The inspector assesses the foundation of the house, the walls, floors, plumbing, and so on. Then, you get a report on ways to shore up the place.

As you kick off the New Year, take some time for a structural inspection of your business. In many cases, you’ll find that the key to better performance is in making small changes to how you do business, not in implementing some grand new strategy.

To find those opportunities, turn your attention to three parts of your business: your intellectual property (or content), your marketing approach, and your service offer.

Read the rest of the article in this month’s issue of The Guerrilla Consultant.

Bregman did stints with the Hay Group and Accenture before launching his own firm, Bregman Partners, in 1998. He understands how hard it can be to stay focused when so many things compete for our time and attention.

I asked Bregman about strategies for solving that age-old problem: there never seems to be enough time to do everything we need (or want) to do.

You can find out more at www.peterbregman.com.

Intro music exluna by Jakub Koter
Podcast run time: 20:35

Photo by Swami Stream

It was just a few weeks ago that I finally underwent “minor” surgery on my ailing right knee. Even though the medical professionals consider the “procedure” routine, it still lays you out for a while. Simple things, like walking up and down stairs, become a challenge. And forget driving, walking more than a few feet at a time, or showering. Plus, I found writing to be a challenge.

Fortunately for most people who undergo this kind of surgery, these limitations aren’t permanent. You do have to live with some uncertainty about how well you’ll heal, and stay patient as you regain strength. But a forced break from everyday routines can result in renewed appreciation for the people and relationships that define your life.

You also have time to reflect on the big questions about your direction, business, and quality of life when the day-to-day stuff isn’t the only thing on your radar. Some people use vacations to take a step back and think about their grand plans, while others find different ways to achieve the same aim.

Whatever way you choose, be sure to find a regular opportunity to take a breather, reflect on where you are and where you want to be. If the circumstances demand it and the timing is right, set a new path for yourself. Some of my best long-term decisions came about when I wasn’t preoccupied with deadlines, clients, and my business.

I’m guessing that most of you recognize the value of down time, but how often do you really get it? I’m not waiting for the surgeon’s knife to reappear before I do it again.

Roger Courville

If you’re like me, you’ve attended many webinars or other virtual presentations. Overall, the quality of the sessions I’ve seen have been, at best, uneven. Given that, I thought I’d ask Roger Courville, one of the most articulate experts on this subject, what it takes to stage a great webinar.

Roger wrote the book on virtual presentations–literally. He’s the author of The Virtual Presenter’s Handbook, which helps virtual presenters develop and deliver content that engages audiences. He’s also the co-founder of 1080 Group, a firm that helps clients design and optimize web seminar programs.

In this podcast, Roger and I talk about the common characteristics of a great webinar, how speakers can hold an audience’s attention, and how to approach the creation of presentation slides. Roger also offers his perspective on the market for paid webinars, why webinar programs are an untapped opportunity, and what the future holds for virtual presentations.

We cover a lot of ground in less than 20 minutes.

Podcast run time: 17:38
Intro music exluna by Jakub Koter

In their report, Professional Service Firms–Re-engaging and Retaining Employees, researchers at Towers Watson have some advice for firm leaders wrestling with this issue. With retention levels creeping back to pre-recession levels, firms must put renewed emphasis on keeping their best people. According to the report, though, firms that simply throw more money at top performers are missing the boat.

Certainly, financial rewards play a pivotal role in retention. But firm leaders must also look at how they’re helping people with career development, work-life balance, and workload. Effective retention practices include an array of strategies, not just pay raises.

Equally important is for firm leaders to strengthen the bond of engagement between employer and employee. Better engagement, the report says, leads to improved retention. That’s not exactly an “aha” finding. But the research offers specific ways for firm leaders to boost engagement, including giving people a say in the selection of their work, fostering an environment in which people can express their opinions, and ensuring that all employees are treated with respect.

The report wraps up with a warning: Firm leaders who fail to recognize the seriousness of the retention issue risk losing their top talent. For some firms, the approach to employee engagement needs reinvention. And the time to do that is now.

Ian Brodie

Ian Brodie, a UK-based consultant and coach, publishes a thought-provoking blog called Get More Clients in Less Time. If you are in the professional services business, there’s a lot to like about Ian’s blog.

He’s Been There and Done It

One of the things I like about Ian’s work is that he really knows his stuff—and sticks with it. He’s got real expertise in professional services and it shows. You can find other people writing about services marketing who mistakenly believe their general knowledge of marketing qualifies them to opine on the challenges facing services marketers. Ian’s not a pretender. He’s been there and done it.

Keeps It Fresh

Ian does a good job of posting on a regular basis. You’ll find fresh content every week, often with a counter-intuitive spin on conventional wisdom. Not long ago, he wrote an interesting post on Marketing Half Truths, which you’ll see challenges the “rules” of services selling.

