Specialty Of The House

Imagine your clients choosing you the way most of us choose restaurants. They decide what they’re in the mood for—sushi, deli, pizza. Or maybe it’s that special occasion, break-the-bank meal. And then they consider where they’re likely to find exactly what they want/need.

If you own a restaurant, you want your clientele to say “I want Canter’s Deli”, not “I want a sandwich.” Ditto every other top-of-their-game restaurant from Fatburger to The French Laundry. Draw your clients to you in the same way. Make your offerings clear, compelling and uniquely distinct.

Choose your category. What kind of restaurant are you? Unless you’re a category-breaker, you’ll slot into a niche—haute cuisine, burger joint, seafood shack, food truck. Look around you and see how many others claim your category. Chances are, clients are surrounded by good choices. You’ve got to make yourself stand out.

Narrow your appeal. Will you focus on an ethnic cuisine or perhaps steak or seafood? Are you all about romantic corner booths, a spectacular view or whacking crabs with a mallet? Do patrons come to you for a raucous good time or are they serious foodies worshipping at the latest mecca? Narrowing your appeal lets those who will love you find you faster.

Discover your specialty of the house. Your clientele will tell you what they come back for. And it may be more about their waiter remembering their name and favorites then about your clams casino. It’s about their complete experience, which any successful restaurateur will tell you includes price, service, ambience and location.

So ask your clients why they choose you. Dig for the truth. And use what you find to let the rest of the world know your claim to fame.

Tilting At Windmills

Remember Don Quixote? He was busy attacking windmills while imagining himself fighting giants. He believed he was achieving a grand and glorious vision as he ignored reality.

It’s a risk we all run when we’re trying to stake our territory in a fast moving, challenging economy. Instead, ask yourself some key questions.

Who am I competing against? Is it really competitor A, B or C? Or is doing nothing your real competition? Let’s face it. For lots of services, inertia is a powerful thing: financial advisors, accountants, actuaries, estate planners. Why should your client make a change? Maybe the real fight is getting them to know they must act.

What is your financial truth? I spoke with someone recently who was consumed with determining his ideal billing rate. The problem? He had no idea where his next project was coming from. The issue wasn’t his billing rate, but his pipeline. Focusing on rates gives him something to obsess about while he busily ignores the elephant in the room.

What’s your sweet spot? Which clients and what work best suit your talents and passions? How front and center are they in your daily interactions? Beware of defaulting to what comes to you. You may quickly find yourself getting wrapped into elaborate time-sucks outside of your sweet spot. Before you know it, your productivity is down and your fun evaporates.

Tilting at windmills didn’t serve Don Quixote. Don’t let it seduce you.

Creativity Meets Courage

I had an interesting discussion Saturday with playwright (and producer, director) Del Shores just before seeing his newest work “Yellow”. Del is known for comedy with a southern twist and has several hit plays and movies plus a TV series (“Sordid Lives”) under his belt. He is a creative wizard who also has the chops to successfully produce his work.

Listening to his story, I was struck by how much courage is required to put his work on display. Noted playwrights draw noted critics. And yes, their critical acclaim can fill the house. But the right thumbs down can also tank a fledgling project.

Del was exceedingly candid about the challenges of putting his work out there every day for others to critique. And—while most of us work from a quieter stage—I found his lessons worth sharing.

Let your work evolve. Del is known for comedy, yet his newest work deals with heavy emotional issues. What makes it so “Del” is weaving his unique brand of southern comedy into a tragic story: we were alternating deep belly laughs with copious tears. Dramedy anyone?

Be confident. Oh, and if you aren’t always feeling it? Take a deep breath and put your work out there anyway. Most smart, talented people doubt themselves at some point. Combat that by surrounding yourself with inspiring allies--you’ll catapult yourself just to keep up. Nobody benefits when you keep potentially great ideas under a rock.

Touch everything important. Del drops by the front office to check ticket sales. He gathers his actors before every performance for an inspiring huddle. He gives memorable press interviews—no shrinking violet here. And he stands at the exit (think Father of the Bride), listening to outgoing comments and connecting with theatre lovers. He promotes with gusto and an open ear.

