Sat.Dec 05, 2015 - Fri.Dec 11, 2015

article thumbnail

The 8 Objections to Small Consulting Firms (and How to Respond to Each)

David A Fields

Last week, we highlighted the downsides clients face when working with large consulting firms. That was fun. But if we’re honest, we know clients also harbor legitimate concerns about working with independent consultants like us. Some gurus suggest a clever turns of phrase and bravado will overcome your prospect’s worries. Good luck with that. I suggest you take a more thoughtful, deliberate approach.

article thumbnail

Alvarez & Marsal Interviews and Culture

Management Consulted

. ALVAREZ & MARSAL CONSULTING. Alvarez & Marsal have been making waves in recent years for the high profile, high quality work they did in the midst of the banking crisis. We’re sure most of you heard about Lehman Brothers filing for the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history. But can you guess which firm was hired as their bankruptcy consultants?

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Pen vs Sword

Tom Spencer

(Source: Flickr ). Most people are familiar with the expression “the pen is mightier than the sword”, but where does it come from? According to the BBC , the expression first appeared in Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s 1839 play Cardinal Richelieu. This may have been the first usage in English, but Bulwer-Lytton appears to have borrowed from a longer tradition.

article thumbnail

All About Connection – An Evening With Kristy Rogers

Women in Consulting

By: Olivia Dippon. As the featured speaker of the November general meeting, Kristy Rogers spoke on creating genuine connection and getting the most out of networking, followed by an interactive activity where the group was able to practice their new networking skills. Below are the key points of her program along with some great tips to help you increase your networking success.

Sales 52
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Are You an Object of Interest

Chad Barr

I am here in Newport, Rhode Island, presenting to Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting College. As my friend, client, partner and mentor, I asked Alan to become the guest contributor to today’s Raising The Barr newsletter. Enjoy, Chad. The web is often cited as the ultimate repository of highly articulated content. In other words, if you want to find left-handed fly fishing gear or mint stamps from the 19th Century New Zealand postal service.

Video 52

More Trending

article thumbnail

Rita Gunther McGrath's Required Reading

Strategy+Business

A Columbia Business School professor suggests a reading list for leaders struggling to hold on to competitive advantage.

51
article thumbnail

Getting the Deal Done recap

Martinka Consulting

On November 17, 2015 we held our eighth Getting the Deal Done Breakfast Conference at the Bellevue Club (with co-sponsors PRK Law, Meridian Capital, Columbia Bank, Bashey Hutchinson & Walter, CPAs, and “Partner” On-Call/Martinka Consulting). Over 140 people heard our featured speaker, Joe Whinney, founder of Theo Chocolate. Joe relayed his fascinating story about how he went from being a senior class president who left school one month short of graduating (to “stick it to the man” only to di

article thumbnail

Something for all of us Boomer Managers to Read.

Leadership Planning with Liz Weber CMC

Here's something for each of you who manages others to read and then discuss with all of your team members: Boomers, Xers, and Millennials together. The post Something for all of us Boomer Managers to Read. appeared first on Weber Business Services, LLC.

article thumbnail

Population Deflation: Spain Joins Germany with Negative Net Birth Rate; Italy on Threshold; Who's to Blame?

MishTalk

On the demographic front things are not looking so good for the eurozone. With declining birth rates and the aging of the population, Mario Draghi will struggle to produce inflation in a population deflationary environment. Spanish Birthrate Plummets Please consider Spain Dying as its Birthrate Plummets. Spain’s population will fall by more than five million over the next 50 years, according to a forecast that raises the prospect of even more “ghost villages” around the country.

article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

Why Loyalty Programs Based on Consumer Spending Can Be a Win-Win

Strategy+Business

Despite the bad press about spending-based rewards programs, companies and consumers can both benefit if firms are willing to give up a small amount of revenue.

Company 44
article thumbnail

Business Sellers: Don’t Be A Bad Salesperson

Martinka Consulting

Business owners would be aghast if their salespeople did the following: Ramble on and on about the product without asking questions to see what problems they can solve for the customer. Discuss price before value. Ignore the team standing behind the product. Yet when it comes time to sell their business, many owners turn off the salesperson-skills-switch and go into “lousy presenter” mode.

Course 40
article thumbnail

Pivotal Women: The Art of Leadership

Leadership Planning with Liz Weber CMC

In this Pivotal Women episode, I'm interviewed by Lauran Star about The Art of Leadership. Learn more about the journey of leadership - what it means and how to step up your game today on Pivotal Women! The portion of the audio where I'm interviewed begins at 8:30 and. The post Pivotal Women: The Art of Leadership appeared first on Weber Business Services, LLC.

article thumbnail

Stocks More Overvalued Now Than 2000 and 2007 No Matter How You Look at Things

MishTalk

Overvalued No Matter How You Look Currently, stocks are extremely overvalued by multiple methods. The first way is by looking at Cyclically Adjusted P/E Ratios commonly known as CAPE, Shiller P/E, or P/E 10 ratio. The second is by looking at median P/E and P/S (Price to Sales) measures We will look at both, but here's a description of CAPE. CAPE is a valuation measure applied to stock market indexes.

