December, 2019

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1 simple year-end tidying up task that will make you look your best

Rod Burkert

In case you missed last week: Got a minute … I would like to pick your brain about something. Being an expert can lead to unsolicited requests for a “quick” call or meeting to pick our brain on a topic someone believes we know a lot about. What can we do? On to this week: I don’t want you to do any more heavy lifting than you are already doing to close out 2019.

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Are Your Meetings a Priority - or are They Wasting Time?

Strategic Planning and Management Insights

When it comes to strategic planning, every organization will go about scheduling their meetings in a different way. Regardless, having scheduled strategy progress and project management meetings will remain essential to fulfill your organizational goals and objectives. For more on how to structure your meeting schedule following a strategic planning session: How to Improve Strategy Implementation with a Regular Meeting Schedule.

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Joining a Management Consulting Firm as an Experienced Hire

Tom Spencer

The question of how to join a management consulting firm as an experienced hire from another industry or another consulting firm is one that is often asked. The traditional route is to apply and go through the standard interview process as an MBA summer intern or post-MBA consultant. However, there aren’t a lot of sources out there that cover the non-traditional way and that is something you will learn about in this article.

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Two-dimensional transformation: Are you doing both?

The Source

Research we published last year highlighted the extent to which clients expect the consulting industry to be transformed by new, digital technologies. Ninety-six percent of senior executives we surveyed in the US said they think this will be the case; 75% think that the future of consulting lies, not in traditional advice, but in combining deep expertise with software and proprietary data.

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PowerPoint Best Practices for Creating Stellar Presentations

Mastering data visualization in PowerPoint will help accelerate your career because it positions you as someone who can present data that drives business decisions forward. think-cell's PowerPoint Best Practices eBook was created specifically for professionals aiming to master the art and science of data-driven storytelling. What’s inside: Practical Insights: Uncover valuable tips for crafting engaging and persuasive presentations.

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The Strategic Planning Process for Higher Learning Institutions Has Never Been More Crucial

Simon Associates

Performance outcomes are directly a result of a sound (or unsound) strategic plan. I recently read an article (third in a series) in the November 22, 2019 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled, “ Admin 101: Tips on Carrying Out Your Strategic Plan.” The author, David D. Perlmutter, a professor and dean of the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University, readily admits that “one of the great paradoxes of higher-education leadership is that most of us who find ourse

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What is your 20 and 20/20 for 2020?

Rod Burkert

In case you missed last week: Book Review: How Clients Buy. A must-read if you are looking for a better perspective to understand how clients buy professional services – particularly if you are hoping to improve the odds of making that happen for your BVFLS services. On to this week: Don’t wait for the impending New Year to inspire you to make powerful changes to your practice.

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Feeling Lucky? Take Some Risks in 2020

Henman Performance Executive

When conducting research for his bestselling book, Factfulness, Dr. Hans Rosling asked simple questions about global trends and systematically received wrong answers-so wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random would have consistently outguessed teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers. Why? Because our instincts and risk-aversion conspire to make us perceive the world as […].

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The Secret Sauce - Top 4 Consulting Firm Requirements for Success

Management and IT Consulting

60% of small to mid-sized firms cite “differentiating our firm from the competition” as a top priority, but how exactly is that accomplished? Read on to learn the secrets to how some firms are able to achieve more than 20% growth year over year.

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The Paradox of Paradox

CaseInterview.com

I find the word paradox fascinating. Definition: A paradox is a statement that apparently contradicts itself and yet might be true. Most logical paradoxes are known to be invalid arguments but are still valuable in promoting critical thinking. A paradox I’ve noticed in my own writing is how sometimes I will knowingly contradict myself. One of the advantages (or disadvantages, depending on your point of view) of writing articles read by the intellectual elite (that would be you in this example)

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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr

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What Your Consulting Firm Should Do RIGHT NOW

David A Fields

Happy New Year! It’s the first week of the year and one thing you’re probably wondering is what you and your consulting firm should do first. Right now. Your consulting prospects are asking the same question. What should they do now? What should their priority be? Unfortunately, their list could be topped with challenges that … Continued. The post What Your Consulting Firm Should Do RIGHT NOW appeared first on David A.

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Avoid W-2 Status and Extra Tax: Become a Licensed Business

Successful Independent Consulting

Photo credit: ID 8861152 © Paul Jantz | Dreamstime.com. One of the benefits of being self-employed is paying less tax than you would if you were paid like an employee on a W-2 tax basis. If you’re smart, you’re getting paid on 1099 tax basis, deducting your business expenses, and contributing to your own retirement plan to lower your tax bill. (This two-minute video explains how this works.

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Generating Inbound Consulting Leads With Sam Schutte: Podcast #119

Consulting Success

Finding leads can be time-consuming and oftentimes costly. With the help of a software and the right people, you can actually do away with your worries about generating quality inbound consulting leads. Today, Michael Zipursky interviews Sam Schutte, the CEO and Chief Software Architect at Unstoppable Software, Inc about how he started his company and.

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Look, Doc, Before You Cut, How About A Ten Percent Discount?

Alan Weiss

I’ve never understood consultants who are flummoxed by a prospect saying, “Others can do this cheaper than you.” Do you shop for the cheapest heart surgeon, or mechanic for your car, or roof repairer? What’s really going on, of course, is that the consultants allow themselves to become commodities by insufficiently differentiating their value, consequently price comparisons are inevitable.

