Archive: ‘Strategic Consulting’

Cure for the Common Cold Call: Achooooooooo!

There is a cure for the common cold call. Don’t do it. It’s not that it can’t work but rather that it is a very inefficient method (produces minimum results for maximum effort) that should be used only as a last resort.

Here are some ideas about how to approach an important decision-maker in a manner that has a much better probability of getting a meeting:

• Do research on them to learn about their business and personal goals, interests and experience. The more you know before you contact them, the greater the potential outcome of your interaction.
• Reach out to them through a common connection. This may be through the staff on an Association they belong to, one of their colleagues whom you know or somebody who knows them personally. If you don’t have a common connection, create one.
• Start the relationship in “learn” mode, not “sell” mode. If they want to buy from you, that can be determined after communication begins so don’t assume it. If it turns out that they are not a candidate to purchase from you but they like you (partially because you didn’t try to sell them), they may make a valuable introduction to somebody else.
• Develop a keen understanding of their concerns, which are often shaped by conditions in their industry so that you can speak intelligently with them about their perceived needs
• Email blast short messages with very appealing titles that indicate strong subject matter understanding of their industry, market and needs. If the title is right, the percentage of recipients who read it is dramatically higher.
• Create a new email blast campaign every Quarter and follow up every single email sent with a series of 5 phone calls that span the Quarter: 1 a week later, 2 & 3 spaced a week apart and 4 and 5 spaced a month apart.
• Be active in Associations where your target prospects congregate. Help bring in Members, with Events and make friends with the staff and with Board Members. They know the members and can open doors after you’ve contributed.

Achieveeeeeee!

FLAT

Yesterday was incredible. It was all high energy, getting important things figured out with advisory Clients and moving on to the next meeting. A full and very satisfying day… and exhausting.

I woke up showing the after effects of a long hard day. FLAT. The desire wanes, the ambition subsides and the creativity just won’t kick in.  Flat, that’s how it feels. BLAH, sort of numb, you get the picture. Yes, I’m in just such a mood as I look out the window of my small comfortable home office on this DREARY morning (dreary, of course, is not a fact but what I project onto what I see).  And my first reaction to this is to think that it’s a bad thing. “Come on man, get going & create something,” I say to myself. So, I fire up the computer, open up Word and stare at the blank screen. And listen….. and wait…. and smile, because….

I remember that these flat periods are an important part of the creative and productive process. You can’t stay “up” all the time. PAUSE is a good thing. Let your system recover a little. Let your mind not create…. for just a little bit anyway.

RELIEVED of the pressure to produce right at this minute, a feeling of well- being moves in. I know that I’m recovering from the intense exhilaration of yesterday when a series of meetings had better-than-normal outcomes.

As I RECOVER my energy, the zip returns. An old idea that’s been tapping on my shoulder for a while asks permission to have a discussion. A new, really wacky idea occurs to me at which I shake my head and say to myself “won’t work but it would be fun to try.”

Looking For A Quick Business Assessment Checklist?

 Most businesses could benefit from taking a critical look at their business from a strategic perspective. Answer the following business assessment checklist questions and gain some objective, actionable insight into your company.

After you’ve read this post, check out our new business success calculator to understand your company’s probability of success in the market.  

Checklist Questions

Copy and paste the following questions onto a document and take a few minutes to answer each one as objectively and thoroughly as you can.

• How beneficial are your products/services to targeted users?
• Is your target market niche a specialty that makes it a competitive advantage for you?
• Do you have a marketing calendar and budget that is just the right combination of the 5 P’s for your target market?
• Are you currently profitable and do you have a history of strong earnings?

The 7 Most Important Aspects Of A Business

After having worked closely with 100s of small-to-medium sized businesses, JACOBY has developed a framework of the characteristics of the most successful companies. More »

Human Resources Management Coach

No matter who you are, you can benefit from coaching. The question is the type of coaching that you would be best for you and your company. This post covers three major types of coaches:

General Coaches
Human Resources Management Coaches
Business Strategy Coaches

What do you want from a Coach?

