years from now? And this has nothing to do with “new year’s resolutions” (they’re no more than good intentions that’ll guilt-trip you at some point). Make a pause —for real— and stop everything you’re doing now. Now, think: “What would be cool for me / my business to happen 2 years from now?” Whatever you think you can or can’t, it’ll happen. Small hint: has nothing to do with many things at once. 🙂 Let…