Consulting Tips and Tools

As FY 2008 draws to a close, many of the agencies we serve are planning for their new year. Some sponsor Renewal Retreats to explore future challenges and opportunities, and to re-ignite staff enthusiasm for the road ahead.

How can independent consultants renew their enthusiasm and business plans? A quick and surprisingly effective method is to arrange personal meetings with “out of your box” organizations that excite your interest.

How to Use Business Trips as a Renewal Retreat

This month we guided a two-day workshop on coaching skills for supervisors in Washington, DC. Because of its vibrant mix of cultures, politics, art, and history (not to mention amazing restaurants), Washington ranks high on our “love to work here” list. One of its top attractions is the remarkable roster of agencies, associations, institutes, and individuals that call this city home.

Before arriving in Washington, Randy assembled a list of organizations whose work inspired us. After completing our assignment, we called to see who was home on days that we could visit. “Not likely you could connect with anyone on such short notice!” you might be thinking. Yet our ’short list’ of organizations yielded as many meetings as we could enjoy in the time available. And each meeting opened the door to a new world of possibility for the training, team building, and collaborative planning work we facilitate.

For me, the value of such visits goes beyond learning about anticipated contract openings. The opportunity to meet people who are deeply engaged in work that they value is contagious. It gives meaning to the vision and mission statements I read on the Internet, and provides deep insight into how our work might assist progress. A match between the organization’s direction and our own creates an electric surge with the power to light up possible affiliation or project plans.

Drop By: A Surprise Tactic That Works

As we thanked one of our hosts at a national association for making time to talk with us on short notice and on a busy day, he remarked with a bemused expression. “It was a pleasure. Very few people stop by to see us.”

The Internet has given us an instant, arm’s length method for researching new business possibilities. Because of this, personal meetings to explore new connections have become less frequent. This means that for you, as well as those you meet, the visits have more potential power.

Susan

© Aligned for Results, LLC

When serving your client or consulting customer, one of the most important things you can do is enable them to discover:

1. what they specifically want, in measurable terms, regarding their subject of interest, and
2. their own internal or organizational resources which may assist in fulfilling that want.

As you do this, you lay the foundation for project success and client satisfaction. Serving in this way also builds relationship and trust. If there is a role for you in helping to achieve a client outcome, the trust you have built will encourage interest in or thoughtful consideration of what you may have to say.

One helpful question to connect your customer with their own guidance and resources is described in the following article:

Consulting-and-Sales-Success

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To your consulting success,

Randy

© Aligned for Results, LLC