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Savings Consultants Are Needed in Today's Market More Than Ever

Savings Consultants are needed in today’s market more than ever. With an increase in expenses, businesses are looking for opportunities to save. Often unknown to businesses are savings in expense reduction, specialized tax savings, specialized savings including medical underpayments, health benefits cost reduction, zero cost processing, and more. Blue Coast Savings, with over 20 years in business, assists Savings Consultants in helping these companies move toward more profitable businesses.

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The Amazing Fable of Bubble City

The Fearless Marketer

There once was a magnificent city named Bubble City. It was a wonderful place. Everybody knew everyone else. And all its inhabitants felt familiar and safe. It was a bustling city full of life, energy, and businesses that met their every need. And was called Bubble City because there was a big glass bubble covering it, protecting it from the outside world.

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What is Cloud Computing?

Tom Spencer

Companies are changing the way they operate by leveraging internet and cloud services. Conventionally, businesses stored hardware, software and data on their own computers and databases. With cloud computing, they have access to their programs and data outside of their computing environment. They can use a cloud computing service on demand via the Internet.

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Your Consulting Firm’s Most Important Gifts

David A Fields

Millions of people give gifts on the day of this article’s publication. Forget the millions of people, though. You know who’s really interesting? You. The rest of this article is really short; however, you can only read it if you commit to take action–an action that will require under 1 minute of your time. Do … Continued. The post Your Consulting Firm’s Most Important Gifts appeared first on David A.

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Want a High-Performance Team? Get Clarity and Alignment First!

Strategic Planning and Management Insights

Having a strategic planning meeting is important because it will help you generate two things among your team members: clarity and alignment. Our Aligned Strategy Development methodology will take your team through all aspects of creating a strategic plan. You start by assessing where you are now, followed by looking at where you're going, all while engaging your people throughout the process.

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TOOLS and METHODOLOGIES for developing DECISION SUPPORT PACKAGES

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.

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Making Strategic Hires For Your Consulting Firm With Kim Silvers: Podcast #118

Consulting Success

Hiring key people for your business determines the height of its success. In this episode, Michael Zipursky interviews HR management, policy, and training expert Kim Silvers on the essence of hiring the right employees. The big boss of SilversHR, Kim narrates how she started her HR consultancy firm as well as speaking engagements. Through the. Making Strategic Hires For Your Consulting Firm With Kim Silvers: Podcast #118 is a post from: Consulting Success.

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Digital Marketing Predictions For 2020

Henry DeVries

Here are some predictions for the future of digital marketing in the year 2020 and beyond from some thought leaders I polled, plus a few of my own prognostications.

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The True Spirit of Mr. Rogers

The Fearless Marketer

On Thanksgiving day, My wife and I went to see the Mr. Rogers film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. This is one of those rare films that can create a shift in one’s perspective about life. In many movies, we experience a hero or heroine and feel inspired by who they are. We might even feel like that superhero for a day or two. But it rarely lasts very long.

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How to Make a First or Lasting Impression

CaseInterview.com

If you want to make an impressive first impression with someone, show them how smart, brilliant, and accomplished you are. Share with them your resume , income, and job title. If you want to make a lasting impression, treat them with kindness. I have met hundreds of very accomplished, wicked smart, and talented people over the years. I was impressed with them. for about five minutes.

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Why You Need to Use Case Studies in Sales and Marketing (and How to Start Now)

Case studies are proof of successful client relations and a verifiable product or service. They persuade buyers by highlighting your customers' experiences with your company and its solution. In sales, case studies are crucial pieces of content that can be tailored to prospects' pain points and used throughout the buyer's journey. In marketing, case studies are versatile assets for generating business, providing reusable elements for ad and social media content, website material, and marketing c

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When Your Consulting Firm Should Give Free Advice

David A Fields

Jo Uppalnite, CEO of Cocoa Roasters, calls you in search of advice because she’s mired in a challenge. Jo’s smart to call you because: 1) your consulting firm specializes in Jo’s issue; 2) you’ve spent your consulting career developing skills in this area; and, 3) she’s too amped up on roasted cocoa to make decisions … Continued. The post When Your Consulting Firm Should Give Free Advice appeared first on David A.

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Mindfulness To Make You a Better Leader - Interview with Catherine Sherlock

Strategic Planning and Management Insights

In this episode of our Strategy & Leadership Podcast , we're joined by Catherine Sherlock, the founder of Higher Mindfulness. Catherine developed Higher Mindfulness to help people take their awareness deeper in order to expand their self-expression, leadership skills and potential. This is important for business leaders because emotional awareness is a positive skill that helps leaders with clarity and decision making, which can help with conflict management, team engagement and other situat

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How To Consistently Set Appointments With Business Consultant Joe Pici: Podcast #120

Consulting Success

Appointment setting still remains a complex step in client acquisition. In this episode, Michael Zipursky interviews Joe Pici of Pici & Pici, a sales trainer and speaker who has helped organizations book more appointments and close more deals. From a football coach to a business consultant, he shows us his and his wife Dawn’s road. How To Consistently Set Appointments With Business Consultant Joe Pici: Podcast #120 is a post from: Consulting Success.

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Top Ten 2020 Consultant Marketing Trend Predictions

Henry DeVries

If you are a consultant who wants to attract more-paying clients in 2020, what are the top ten trends you should have on your radar?

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The Art of Remote Collaboration: How to Successfully Whiteboard with Remote Teams

Just because we're working with a distributed team doesn't mean we have to abandon time-tested tools and methods like whiteboarding. Digital look-alikes often cramp creativity and all but eliminate the humanity of shared interactions. Hardware solutions are also limiting and, of course, expensive and immobile. In an increasingly digital and remote-first world, it’s important for us to select tools and processes that allow us to mitigate if not eliminate the above problems.