There is a lot to look through on this site, including digital reams of content that we are thrilled for you to use. And then, of course, the service offerings you could hire us to provide. The difference is this: great content that you have to apply on your own is free, but when we use our expertise to apply it specifically to your situation, it costs a fair bit. Here is the thinking behind the fees:
- You listen more when you pay more because it is an investment for which you want ROI.
- Money is a decent way to eliminate many prospects. Unfortunately it isn’t always infallible, but it’s a good start. Money is the business currency of respect, and how you feel about a fee is a good indication of how much value you’ll receive.
- We lose interest in unprofitable relationships, usually because the client is more in love with the idea of change than with actual change. Or, they are just flat needy and we don’t do needy very well.
So, it’s either free or expensive. But what do we really do for you? That question isn’t intimidating at all. It’s actually very energizing to answer it. Here’s what we do:
- Distill significant problems to their basics, find the most effective and least painful path to real change, and follow it to the end in an annoyingly dogged way.
- Seldom consider the consequences in giving you feedback as the leader of your firm. It may be necessary to adjust the response back from the radical edge (which we help you do, too), but you will always hear what we think is the unvarnished truth, whether it makes you mad or not. “Think” is in there because we are occasionally wrong. Less and less so as the years go by.
- Fix big, intransigent, seemingly unsolvable problems. If you’ve got little ones, it’s better to hire someone less expensive who does good work in that area. All of our competitors are listed (in the FAQ).
- Concentrate on the deep, fundamental issues. We will provide some helpful follow-up advice to clarify anything, but the essence of our value is in the actionable advice that we provide and that you do. After that, we do indeed move on and do same thing for another firm (cue the joke about consultants). We think it’s different, though, if the engagement is transparent, perceptive, insightful, and direct. Most of all, we must quickly compare what we have seen in similar situations to find the patterns, like John in A Beautiful Mind. Then recommend the things that will help you reach the desired destination more quickly and more reliably. (The wording of this point began on a drive recently, where this was scribbled.)
There are few things more satisfying that having a solid client relationship like the one just described above. It is an amazing feeling to solve problems for people and give them back some of their life. We have many of those cherished business relationships. What a blessing.
We have an email folder with more than 750 unsolicited “thank you” messages hiding in there, and it’s a treasure trove of confidence when things don’t go as planned and we don’t even meet our own expectations. All of us have those stories, right? Personal or business failure is such an expensive thing, and the meaning there is not about economics.
When paths cross with a current or former client, our goal is for their eyes to light up as they rush into a story about how much better things are for them. Consulting, if it is done well, is risky, deep, and lasting. It also is seldom effective unless the consultant is given wide-ranging access to address challenges in their broader context. It requires trust and vulnerability on the client’s part; it involves wisdom and genuine care from the consultant.
This entire “What We Do” treatise is strange, really. But it’s driven by wanting to help those that we are capable of helping. We are extremely capable at helping those clients, but we are woefully inadequate to help others. You probably understand that from your own business experience.
If we can help you and it’s a good fit, it would be a complete delight to do just that.