Presents a Variety of Viewpoints

Recently, Ian added a podcast program called Authority Marketing. Each podcast is an interview with a leading consultant about how that person built an authority position in the market. He’s got interviews with people like Drayton Bird, John Seddon, Charles Green, and Tom Searcy.

Speaks Authentically

The blog’s intent is to support Ian’s sales process, but not in an in-your-face way. His writing style is authentic, engaging, and personable. Here’s an example from his bio:

“I’m far from a natural salesperson. But through study and experience I’ve learned what it takes for even the most reluctant of professionals to become highly effective at marketing and sales – and that’s what I teach my clients.”

Check It Out

Ian is doing interesting work and shares his expertise freely. If you haven’t seen his blog, it’s worth a look.

The reasoning is that clients will have an easier time understanding and buying a “product” than grasping the benefit of a pure (intangible) service offer. To make the buyer’s job easier, each service offer should have a standard methodology (not a bad idea), a brand name, canned “deliverables,” and a set price. That way, clients would know exactly what they were getting, thereby simplifying the buying process.

As a marketing strategy, standardizing your offerings does accomplish one goal: it helps clients evaluate what you’re offering. As a sales strategy, though, the standard offer usually falls flat on its face.

I don’t remember a client ever saying, “Just give me the standard package of services you give to everyone else.” Clients want new ideas that are relevant to their unique situations. That’s what they pay for. Your standard offer may get the door open, but the actual solution you design is what leads to differentiation—and the sale.

If you rely solely on a standardized “product” for sales, you strip the innovation from your service and risk landing on the pile of commodity providers who compete solely on price. To find the path to growth, you need the right balance between standardization and innovation.

It makes sense to describe your services in an understandable way by referring to a service name, an approach to delivering the service, and the benefits others have achieved. But if you try to sell any off-the-shelf service as-is, you’re leaving out the most important part of the service—your own creativity.

Exposing the CULT in ConsULTant. A lawyer’s take on the myth of the business consultant.

How to Become a Management Consultant. If it was this straightforward, everyone would do it.

How to lose a client–fast. Some obvious points, but good reminders.

What do “social media” consultants actually do? Here are a few clues.

According to M2 Consulting, most independent consultants (76%) are satisfied or extremely satisfied with their career choice.

How much do management consultants earn? These numbers seem low.

Six Ways to Identify a Company in Decline. Add over-reliance on consultants to the list?

Good IT consultants can make bad employees. Is independent thinking an impediment to being a good employee?

Many point to the unrelenting pace of change in these companies’ industries as the culprit. What really brought these companies to their knees wasn’t change itself, but the way company executives prepared for and reacted to that change.

In each of the cases above, you can find examples of executives who were content with the status quo, denied the truth of the emerging reality, and who bowed to the demands of self-interested investors for short-term profit.

These are problems of people, not organizations.

Noted futurist Dan Burrus tells us, “I believe the next five, short years are going to be called the great transformation.” That means more turmoil is on the horizon for those who fail to anticipate and adapt to change.

Now is the time to focus on the future of your business. How must your business change to thrive in the next five years? What new services will you offer? What services will you discontinue? How will your mix of clients change? How will your approach to marketing, selling, and service delivery evolve? What new skills do you need now and in the next few years to succeed in the emerging market?

You can be sure that the string of high-profile bankruptcies will continue. Executives in book publishing companies, media organizations, educational institutions, and many others are scrambling to find ways to remain relevant.

Anyone can avoid that fate by acknowledging the transformation in most every industry and planning for a new reality today, not down the road. Why wait to be blind-sided?

Take the title Business Development Manager, which seems harmless enough. The problem is that many clients will get the clear message that your aim is to develop your business, not theirs.

The same holds true for Account Manager or Sales Executive. You’re sending clients a seller-centered message, when they’re looking for someone who puts their interests at the center of the conversation.

Some people recognize this problem but make it worse with their solutions. Instead of Client Relationship Manager, for instance, they go with something lame like Chief Synergy Detector or the Grand Marshall of Morale Boosting. Besides making people roll their eyes, these titles are less useful than the run-of-the-mill ones.

So what do you use instead? If you feel that you must use a title (which I’m not convinced everyone needs to), begin by thinking about titles that reflect what you do for clients, not what you do for your business.

Maybe you’re a Supplier Productivity Specialist, Online Marketing Strategist, or a Leadership Development Manager. With such a title, you can use your calling card or email signature line to help convey your value to clients.

If you’re not inclined to use this kind of title, you have two options. Either dump the title entirely, or use a simple one like Consultant, Associate, Principal, and so on. Whatever choice you make, be sure it’s for the benefit of the client, not you.