Trading Jobs

My thoughts on a note I received from an independent consultant on starting her business and realizing that she’d traded jobs.

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A Niche or An Ocean?: A Consultant’s Muddled Message

A Niche or an Ocean?: A Consultant’s Muddled Message December 6, 2019 Last week I was on the phone with a consultant ready to launch his practice. “Who do you serve?,” I asked him. “Businesses between $5 million and $50 million in sales,” he replied. “That’s not a niche,” I told him. “That’s an ocean.”…

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A Raving Fan Begs to Spend More

A Raving Fan Begs to Spend More August 30, 2019 In my presentations and in working with individual clients, I suggest creating a “velvet rope” for your raving fans, the segment of your clients who love what you do so much they’ll be attracted by a premium offering with benefits exclusive to them. Raving fans…

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The Pitches Which Apply to Everyone Apply to No One

The Pitches Which Apply to Everyone Apply to No One July 23, 2019 Recently I attended a gathering of business owners in which everyone went around the room, introducing themselves and their business. A travel agency owner introduced himself and casually added, “anyone who needs to travel is a good fit for me.” I remember…

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The Value of a Barber: More Than Just a Haircut

Some professional baseball players see enough value in their barbers to fly them around the country (sometimes internationally) to get a haircut. Why? Because these barbers meet some intangible value needs these players have. It’s a reminder that all our customers have intangible needs we meet which go beyond the features of our product or service.

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