Three questions for successful client relationships

Want to build strong relationships with your clients from the beginning? One that ensures all their goals and issues are addressed effectively to set you both up for success? Then, client relationship management must be a top priority. This does not mean you “roll over” when pushed by a client.  Of course, these are two…

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Your firm is missing revenue if junior staff isn’t billable

The best use of technical staff is to be billable, right?  One needs more technical and managerial experience to be effective at sales, right?  Yet, there are 3-4 times more junior staff then senior staff. If you could get that many more people driving sales just how fast can you go? Lucky for me I…

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Lessons on CEO burnout, how to spot it, how to resolve it

Part of being an effective leader is to constantly evaluate yourself. It can be difficult to objectively determine how you’re doing– to see yourself as others see you. The problem of leadership burnout is that no one is going to tell you. No one is going to come into your office and tell you that you’re…

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CEOs’ top role: Get the most out of your employees

When talking strategic direction, we often talk in terms of the role of the CEO and what he or she must do to encourage greater productivity and alignment. We don’t focus as much on the role of the employees, although we all know we’d be nowhere without them. We understand leadership starts at the top and an effective leader encourages employees to act…

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I am 95% billable and I generate business for my company

Many professional service firms’ CEOs and managers are convinced that time spent on overhead activities detracts from the revenue of the company by lowering billability. This is one of the largest misconceptions I have seen. In both my corporate experience and with clients I applied a technique that maintained high billability and generated sales, even…

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Technical staff has what it takes to win clients

This is a quick note with thanks for the fortune of a valuable lesson that impacted my career. The following is my story. This may remind you of a similar experience.  Now is a good time to thank those who helped shape your career and to think about how you might help someone by challenging…

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Prioritizing resources for growth

Small- and medium-sized professional services companies often have a hard time prioritizing resources for investing in their future.  And for those who understand that riding the new economy requires new skills, then the transformation into a learning culture is imperative. Analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your organization’s significant influencers is an adaptation of…

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