Sales 43
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

How the Next Big Management Ideas Will Arise

Strategy+Business

The most thoughtful theorists aren't content to promulgate a brilliant insight and preserve it in amber.

article thumbnail

Holiday Reflections – Focus on Integrity

Martinka Consulting

Thanksgiving is past. Christmas is fast approaching (too fast for most of us). New Year’s is just around the corner. This time of year is oft used for reflection and no matter what your business, that reflection should include how you look at and treat your customers. Companies that look at customers as (mainly) a revenue source are missing something.

Sales 40
article thumbnail

Do I Need to Handle this Conflict? A Mini Case Study

Gina Abudi

Consider this situation: Two of your employees, Susan and Jack, are struggling with a difficult technical problem. Susan describes an approach to Jack for solving the technical problem that she finds compelling. “Doesn’t that make sense to you?” she asks, hoping that he is persuaded by her logic and will agree with her on the [.]. The post Do I Need to Handle this Conflict?

article thumbnail

When Shipping Overcapacity Meets Falling Demand

MishTalk

The following charts show what happens when an increasing number of ships meets falling demand. Harper Petersen Shipping Rates by Vessel Size - Ten Years Source: Harper Petersen More charts below, but first let's explain TEU. TEU TEU stands for twenty-foot-equivalent unit. It's an imprecise term because lengths have a 20-foot long (6.1 meters) standard but heights vary.

Meeting 42
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Rethinking Employee Engagement

1 to 1

As we race towards 2016 and the U.S. labor market continues to gain strength, industry observers are forecasting an upsurge among employees who jump ship from their workplaces. Strictly from a compensation standpoint, an increase in employee turnover is understandable. According to Mercer, Towers Watson, and other human resources firms, salary increases for employees are expected to rise 3.0 percent or less next year.

Mercer 31
article thumbnail

Light on your feet

Seth Godin Blog

To walk lightly through the world, with confidence and energy, is far more compelling than plodding along, worn down by the weight on your shoulders. When we are light on our feet we make better decisions, bring joy to those around us and find the flexibility to do good work. There are two ways to achieve this. The first is take the weight away. To refuse to do work that's important.

Energy 30
article thumbnail

Learning to Delegate: A Mini Case Study

Gina Abudi

Consider this situation: This is the fourth project that Anna has delegated to Amanda and she is starting to feel she would be better off doing it herself! While Amanda is willing to take on additional assignments, she just doesn’t seem to be willing to be responsible for the assignment. She won’t do anything without [.]. The post Learning to Delegate: A Mini Case Study appeared first on Gina Abudi.

article thumbnail

Wholesale Trade: Another Bad Report, Inventories Decline, Prior Month Revised Way Lower; Expect Negative Revisions to 3rd and 4th Quarter GDP; What About Autos?

MishTalk

Economists missed the wholesale trade report numbers by a mile. The Econoday Consensus Estimate for today's trade numbers was +0.2% in a range of 0.0% to 0.4%. The actual report (for October) came in at -0.1%. That's bad enough, but some of the much touted inventory build for 3rd quarter (See Wholesale Trade Inventories Surge Led By Autos ) did not happen.

Report 42
article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

3 Ways to Simplify Shopping with Curated E-Commerce

1 to 1

Consumers are overwhelmed by choices. The moment we wake up, we're confronted by decisions and the list just gets longer throughout the day. Savvy companies are simplifying the task of making choices by doing it for us. They're offering us curated options. Retailers in particular are combining data insights with a human touch to help consumers find the items that best match their preferences and needs.

Retail 25
article thumbnail

Why scale?

Seth Godin Blog

Why add new products, hire new people, increase distribution? Is it to please the shareholders? The board? Or your customers? Investment costs money and it wants a return. But your customers don't care about that. Use capital wisely, because sooner or later, you work for it, not the people you set out to serve or the market you sought to change.

article thumbnail

Giving the Gift of StrengthsFinder

Leadership Vision Consulting

We are entering the season of giving, but sometimes that can be stressful when trying to figure out what to give someone who isn’t vocal about what they “want”. As a child, I recall making long lists, consisting primarily of LEGOs, baseball cards, and Game Gear stuff. There was no confusion about what I was hoping Santa would bring. Research suggests that giving “experiences” as gifts can lead to greater overall levels of well being.

article thumbnail

Bernanke's "Helicopter Drop" Hits Finland; Prime Minister and 70% of Finnish Support "Free Money"; Dauphin Canada Revisited

MishTalk

Bernanke's Helicopter Drop Reality Contrary to widespread popular belief, with special "thanks" to former Fed chair Ben Bernanke, central banks cannot hand out a "helicopter drop" of "free money". What central banks do is cheapen the price of money by lowering interest rates to absurd levels, hoping that it will spur bank lending. Actual results speak for themselves.

Banking 42
article thumbnail

ABM Evolution: How Top Marketers Are Using Account-Based Strategies

In times of economic uncertainty, account-based strategies are essential. According to several business analysts and practitioners, ABM is a necessity for creating more predictable revenue. Research shows that nearly three-quarters of marketers (74%) already have the resources needed to build successful ABM programs.