Effective Learning=Effective Sales
Secrets of 7 successful companies that do some things badly
Is being bad part of your strategy? It seems counter-productive, doesn’t it? But it’s not. Successful companies know this secret and practice it so that they can be the best at their priorities. The concept of focusing on a single business model is not new. In 1995, Treacy and Wiersema wrote “The Discipline of Market Leaders.” They…
Read MoreThe life or death of an exit strategy
Over my 35 year career, I learned there is one challenge firm owners face that is most prevalent, that negatively impacts their wealth and the stability of the firm. The challenge is created by being too caught up in the day to day business. Thus, there is little thought given to exit strategies– until it…
Read MoreIf you’re not leading with these, your company is jeopardizing success
As a leader, your job is to look at the big picture and, naturally, much of your attention is on essential items like growing revenue and controlling expenses. Typically, there’s less time spent strategizing on how to lead than the leading itself. But, what if you could lead your firm in a more enlightened way,…
Read MoreMust use simple tool to develop and grow your business!
In a recent podcast produced by Matt Handal, author of Proposal Secrets, titled Growing A/E/C Firms with Doug Reed, I share how a unique approach centered around an accounting mechanism (the timesheet) that most of our firms use, will help firms grow even during the most challenging economy. I know because I was a consulting engineering firm…
Read MoreFor best results don’t just learn, learn right
As a staff engineer on the cusp of securing my professional license, my employer gave me opportunities to support new business pursuits. While I happened to be successful on the first few, I don’t give myself the credit. I give the credit to the owners and senior managers of the firm who gave me the…
Read MoreCEOs and CFOs can endear their creditors by sharing their sales process
CRMs have been a tough sell for many professional services firms because they were seen as adding work. So, I often end up implementing a simplified system that mainly used the Opportunities tracking module. I think that the newer cloud based systems have overcome many objections and their use is finally starting to sink in.…
Read MoreCreating change is a top-down imperative
Those who control person’s job status, salary and recognition within the firm have ultimate control. Does this mean a CEO can order change to occur? My observations are consistent with organizational behavior theory. The answer is no, at least in the professional environment where I spent over 35 years of my career. What I have…
Read MoreCertainty blasts away career limits
You may be a CEO, or you may be a mid-level technical or business professional. Either way, to reach your goal with the certainty that you will be better off and happy, you first need to believe in the outcome of your decisions. Remember that certainty is built on belief. Olympic runner Roger Banister believed he could run a mile…
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