So. Has your creativity met with courage yet?

What Do Award Winning TV Commercials and Consultants Have in Common?

You can learn a lot in a year. I sure did.

This week marks a year since I started blogging weekly (initial audience: 3.) Lessons learned are worth sharing, which I’ll do in a future update.

Instead, this week, I’d like to re-share my first post (with apologies to the much-appreciated initial 3) because I think the message still resonates a year later.

Click here to take a look.

Let me know what you think…….

Launching The Emergency Slide

There’s been lots of chatter last week about a certain flight attendant launching the emergency slide inappropriately. Which begs an interesting question: When should you deploy yours?

Drama aside, sometimes it’s appropriate to make a hasty exit from your client.

You (or your team) don’t get no respect. I’m not talking about checking a blackberry during a meeting, but hard core bad behavior to you, your team or your client’s team. Belittling, berating or threatening are not OK. Cut those folks loose if you can’t immediately turn them around.

Ethics have taken a holiday. Sometimes, big change (think mergers, layoffs, bet-the-career lawsuits) tempts clients to do things they’d never consider under other circumstances. Help them get their bearings back and coach them through hard change but don’t follow (or tacitly support) their ethical lapses.

The dog ate my homework. You’re working on a critical project that requires collaboration with your client—data access, emails, approvals, meetings. There’s always an excuse why something can’t be done by the due date (often including getting your bills paid.) This is a client who frequently fails—don’t let them torpedo your work.

Launching the emergency slide—sometimes, it’s the best option.

Backwards In High Heels

Famously said of Ginger Rogers: She did everything Fred Astaire did but backwards and in high heels.

Not so different from boutique firms and independents competing against the big guys. Like Fred and Ginger, the best make it look effortless while working constantly on their footwork.

The key is to play to your strengths and highlight the things you deliver that the global behemoths can’t touch. For example:

Make technology work for you. Gone are the days when big meant the best technology. Small means nimble (not to mention you can squeeze a nickel until the buffalo screams.) Embrace new (cheaper) technology while the big guys waste months hammering it out in committee. You—if you’ve got the chutzpah—can now be first to market.

Inject your personality. You can afford to be a little cheeky in order to stand out. Don’t fall into the trap of saying “it’s our service, our people, our technology”. Blah, blah, blah. Show them instead. Let potential clients see you and your team as real people. Demonstrate who you are and what they can expect from you.

Put your stamp on everything. Whether you work solo or lead a group, make sure your beliefs and practices are woven into everything you do. Proposals. Social media interaction. Blogs. Referrals. Billing. Making calls. Responding to help requests. High touch means high regard (and deeper relationships).

So give it a try: release your inner Fred or Ginger.

Are You Just Clucking?

There is an old farm expression: “I can hear you clucking but I can't find your nest”.

The 2010 version: There is a whole lot of clucking going on instead of real, move-the-needle conversations. Social media seems to goad us into speaking when we have nothing—really—to say. Beware of three cardinal sins:

Shameless self-promotion. You have information that will help clients and prospects solve problems. That is NOT shameless self-promotion. We veer into shameless territory when we lose sight of how the reader will benefit. Give them wisdom or make them think—or laugh—but don’t bore them with your irrelevant minutiae (give foursquare the boot.)

Ignoring publishing standards. Self-publishing is a great invention, but not if you don’t hire yourself a rock-solid editor to save you from yourself. Editorial gaffes scream amateur. And your blog or newsletters? Typos demonstrate that you don’t pay attention to detail, or worse: that you don’t care about the quality of your work.

Incivility. Snarky can be lucrative (Bill Maher anyone?) but it’s a niche suitable for very few. Engaging in spirited—but respectful—conversations forges new relationships and creates break-through ideas. Your mother was right—manners matter.

So go ahead: promote, write, push the envelope. Just don’t be clucking with the other chickens.