Growing Your Practice: Hitting Your Sweet Spot

Sweet spot: Where your story (and marketing) meets a rigorous business model and a winning (not whining) mindset.

Outrageously successful consultants, advisors and coaches spend a lot of time in their sweet spot. Why? Life is better there. It’s dramatically easier to draw the RIGHT clients, prospects and referral sources to you.

Ready to spend more time in your sweet spot? Consider these essentials:

Your story: What’s your bankable value? Do you have a clear, compelling story that draws clients, prospects and referral sources to you? Is your marketing aligning your unique talents and passions with what your clients need most? Are you engaging with the right people?

Your business model: Have you created the ideal business model that optimizes your revenue and growth opportunities? Have you fully leveraged your intellectual property? Do you have administrative systems in place so you can spend your time where it matters?

Your mindset and actions: Do you maintain a winning mindset or are you making excuses for why you can’t make a sales call? Are you taking the consistent, daily actions needed to build the enterprise you envision-–even when it’s hard?

Getting to your sweet spot can take some hard thinking and thoughtful insight. But there’s a reason we call it sweet.

Be Like Gustavo

When was the last time you felt like this when you’re working?

Meet Gustavo Dudamel, the joyfully passionate conductor of the LA Philharmonic. Watching him conduct Dvorak and Tchaikovsky left me breathless and thrilled to my toes. A true maestro, he drew stellar performances from his soloists as well as the orchestra and swept the entire audience along with him. Brilliant.

See him live if you can for the full effect (the LA Phil starts their U.S. tour today). In the meantime, consider this photo and bringing some maestro mindset to your next “performance”….

Age is irrelevant. Dudamel is all of 28 in a field where age is revered. Yet he commands the respect of talented, experienced musicians twice his age. How? Dogged preparation. Respect for the individual artist and their collective work. Sharing every bow with one or more of his players. Sheer passion for the perfect performance.

Leave it all on the stage. Last week, he was so intent on conducting Dvorak’s Cell Concerto that he popped a neck muscle. In great pain, he insisted on conducting Tchaikovsky’s highly physical Sixth Symphony. Only intervention by a clear-thinking Executive Director got him immediate medical attention.

Serve up a little drama. Not for the sake of drama (who wants to work with a drama king/queen?) but to advance your art. A pregnant pause at the right spot in the meeting. A compelling photo (not a PowerPoint bullet) to make your point. A pitch-perfect story that inspires your audience to act.

Go ahead. Try it. Embrace your inner Gustavo.

Don't Be That Blackberry Guy

You’ve met him. Or her. Glued to his Blackberry, iphone or new gizmo. Addicted to the ability to know what is going on—anywhere and at anytime. Key word here? Addicted.

Meet the quintessential Blackberry Guy. A big firm partner, he invited me to lunch to compare notes on our businesses. As we walked to lunch (10 minutes) he checked his Blackberry—twice. As we were being seated, he checked it again. Finally, he put it in a pocket and there it stayed while he talked about his work and his practice. He responded to my questions and we dug a bit deeper. He engaged.

Eventually, the talk turned to my work. It didn’t take long for the Blackberry to reappear. Not once, not twice. I lost count of how often he looked down at it. The message it sent to me was that talking about him was important enough to leave the Blackberry stowed. Listening to me? Not so much. The irony is that his practice requires a high level of client intimacy to be fully effective as an advisor.

Right now, I’m not inclined to refer anyone to Blackberry Guy. I know others in his specialty—just as smart and capable—who exhibit far more interest in those around them. What could Blackberry Guy do differently to earn my respect?

Focus completely on who you’re with. We underestimate the power of our full, undivided attention, especially in a world with so many distractions.

Explain extenuating circumstances—they do happen. If you are waiting for deal or life-altering news, say so. Ask for permission to check your incoming. Most everyone says yes and your candor may actually build a stronger relationship.

Put your Blackberry where it can’t distract you. Shut it off before putting it in your pocket. Vibrate mode will grab your attention every time (Ladies, turn the sound off and throw it in your purse. Better still, shut it off).

Should I give him a 2nd chance? Maybe. But will a potential client? I doubt it…..

Consulting Math: When 1 > 1

When times are tough, consultants—big-firm senior practitioners to soloists—tend to hold on tightly to every billable hour. You stop delegating because your instinct is to hunker down and protect what you have. It’s perfectly understandable (lizard brain anyone?) but counter-productive in the long run.

