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Member You - Competing With The Big Dogs
It has been said that one of the greatest fears people hold is speaking in front of a group of people, yet we seem to have no shortage of public speakers. There is a kind of speaking that inspires greater fear. This is the fear of having a real conversation.Conversation is when two or more people talk openly and honestly, listen deeply to each other, and reach a common understanding. Agreement is nice, but irrelevant. The art of conversation is not about getting someone to agree with you. It is about seeking and finding a common understanding.The first goal in
Here are some possibilities:
1. Narrow your focus. The big guys of the profession do everything. Become known for doing just one thing to an exceptional level. Be the "go to" expert. Experts are often individuals. That's what many of them are academics. And corporate Big Dogs seek them out because working with them also supplies prestige and removes fear. If your focus is really narrow, you'll have zero competition. And you don't have to be an expert to write the book. Writing it is how you become an expert. All you need at the start is determination and basic researc
In the early days of my first consulting business, I knew I needed some sort of plan to give me the greatest chance at success. I took many a wrong step, yet in the end I managed to put a solid business together.I had learned through bitter experience that forming a successful business is to be conscious about the kind of business, and the sort of life, I wanted to have. I spent long hours thinking and writing about what I believed, what I wanted from my life, why I wanted to start a business, and the things I did well.Only after that initial work was I able to
Your proposal was a work of art. You provided exactly what the client needed, plus a ton of added value. Yet the business went to a well-known firm offering a standard approach at twice the price.
You did a great job for the client, during which a whole lot of other needs surfaced. All are within your expertise, but you weren't even asked to submit a proposal.
Any of these situations familiar to you? If so, what you've encountered is the power of a well-known brand name over rational choices based on factors like expertise, ability or value.
How Corporates Choose
When you sell to established businesses, especially large ones, you start off believing they'll be more rational than the guy around the corner. You have what they want, you give great service and your price is highly competitive. At least they'll listen to you.
Welcome to the real world of small consultancies. The Big Dogs mostly take emotional decisions based on fear and desire. Their "minders" -- the people who control access to them -- know this very well. That's why they won't let you through to talk to the boss.
What do these people fear? Looking foolish. What do they desire? Prestige. What do they dislike most? Uncertainty.
See It From Their Point of View
They'll talk to the person from the big consulting group -- even if he or she is far less qualified or competent than you are -- because doing so meets all the requirements.
Working with a big consulting group seems safe. They have a reputation. Their powerful brand name implies an unwritten assurance of success. And if it does go wrong, they'll take the blame, not the buyer. As they say, "Who ever got fired for buying IBM?"
They also convey prestige. The Big Dogs talk to each other and drop names into the conversation to shine in one another's eyes. Will your name produce admiration -- or a superior smile and "Who on earth are they?"
Action You CAN Take
You aren't going to beat the big consultancies on ground favorable to them, so don't bother trying. But they can be beaten, so long as you go where they're weakest. And you always remember to see yourself from the buyer's perspective.
Here are some possibilities:
1. Narrow your focus. The big guys of the profession do everything. Become known for doing just one thing to an exceptional level. Be the "go to" expert. Experts are often individuals. That's what many of them are academics. And corporate Big Dogs seek them out because working with them also supplies prestige and removes fear. If your focus is really narrow, you'll have zero competition. And you don't have to be an expert to write the book. Writing it is how you become an expert. All you need at the start is determination and basic research
We do it all the time. When we’re ready for a job change we go online to search for a better job. You go to your favorite job board or employer’s site, find a job that fits you perfectly, and submit your resume and nothing happens.Just a typical online job hunting experience that we’re all used to. You are now in the Bermuda Triangle of job hunting, sending your resume into the unknown digital zone that goes in and never comes back.So, what can you do to improve your odds of receiving that next step of the employer contacting you for the job interview? Firs
How Corporates Choose
When you sell to established businesses, especially large ones, you start off believing they'll be more rational than the guy around the corner. You have what they want, you give great service and your price is highly competitive. At least they'll listen to you.
Welcome to the real world of small consultancies. The Big Dogs mostly take emotional decisions based on fear and desire. Their "minders" -- the people who control access to them -- know this very well. That's why they won't let you through to talk to the boss.
What do these people fear? Looking foolish. What do they desire? Prestige. What do they dislike most? Uncertainty.
See It From Their Point of View
They'll talk to the person from the big consulting group -- even if he or she is far less qualified or competent than you are -- because doing so meets all the requirements.
Working with a big consulting group seems safe. They have a reputation. Their powerful brand name implies an unwritten assurance of success. And if it does go wrong, they'll take the blame, not the buyer. As they say, "Who ever got fired for buying IBM?"
They also convey prestige. The Big Dogs talk to each other and drop names into the conversation to shine in one another's eyes. Will your name produce admiration -- or a superior smile and "Who on earth are they?"
Action You CAN Take
You aren't going to beat the big consultancies on ground favorable to them, so don't bother trying. But they can be beaten, so long as you go where they're weakest. And you always remember to see yourself from the buyer's perspective.
