by Andrea Howe | Apr 16, 2012 | Client relationships
It’s an age-old challenge in the consulting industry: how to get your delivery people to develop more business. After all, who’s in a better position to bring in more work than the people who labor side-by-side with the client? But first there are barriers to break through. Read on for four specific strategies that will help your delivery people execute on both project plansand business development plans.
by Andrea Howe | Mar 20, 2012 | Client relationships
When did financial advisors become telemarketers? Here’s a transcript of a voicemail I received a few weeks ago from a financial advisor named RW—someone I don’t know who represents a major company. It wasn’t technically a cold call, I suppose, because I had a relationship with the company about a decade ago through my former financial advisor. But it certainly wasn’t a warm call. And while RW said nothing whatsoever offensive on her voicemail, it was a perfect example of how the choice to be robotic instead of real kills trust and loses business.
by Barry Edwards | Mar 16, 2012 | Improvisation
This month’s improv tip is from Barry Edwards, Improv Contributor
Schedule a meeting in your conference room then let the games begin!Plato once said, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” While he probably wasn’t referring to creating a more engaged and productive work team, it still applies. Facilitated play makes it possible for your team to learn more about each other. Plus a shared fun experience creates team cohesiveness.
by Andrea Howe | Feb 29, 2012 | Trusted advisorship
Our Story Time series brings you real, personal examples from business life that shed light on ways to lead with trust. Our last story illustrated
how one conversation changed everything. Today’s selection highlights the value of making a personal connection.
by Cary Paul | Feb 22, 2012 | Improvisation
This post was written by Cary Paul, our Chief Improv Officer (CIO)
On that hot, Washington DC day of August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was delivering a well-prepared speech. The American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement was—and still is—considered one of America’s great orators. And with good reasons: his legacy is marked by a world-changing mission, intelligent writing, and the distinctive cadence with which he enthralled listeners.
by Andrea Howe | Feb 21, 2012 | Client relationships
I messed up a few weeks ago. I sent a not-so-nice email to a colleague I’ll call Randy. I did it after I got a fervent complaint from a new client about him. Randy was negotiating something on my behalf and, from the client’s perspective, took a firm stand in a way that did not go over well. The client said the one thing that escalates my blood pressure in a matter of seconds: “Randy could stand to learn a lesson or two from you about doing business in a trustworthy way.” For me, this cued the entrance of the high horse and I immediately climbed aboard.
by Shawn Westfall | Feb 21, 2012 | Improvisation
This month’s improv tip is from Shawn Westfall, BossaNova’s Improv Guru:
The characters sitting at the center of our favorite sitcoms, shows, movies, plays, novels, short stories and improv scenes all have one thing in common: they want something.In most cases, they want something desperately. Indeed, that often is what informs the plots of the stories or scenes they are in. Hamlet wants revenge. Will he get it? Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman wants the respect he feels he so clearly deserves, something he feels he’s devoted his life to. Does he get it, in the end? That old “pretentious” actor cliché– the one that has him or her stopping a scene to ask “what’s my motivation?”—is actually useful information for the actor to know, another way of trying to discover what his or her character wants. And anyone who’s ever been part of a production knows that what a character wants in the play isn’t always clear, that what he or she says she wants may have little to do with what he or she actually wants.
by Andrea Howe | Jan 24, 2012 | Trusted advisorship
I give presentations for a living. I teach people how to build trust with others, to make lasting connections, to sell business, to create professional intimacy. My job requires me to interact with strangers a lot. And to be effective I have to model all the interpersonal skills I espouse, all the time. So you’ll appreciate the irony when I say I really hate meeting new people.
by Andrea Howe | Dec 21, 2011 | Improvisation
Everyone wants a standing ovation. Try this with your team–it’s a great way to (re)define who you are as we move into the new year.
by Andrea Howe | Dec 5, 2011 | Client relationships, Trusted advisorship
Charlie Green and I were recently interviewed by Matt Homann of LexThink and
the [non]billable hour blog on the subject of trust and the legal profession. Among other things, Matt wanted to know how lawyers can deal with difficult clients (is firing inevitable) and how to embrace non-traditional pricing models.