June, 2016

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The Perfect Response to the Fee Objection

David A Fields

You’ve completed your discovery process with your consulting prospect, gained agreement to your Context Document and submitted a killer proposal for a high-value consulting project. One that should, by all rights, be irresistible. Money in the bank. The morning for your proposal review arrives and your prospect’s first words are, “I love your proposal, but the fees are way too high.

Banking 240
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Experienced Hire from Harvard breaks in to Healthcare Consulting (Part 2)

Management Consulted

Today, we continue Part 2 (see Part 1 here ) of our interview with Charlie, an experienced Harvard grad who took an unusual path into healthcare consulting, yet leveraged his experience and hard prep work into an offer at Putnam. Enjoy! PS: If you would like to have a 1:1 conversation with Jenny Rae or one of our other ex-MBB consultants about your consulting career prospects, be sure to schedule a Power Half Hour today!

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CMOs—Now Is the Time to Assess Your Digital Skills

BCG

Commentary Monday, June 27, 2016. The Cannes Lions festival, which wrapped up June 25, bills itself as “Eight days dedicated to the power of creativity.” That’s certainly true, but these days it might be more accurate to say, “Eight days dedicated to the power of creativity and technology.” While many of the headline speakers at Cannes hailed from the creative communities of film, TV, and, of course, advertising, much of the festival’s real action took place around the booths of tech leaders suc

Film 75
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Sanitised vs Sanitary

Tom Spencer

Are you trying to build a work environment that is more sanitised or more sanitary? There is a difference. A sanitised work environment is generally inoffensive, and is designed to satisfy the strict (and habitually self-serving) requirements of the HR checklist. A sanitary work environment, on the other hand, is one that’s designed to be favourable for the health and proper functioning of the organisation.

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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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Creating Your Future With Strategic Questions

Chad Barr

This week’s reflection point: What are the best strategic questions you ask yourself and your clients in order to create a successful future? The right strategic questions hold the power to paint, craft, and navigate your remarkable future. While tactical questions answer the how, who, and the when, strategic questions are the ones that answer the why, where, and what.

More Trending

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2 Techniques to Surface Your Consulting Prospects’ Burning Desires

David A Fields

Jordan Jellblottom, CEO of Jellmotion, has your proposal. In fact, Jordan’s had your proposal for about eight weeks. Even though you were told the project is high priority, Jordan’s not responding to your emails or phone calls. No signed project. No polite rejection either. Nothing. Why? I’ve often said that a proposal collecting dust, unsigned on a prospect’s desk indicates a lack of Want.

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Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure

Harvard Business

As constant travelers and parents of a 2-year-old, we sometimes fantasize about how much work we can do when one of us gets on a plane, undistracted by phones, friends, and Finding Nemo. We race to get all our ground work done: packing, going through TSA, doing a last-minute work call, calling each other, then boarding the plane. Then, when we try to have that amazing work session in flight, we get nothing done.

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Examining Brexit: What’s Next?

BCG

Article Friday, June 24, 2016 Business leaders are asking what impact Brexit will have on companies and industries. Here’s what we know so far, including possible economic consequences and related implications—as well as a checklist of what leaders should be doing right now. Although some details about the process of the UK’s exit from the European Union remain foggy, one thing is clear: mastering strategy amidst uncertainty will be more important than ever.

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Generalist versus Specialist

Tom Spencer

(Source: Flickr ). The traditional consulting career model employed by top consulting firms like McKinsey was to develop generalist consultants who could apply general business principles and frameworks across different industries, sectors and functional areas. Clients increasingly value industry experience and specialized knowledge, and so firms are evolving the traditional consulting career model to accommodate these changing client demands.

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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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Bring Out The Champion In You

Chad Barr

This week’s reflection point: What a week it has been as we Clevelanders celebrate the great championship win of our team, the Cavaliers! This city has been transformed; new energy, excitement and pride. There are so many lessons to be gleaned from this accomplishment and apply them from this remarkable comeback. Here is my list: Dream big and execute your plan.

Energy 52
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Autonomous Bus Testing On Swiss Public Roads

MishTalk

Switzerland is testing self-driving electric buses on public roads in the historical district of Sion, the largest city of the … Continue reading →

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Leadership Lessons from consultants in business series - Part one: Knowing the basics

freshminds

Although many consultants carve out their whole career within a big firm or even potentially setting up their own freelance boutique firms, there is a growing trend for consultants to move into corporate businesses themselves. The vast array of skills that consultants can bring to the board room from their experience of advising many different types of board rooms across industry sectors make them extremely valuable in the corporate world.