Here are some possibilities:
1. Narrow your focus. The big guys of the profession do everything. Become known for doing just one thing to an exceptional level. Be the "go to" expert. Experts are often individuals. That's what many of them are academics. And corporate Big Dogs seek them out because working with them also supplies prestige and removes fear. If your focus is really narrow, you'll have zero competition. And you don't have to be an expert to write the book. Writing it is how you become an expert. All you need at the start is determination and basic researc
In a recent survey by WomenCorp, it was discovered that both men and women believed that “lack of flexibility” is a major deterrent to the rise of women within the corporation.But of those women who have reached top management positions, more actually have children and consider their personal life as important as their career.So is “lack of flexibility” truly a factor? Or could it be that women are smarter about managing personal and work life?In a study of executive men and women conducted by Families and Work Institute, Catalyst, and Boston Colle
What do these people fear? Looking foolish. What do they desire? Prestige. What do they dislike most? Uncertainty.
See It From Their Point of View
They'll talk to the person from the big consulting group -- even if he or she is far less qualified or competent than you are -- because doing so meets all the requirements.
Working with a big consulting group seems safe. They have a reputation. Their powerful brand name implies an unwritten assurance of success. And if it does go wrong, they'll take the blame, not the buyer. As they say, "Who ever got fired for buying IBM?"
They also convey prestige. The Big Dogs talk to each other and drop names into the conversation to shine in one another's eyes. Will your name produce admiration -- or a superior smile and "Who on earth are they?"
Action You CAN Take
You aren't going to beat the big consultancies on ground favorable to them, so don't bother trying. But they can be beaten, so long as you go where they're weakest. And you always remember to see yourself from the buyer's perspective.
Here are some possibilities:
1. Narrow your focus. The big guys of the profession do everything. Become known for doing just one thing to an exceptional level. Be the "go to" expert. Experts are often individuals. That's what many of them are academics. And corporate Big Dogs seek them out because working with them also supplies prestige and removes fear. If your focus is really narrow, you'll have zero competition. And you don't have to be an expert to write the book. Writing it is how you become an expert. All you need at the start is determination and basic researc
"There are no jobs in (fill in your city's name)." Its not what you know but whom you know that gets you a job in (same city's name)."How often have you heard those statements? Are they true? They are if you believe them. You will not find a shortage of people willing to spread that negative message. Before you buy into the alleged truth, consider the sources. Typically, those that utter these discouraging facts are either members of the press or people who personally have difficulty finding employment. I would be willing to bet that those same people would find it di
They also convey prestige. The Big Dogs talk to each other and drop names into the conversation to shine in one another's eyes. Will your name produce admiration -- or a superior smile and "Who on earth are they?"
Action You CAN Take
You aren't going to beat the big consultancies on ground favorable to them, so don't bother trying. But they can be beaten, so long as you go where they're weakest. And you always remember to see yourself from the buyer's perspective.
Here are some possibilities:
1. Narrow your focus. The big guys of the profession do everything. Become known for doing just one thing to an exceptional level. Be the "go to" expert. Experts are often individuals. That's what many of them are academics. And corporate Big Dogs seek them out because working with them also supplies prestige and removes fear. If your focus is really narrow, you'll have zero competition. And you don't have to be an expert to write the book. Writing it is how you become an expert. All you need at the start is determination and basic researc
Approximately two years ago I first wrote about “Marketing Insensitives.” At the time, I had received a call from a telemarketer offering me some “marketing insensitives” to purchase a product. Yes, she really said this! She was not being clever; she just couldn’t pronounce “incentive.”But, Marketing Insensitives do exist! They are the unfortunate, not-thought-through, ridiculous, dumb things that businesses do that drive customers away. Here is another:The potential customer makes a phone call…Ring, ring, ring…Automated Telephone Attendant: Thank
Here are some possibilities:
1. Narrow your focus. The big guys of the profession do everything. Become known for doing just one thing to an exceptional level. Be the "go to" expert. Experts are often individuals. That's what many of them are academics. And corporate Big Dogs seek them out because working with them also supplies prestige and removes fear. If your focus is really narrow, you'll have zero competition. And you don't have to be an expert to write the book. Writing it is how you become an expert. All you need at the start is determination and basic research skills.
2. Stress your credentials. Add to them all the time. Write THE book on your narrow focus or THE articles. You don't need to be an expert to write the book. Doing it will make you the expert.
3. Seek publicity. Instead of trying to force your way into the executive suite, make them come to you. If you're the person who writes those witty pieces in the local rag on that vital topic to them, they'll rush to call you up.
4. Always focus on what's in it for them. Provide free material. Produce a newsletter that ISN'T full of selling, but contains truly useful data.
Most small consultancies are afraid of giving away what they can see is valuable to clients. Here's a secret. The more you give away, the more people will believe you have yet more they don't know about yet. The seekers for free consulting aren't the Big Dogs -- who are always willing to pay for what's useful to them, if only to stop you selling it to someone else -- but morons at middle management level who want to pass it off as their own ideas.
Be Careful Where You Focus
Finally, think hard about what you choose as your consulting area. If you set out to provide a generic service in an area of consulting just about everyone says they can do, you're laying yourself wide open to being run over by the big guys.
Where the competition is endless, buying from a well-known name seems a good way to avoid being taken in by some snake-oil salesman.
But everyone knows the big consultancies are jacks of all trades. If they want a real expert in a vital area, that isn't where they look.
That's your chance.
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