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Sanity Check: The Final Question

By Michael W. McLaughlin on January 13, 2012 in Proposal Writing, Sanity Checks

When that proposal, presentation, or report is ready to go, do one more thing before you send it to your client.

Read through each page or slide and ask yourself, “What can I remove from this document?” Maybe you’ll find unnecessary adverbs, some flabby language, or sentences and images that don’t really add anything to your key messages.

Once you’ve got language in a document or slides in a deck, it’s hard to get rid of it. But, you almost always have an opportunity to do that. And, you’ll communicate more effectively by stripping out the fat.

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Sanity Check: Mission Impossible

By Michael W. McLaughlin on January 6, 2012 in Consulting Process, Sanity Checks

It’s pretty common for an experienced consultant to see a problem or a project and know exactly what needs to be done. For some, the way to go seems “simple.”

Keep in mind that a project that looks simple to you may seem like scaling Mt. Everest barefoot to your client. You’ve got to take time to bring clients along in their understanding at the pace that’s right for them. Don’t assume that what’s easy for you to grasp is the same for them.

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Sanity Check: Listening

By Michael W. McLaughlin on August 7, 2011 in Consulting Process, Sanity Checks

People can tell when you are actually listening to what they say and when you’re just waiting for them to finish so you can talk.

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Sanity Check: Vision Trumps Method

By Michael W. McLaughlin on June 10, 2011 in Sanity Checks

If you don’t paint a vivid picture of the future your client can expect, it won’t matter if you’ve got the best methods, tools, or approaches to completing the project.

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Sanity Check: Stash the Headset

By Michael W. McLaughlin on June 3, 2011 in Sanity Checks

Here are three reasons to stash away your cell phone headset before your next meeting.

You’re not going to take a phone call during your client meeting (at least, I hope you aren’t)
You want to focus your client’s attention on the issues, not the blinking gadget on your ear
It makes you look like you’re morphing into a borg.

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Sanity Check: Minor Things Matter

By Michael W. McLaughlin on May 27, 2011 in Client Relationships, Sanity Checks

A client’s perception of you evolves along with the experiences that client has with you and your team.

Sometimes, seemingly minor things make a lasting impression, like how you talk to a client’s support staff, where you park your car, how loud you talk on the phone, and if you take the last of the coffee from the staff room.

Clients are aware of the little things. Be sure that you are too.

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Sanity Check: 2 Phrases to Dump

By Michael W. McLaughlin on May 20, 2011 in Sanity Checks

When a client asks you a question, it’s tempting to begin your answer with a hackneyed phrase like “It depends” or “Yes and no.” You can avoid such clichés by asking qualifying questions before you respond. Engage in a dialogue that allows you to remove the assumptions that might lead you to waste words on prattle. Make your words count, and you’ll have more substantive conversations with your clients, learn more about their issues, and offer more relevant advice.