Since the economy is perking up a bit, it’s a good time to think about some consulting math. For example:

1 x 1 = 4 Choose high potential junior consultants in your firm (or trusted outside contractors) who will do a knock out job. Give them some challenging work to do with your clients. Stretch them, excite them and mentor them. Who knows? You’ll free up some time and you could create new synergies with your clients and for your practice.

1 + 1 = 3 Create a dynamic partnership with your administrative guru. Let them do what they do best—get you organized and free to focus on developing new relationships, thought leadership and revenue. Don’t have one? Investigate virtual options to help you grow.

1 - 1 = 2 Invest in yourself with the time you’ve freed up. Try something new or dig deeper into an idea that inspires you. Start building some new relationships. Take a risk. In the short run, you might take a revenue or bonus hit. But in the long run? Master territory.

Consulting math: where 1 can be greater than 1.

Growing Your Practice: The Rule of 5

Consultants and advisors are a bit schizophrenic when it comes to focus. We’re hard-wired to deal with client deadlines and address problems as they crop up. But focus on the non-urgent spadework of building our practice? Not so much.

Making a call to a long-term prospect. Having lunch with a future alliance partner. Delegating administration so you can spend more time doing the work you love. How are you supposed to fit these into an already jam-packed schedule?

Try the “Rule of 5”. Every day, do 1 thing that will advance your business in 5 weeks, 5 months or 5 years. Crazy busy? Then do 2 the next day--hold yourself accountable. The important thing is to start.

5 weeks: This is referral territory. These are the calls, the meetings, the posts that get you connected to referral sources and prospective clients. It’s responding to those who ask for referrals to your network. Making time to help someone else is just good business for advisors.

5 months: We’re talking about the time it often takes to turn a warm, connected prospect into a client. Forward an idea, continue the conversation, do a favor, stay connected. Help your contacts with their job searches. Building these relationships takes consistent effort.

5 years: Here is where you dedicate time to learning, writing and long-term relationship and brand building. That book may not pay for itself in the first year or two, but by year 5 it could well be your primary calling card. Ditto that client relationship that was slow to start but is now at the core of your practice. Are you investing enough in your future?

The Rule of 5. Try it. Master it. Pass it on.

Keynotes: The Holy Grail?

Many consultants, coaches and advisors trying to build their business have decided they need to be at the podium to increase their visibility. They chase keynote opportunities—often unpaid—and spend countless non-billable hours crafting their speeches.

A worthy investment if being a professional speaker is part of your revenue strategy or you are hawking your (profitable) new book. But what if your real goal is to grow your core consulting, coaching, advisory business?

Then there may be an easier way. It’s not about how many keynotes you make. It’s about how you connect with the clients who will “buy” you and the professionals who will refer you. Consider some alternatives:

Attend as a participant. Come pre-loaded with questions/a point of view on the agenda topics so you can engage your new contacts one-on-one. Be clear on your brand (who am I, what do I uniquely do and why does it matter) and link it to the key topics. If the link isn’t obvious, take a pass.

Lead a workshop for a group rich with clients and prospects (or referral sources). You’ll touch fewer people, but your impact on each can be huge. And, chances are high they’re attending because they have a strong interest in the subject. The payoff: they experience you in action and hiring you becomes a simpler next step.

Moderate a panel of experts on a compelling topic related to your expertise or industry. The agenda is yours to lead and you can have a major impact with a lot less prep than a full-blown keynote. Great moderators are memorable--if one of your talents is bringing diverse opinions to the table, you can score big.

Keynotes are impressive. But they may not be key to your growth.

Consulting Toolkit: Stamina

Sometimes, it’s not what you do or even how you do it, but how long you can keep at it. Case in point: Sunday night’s NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Baylor made an intense, no-holds barred 3rd quarter attempt to break UConn‘s 76 game winning streak. They thrilled the home field fans with their underdog heart and passion—until they hit the wall in the 4th quarter. Out of steam, they were no match for the Huskies' relentless energy.

Stamina. It’s not just for sports. It’s the fuel that drives you to keep at that client problem till you know it’s solved. To make sure the proposal is exactly right. To attend yet another industry event to connect with future clients. To blog and tweet and Facebook when you’d rather go to the beach.

Need more fuel? It starts with doing work you love that matters. But that won’t do it alone. Take a break for a run, a bike ride or a yoga class. Savor healthy food that keeps you alert (yes, pizza can be on the menu). Seek out your personal brand of inspiration. Enjoy vibrant connections to your loved ones.

Stamina. The difference between good and great.