David A Fields

JUNE 24, 2015

Text and images are © 2015 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.

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Consulting 300

Steve Shu Consulting

OCTOBER 24, 2015

I am in the process of publishing an update to Inside Nudging: The Excerpts (as a free release in Apple iBook format and in paperback form for talks, workshops, and academic inquiries). The update includes: Chapter 2: Organizations Can Package Behavioral Science for Good – This chapter describes a case of using behavioral finance in the retirement plan design space.

Ethics 234

Ethics Finance Research Government 234

Management Consulted

JULY 5, 2015

One of the best things about strategy consulting is that you get to work across a broad spectrum of industries , giving you exposure to a lot of the wonderful variety that exists around us in the business world. However, one of the most unnerving things about strategic consulting is that you’re supposed to be able to increase productivity across this very same landscape without respect to the size, type, and complexity of the client.

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Consulting Interviews Airlines Meeting 200

The Clever Consultant

JANUARY 21, 2015

'Early on in my consulting career, I just could not wrap my head around the idea of putting on a “sales hat” I avoided any words, body language or presentations that would give the slightest inkling that I was selling. After all, I was a consultant, not a salesperson! And, the mere thought of being […].

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Sales Consulting 184

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Sales

Tom Spencer

JULY 5, 2015

This post is a collaboration between BROSO™ and Tom Spencer , and was originally posted on Truth Has No Temperature. Why is the Australian venture capital industry almost non-existent and irrelevant on a global scale? Three reasons: A massive misallocation of capital, particularly when it comes to Australia’s $1.7 trillion superannuation bolstered capital pool, the fourth largest capital pool in the world.

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Industry Government Financial Education 111

Consultant Ninja

MARCH 24, 2015

'Why writing the slide is sometimes the hardest part'

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100

Women in Consulting

NOVEMBER 2, 2015

By: Jen Berkley Jackson. At the end of last year, I conducted research to understand how market research is being used in organizations. We heard back from participants that there are three primary obstacles to doing market research: budget, time and lack of internal resources. This is a familiar story for us as consultants also. These are ALWAYS the obstacles to making huge strides in business whether it has to do with our marketing efforts, our administrative processes, or even in launching

Resources 92

Resources Methodologies Research Meeting 92

The Nonprofit Consultant

APRIL 24, 2015

Some time back I blogged about LinkedIn's (then new) Board Connect Service as a great new resource for nonprofit organizations. In the couple of years since, LinkedIn has built upon and expanded their vision of "LinkedIn for Good" and their offerings to nonprofits. I have taken part in a couple of free nonprofit technology trainings provided by LinkedIn and have enjoyed meeting their enthusiastic and caring team.

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Nonprofit Tools Advertising Education 84

David A Fields

JUNE 3, 2015

*This is a remedy for discouragement, not depression. I am not a therapist. If you are suffering from depression, please seek help from a trained, mental health professional. Text and images are © 2015 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.

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Consulting Training Training 299

Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

Finance

David A Fields

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

'Common wisdom says you should offer some sort of value to prospects when you reach out to them. What if that common wisdom is not only wrong, but backwards? I’m sure you’ve seen or heard advice that consultants should only reach out to prospects when they have a compelling, useful tidbit to offer. For example, an article or white paper, your new book, an introduction to a sought-after peer, or insights from a project you conducted recently.

Consulting 296

Consulting Examples 296

David A Fields

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

If there’s no highway exit for another 6 miles and you’re not passing anyone, there’s a handy lane on the right just for you. You know that. I know that. Every other adult knows that. Yet we see drivers dawdling along in the left (or middle) lane for miles on end as other cars are forced to pass them on the right. In consulting there are equally obvious rules of the road that are, nevertheless, inexplicably ignored by many of our colleagues.

Consulting 278

Consulting 278

David A Fields

MAY 13, 2015

Ahab, a world-renown fishing expert from Piscandi Consulting receives the following email: Hi Ahab, I’m Ishmael from Beldad Industries. Our catch rate is down 12% versus last year. Can you help us? If you’re Ahab, could you close that project? Should you? Well, I’ll tell you what I think… I have no idea. You see, I don’t know whether Ishmael’s project is a minnow, a redfish, a yellowfin tuna or a whale shark.

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Industry Consulting 274

David A Fields

MAY 6, 2015

Raymond, a 38 year-old operations efficiency consultant on the West Coast wanted to snag some strategy projects. Weary of solving operations issues for 15 years, he agonized over the wording of his new, strategic offering then revamped his website and cards to reflect the revised thrust of his consultancy. When he brought me in to help, I asked him the same question I’m posing now for you: what’s the single most important attribute of your target prospects?

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Operations Efficiency Consulting Strategy 271

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David A Fields

APRIL 1, 2015

'What if there was one simple mindset shift that could improve all aspects of your consulting practice and virtually guarantee you’d win more clients? Better yet, what if the approach was not obvious and would reduce your stress? That mode of thinking does exist, and it can be summed up in two words: Be prolific. George Gershwin, unquestionably one of the greatest American composers wrote an astounding number of hit songs and enduring classics, despite dying at the tender age of 38.

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Consulting Leadership Strategy Strategy 255

David A Fields

APRIL 8, 2015

'Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson You create your own reality. Consultants frequently struggle with lapses in confidence. Harold teaches us that even the scary and unpleasant aspects of being an independent consultant are a product of our imaginations. If you choose to apply your purple crayon differently, you can reframe rejection and other terrors and draw a delightful, satisfying business.