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Steps to Take When You’re Starting to Feel Burned Out

Harvard Business

Andrew Nguyen/HBR STAFF. Burnout hurts. When you burn out at work, you feel diminished, like a part of yourself has gone into hiding. Challenges that were formerly manageable feel insurmountable. It’s the opposite end of the spectrum from engagement. The engaged employee is energized, involved, and high-performing; the burned-out employee is exhausted, cynical, and overwhelmed.

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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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Bridging the Trust Gap: The Hidden Landmine in Big Data

BCG

Article Tuesday, June 21, 2016. This is the first in a series of articles exploring what really matters for organizations that collect and use consumer data. Big data has the potential to be both friend and foe. The Boston Consulting Group conservatively estimates that trusted uses of big data and advanced analytics could unlock more than $1 trillion in value annually by 2020.

Data 74
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How to Create a Mastermind Like Executive Next Practices

Henry DeVries

A well-known principle to advance your company, cause, or career is called the mastermind group. The concept was popularized by Napoleon Hill, who wrote the classic motivational book, Think and Grow Rich, after he spent more than twenty years interviewing the most successful people of his time and found what [.

How To 40
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What Are You Remarkable At?

Chad Barr

This week’s reflection point: I am a strong believer in eliminating or minimizing our weaknesses but I especially believe in enhancing and building on our strengths. There is no better way to recognize our strengths than by simply examining what we are remarkable at. As I was reflecting on the most profound attributes that have made our clients and us remarkable, here is what comes to mind: Deliver strong value.

Groups 52
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Retail Sector Adds 253,000 Jobs in 10 Months, but Aggregate Hours Worked is Unchanged: Why?

MishTalk

How is it that employment in the retail sector increased by 253,000 jobs since last August, yet total aggregate hours … Continue reading →

Retail 52
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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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To Sell or Not to Sell

Martinka Consulting

In a recent Inc. Magazine column Norm Brodsky wrote the following about what he tells entrepreneurs who come to him for advice: “One, always build a business to last forever. Do what’s best for the business long term. And two, build the business so that it can be sold for as much money as possible – even if selling is not part of the plan.” He also writes most business owners don’t follow this advice.

Journal 40
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3 Ways Social Entrepreneurs Can Solve Their Talent Problem

Harvard Business

Vincent Tsui for HBR. The impact of “social entrepreneurs” — individuals who deploy innovation and market forces to fill social needs — is growing. Bringing light to Africa , mobile banking to Bangladesh , low-cost health care to Nepal, or better school lunches to the American cafeteria: In all these cases, the private sector is a big part of the action.

Talent 53
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Examining Brexit: What’s Next?

BCG

Article Friday, June 24, 2016 Business leaders are asking what impact Brexit will have on companies and industries. Here’s what we know so far, including possible economic consequences and related implications—as well as a checklist of what leaders should be doing right now. Although some details about the process of the UK’s exit from the European Union remain foggy, one thing is clear: mastering strategy amidst uncertainty will be more important than ever.

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Emerging Careers Report's Hot Jobs For 2016

Henry DeVries

In a February, 2016 op-ed, John MacAfee announced that his team of “75% social engineers…and…25% hardcore coders” could help the FBI unlock a notorious iPhone—for free—to keep Apple (APPL) out of awkward struggle between the company’s customers and the U.S. government. While the FBI still hasn’t announced how it ultimately achieved [.

Report 40
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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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Is Your Content Categorized?

Chad Barr

This week’s reflection point: You’ve probably heard me say that powerful content creation is one of the key distinguishing attributes of great thought leaders and leading organizations. Whether you use programs such as Evernote or Trello to store your ideas, organizing the content is critical in order to achieve successful results. It all starts with the formulation of the proper categories.

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Syrian Madness: US Backed Rebels Fight US Special Forces

MishTalk

In a show of solidarity, US special forces in Syria frequently wear the insignia of the troops they are fighting … Continue reading →

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Unappreciated? Time for a Change

Martinka Consulting

One of my best friends is a great salesperson and business developer, in the event and media industry. He’s unhappy with his job, even though he’s doing very well at it. Why? Because he’s not appreciated by his (small company) CEO and COO. For example: He set up a major promotion, had the prime contact, got the deal and then was told he’s not needed (even with meetings with his contact) as the CEO and COO would handle it.

Media 40
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Battling the Physical Symptoms of Stress

Harvard Business

HBR STAFF. Steve should have been celebrating. A 30-something entrepreneur in the Bay area, he had just closed a multi-million dollar round of Series A financing for his startup. Instead, he found himself in his doctor’s office – 25 pounds overweight, physically exhausted, sleep-deprived and with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. This news only aggravated the anxiety and disconnect he had been feeling for months.

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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.