Moon Reaching, Star Landing

You know the expression: If you reach for the moon, even if you miss you’ll land among the stars. Case in point: New York Jets coach Rex Ryan who led a disheartened, ravaged team with a rookie quarterback to an AFC playoff berth.

What were the keys to his success that might work for you?

Have a plan: Rex Ryan arrived at his job interview panting and 45 minutes late. Not a good beginning. But he also lugged 60 pages of detailed plans for the season. And won the job by showing exactly how he would create a winning season for the team.

Give them visuals: Coach Ryan started the season by telling his players they would meet President Obama after Miami. During the playoffs, he sported a Jets Super Bowl shirt. He even gave his team a detailed post-season schedule (verboten in football) including a victory parade in their honor.

Make hard work fun: This was his dream, head coaching for the NFL, and his players were enveloped by his commitment and sheer joy of the game. Rookie quarterback throwing too many interceptions? Ryan made Sanchez his project and created a color-coded system to improve his decision-making. They started winning. They got their swagger back.

Did the Jets reach the moon? Not this year. But they got to play amongst the stars.

The Reluctant Consultant

You know one. Maybe you are one. You can’t find the work you really want in Corporate-land and so have hung out your shingle. Buyers are often wary of reluctant consultants—and with good reason. They don’t want you to bail mid-project when a “real” job beckons. So, if you are hoping to launch a successful, perhaps even long-term practice, consider some tips:

Create a clear, compelling niche that aligns with your proven strengths. This is not the time to try something completely different—your experience needs to tell a relevant story and prove you can create real results.

Ditch the brochure. Instead, focus on the results you can deliver to your targeted clients. Keep it simple. Can you describe it in a sentence? Then keep working on it.

Deepen and expand your relationships. Every day. When you’re running a corporate function, people come to you. They call, they email, they ask to see you. But when you’re the one selling? Not so much.

The trick is simple: dedicate yourself to getting better with every single interaction. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll kiss “reluctant” goodbye.

Are You Creating Evangelists?

Recall your favorite glowing, unsolicited introduction to that sweet spot client who needed your help immediately. Nothing quite like it, right? And it so beats the times you felt like you were banging your head against the wall.

To make those referrals a regular event, create your own team of brand evangelists: great people who know you and your work and can’t wait to spread the word.

Some tips to attracting your dream team:

Create white space—a niche that no one else occupies so you get to write the rules and be a true original. Bonus? You also can set your fees in white space.

Be authentic in all things—true alignment builds credibility, trust and connection. Strong attractions are formed when you show them the real deal.

Seek to understand (listen) vs seek to be understood (selling). Knowledge talks, wisdom listens. And we all love to feel heard and understood.

Of course, to attract brand evangelists, you also have to serve as one. Who do you know that deserves a little evangelism?

2010: Not For Sissies

Have you felt it? That collective sigh of relief that 2009 is behind us and a brand spanking new decade awaits.

Now the trick is transforming survival activity into long-term prosperity in a “reset” economy. Clients (like consumers) are buying value, simplicity and results. Is your practice ready for 2010? Ask yourself some key questions:

How deep are my relationships? How likely are your clients, prospects and referral sources to turn to you for help? Need a deeper bench? Start now—relationships are organic and take time to nurture. And don’t restrict yourself to those in your town, area or industry. That’s short-term thinking.

How easy is it to find and know me? Are you leveraging social media effectively for your client/referral base? Are you using the right web tools for your business model? Beware of poo-pooing new technology—you’ll come across as a dinosaur.

What are key clients and prospects saying about us? Do they see you as a key leader navigating a new decade or mired in old paradigms? Ask questions. Find out what’s important and create new ways to work that align your talents with what they need.

Now is the time to act…while your competitors are busy congratulating themselves on survival.