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Consulting Productivity 253

David A Fields

JANUARY 14, 2015

'Sometimes things just go wrong. How you handle the situation as a consultant makes all the difference. For instance, one of life’s little pleasures is a freshly detailed car. Last week, an expertly trained professional gently removed the thin film of grime and buffed some new-age, uber protective coating onto my sedan. And as I tootled down the highway, I couldn’t help but slow down and admire the deep, burnished glow of the metallic black hood.

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Film Training Training Consulting 253

David A Fields

OCTOBER 7, 2015

Last week, like most weeks, a recurring theme among the consultants I advise was confidence. It sounded like this: “I’m not confident enough in my offering, abilities, value, or sales skills [choose one] to win more revenue.” The same insecurity was voiced by startup consultants and multi-million dollar producers alike. Is the connection between confidence and rainmaking a myth?

Consulting 237

Consulting Sales 237

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Consulting

David A Fields

JUNE 17, 2015

There’s a gap in your marketing communication. A chasm. A gaping hole large enough to drive prospects through. On a bus. Yep, you’re losing out on a busload of prospects… but we’ll get to that in a moment. You know that you have to meet your customers “where they are,” right? But where are they, and where are you? Let’s arrange your prospective clients along a spectrum of awareness: Below is a scientific (looking) graph depicting how prospective clients are arrayed across the spectrum.

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Meeting Marketing Consulting 236

David A Fields

APRIL 15, 2015

'About eight weeks ago, a seasoned consultant named Darren sent me an exultant email. (My favorite kind, by the way.) He crowed about the project he had just closed: a $235,000 initiative that would commence in roughly six months. This was the biggest single sale of Darren’s 20 year career as a consultant and equaled the whole of last year’s earnings.

Consulting 236

Consulting Sales 236

David A Fields

MAY 20, 2015

Should you always try to reach the CEO? Will building relationships with managers win you business? The 1.5-minute video below shows you the three criteria that determine your target. (Plus there’s a worksheet you can download using the button below the video.) Was this helpful? Share your thoughts by posting below. Text and images are © 2015 David A.

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Video Management Consulting 235

David A Fields

MARCH 25, 2015

'I constantly get emails from consultants saying they learn from other readers’ comments on my blog. Therefore, please post your thoughts below. What action will YOU take to improve your performance on one of these factors? Text and images are © 2015 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.

Consulting 235

Consulting 235

This White Paper targets opportunities for Management to develop proficiency in the Decision Framing and Analyses element of input to Decision, & Risk Analyses for Major Project Funding Decisions.

Methodologies

David A Fields

JUNE 10, 2015

estimonials are like stunt doubles. Someone else does the work, and you get the credit. Let me give you an example. This past week I asked a decision maker how she will decide which consulting firm to bring in. (I’m in the running for a substantial project with a drug-development company). She answered, “We’re looking for cultural fit, and experience, and your references… but I see you’ve worked with Acme Corp, and the comments from Norman, their VP of Development were very impressive, so we’re

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Culture Development Examples Consulting 233

David A Fields

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Each Friday I pause to consider everything I have to be grateful for. Family, friends, a thriving business, homemade banana-chocolate cream pie. Some wise folks do this exercise every day. Others limit their gratitude to a day here or there such as Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) or when they exchange gifts. Terrific. Warm and fluffy as rabbit fur. But how does gratitude help consultants’ businesses?

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Exercises Consulting 224

David A Fields

FEBRUARY 11, 2015

'Is asking questions more important and trickier than you realized? Many sales techniques exhort you to ask questions that will reveal a prospect’s situation, uncover their deeper needs, and heighten the perceived value of your solution. But what if questions serve a different purpose (they do) and can be made more effective by following certain rules (they can)?

Sales 220

Sales Consulting 220

David A Fields

OCTOBER 21, 2015

60-second story: Four friends wander a woodsy path to find the ocean. Their goal: wade through warm, crystal waters and gape at neon sienna sunsets. Once they reach the Coast, of course. But not now. Not yet. First there’s a trail to follow. The forest byway buzzes with the everyday hide-and-hunt of insects and animals. Along the way, Ranger Dan hails the foursome as they pass below his perch amidst the treetops.

How To 218

How To Consulting Course 218

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Case Study

Steve Shu Consulting

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

As we approach the year-end, I wanted to share some thoughts from my book, The Consulting Apprenticeship: 40 Jump-Ideas for You and Your Business. It is a technique that I’ve seen a number of operating companies and management consulting firms use effectively. I’ve usually called it the Spring Cleaning technique, to connote a sense of renewal that often comes with the pastime of cleaning and refreshing a home early- to mid-year.

Meeting 215

Meeting Consulting Management Change Management 215

David A Fields

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

In the past week I’ve reviewed four presentations from consultants who want me to recommend their offering to my corporate clients. Not one of them made the grade. Why? They used Inbound messages for an Outbound inquiry. If you’re a consultant, you need to know the difference. When your message and the direction of inquiry aren’t in sync, the fallout extends beyond the immediate conversation.

Consulting 214

Consulting 214

David A Fields

OCTOBER 28, 2015

There you are, cruising around the bay on your one-sailed Sunfish, Hobie-cat or multi-sheeted catamaran, fishing for consulting projects. A fellow sailor hails from his small craft, “Would you like to join forces? I’m sure we could catch more together.” What do you think? Will adding more sailboats to your armada result in a better haul? Take a moment to look at the reality and rules of partnering.

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Consulting 214