The title “Coach” is used by individuals with a very broad array of talents and experiences. It’s best to determine what your needs are before searching for a Coach that fits the needs of your firm. Take the time to list not only what’s pressing on your mind at the moment but also, the types of issues that you confront on an ongoing basis where a skilled other person might add value.

Here are some questions that you might ask yourself to determine what you need: More »

Finding Small Business Consultants in Baltimore

Local companies approach me frequently asking which small business consultants in Baltimore would be the best fit for their organization. This post aims to address most of the frequently asked questions involved in selecting a small business consulting firm and points out common roadblocks and pitfalls that can be easily avoided if you know what to look for.

What type of help does your company need most?

Perhaps the most important question to answer from the outset, whether you’re looking for small business consultants in Baltimore, Washington DC, Northern Virginia (or pretty much anywhere in the world, come to think of it) is what type of help you need. More »

Overview: Strategic Business Consulting and Strategic Planning Consulting

Strategic planning and strategic business consulting is the strategy roadmap to manage business very effectively. To improve the performance in each business level, business strategic planning & consulting is essential. We should draw a clear strategic planning model to dilute the business complexity. If the strategic planning models are clearly set it is easy to find the business solution.

We can implement strategic plans for non-profit organizations. For strategic planning we should follow some strategic planning steps. Strategic planning process / Strategy can be implemented in long run as well as short run. For Strategic planning one should deploy clear strategic planning techniques. The strategic planning goals are based on business objectives, vision, mission, financial and non-financial perspective.

Strategic Consulting concentrates on rejuvenating business and strengthens the fundamentals through strategic planning. Strategic consulting deals with analyzing the business competitor behavior, examining the market trend, determining the business process, creating strategic planning framework, understanding the consumer perception and leveraging the strategic plan with optimal technology. Business strategic plans are not same for all business or organization. It varies from one business systems to other business systems.

Strategic business consulting focuses on understanding the company requirements in relation to companies objective. Strategic consulting provides an in-depth analysis to help your company to redefine its business strategy. Consulting strategic plan to expand business operations. Proper Strategic business planning & consulting helps the corporate to achieve the strategic planning goal.

In strategic consulting process, focusing on strategic plans is the key to success. Strategic consulting should proved innovative and logical business solution to the company. Strategic consulting firm use different business strategy for long term planning and short term planning. Strategic consulting company should understand the consumer expectation, identifying the necessary resources.

Strategic consulting has the capability to deliver business strategic plans for start-up business, developing business strategy and business plan to increase the performance, building the business architecture, reducing operational cost. Strategic consulting and strategic planning is the two vital concepts in strategic management.

Ramki is with Axsellit Technologies. Axsellit Software delivers professional, benefit-enriched business solutions with an unbeatable performance-to-price ratio. Axsellit Technologies provides Strategic Consulting and Balanced Scorecard Software.

-Ramki M

Using a Strategic Consultant For for Your Strategic Planning

The use of a strategic consultant & strategic planning plays a very important role in determining the success of a business. It is the systematic planning and guiding of the company in such a way that target goal is met within predetermined time limits. Strategic plans are ongoing plans that have to be changed according to the current needs of the business.

Businesses feel the need for an external consultant for strategic planning at times. This is because an objective third party view is always useful to ensure the success of the plan. An external consultant can create an excellent strategic plan without prejudices of any kind.

When Are External Consultants Needed For Strategic Planning:
Businesses need an external consultant for strategic planning when strategic planning has never been done before, when a previous plan failed to have an impact, lack of adequately skilled personnel to draft the plan, when members lack facilitating skills and when there is mistrust about the accuracy of plan drafted by an insider etc.

The external consultant will have to serve as the main guide for the strategic planning process, has to have to ability to do research and analyze the information gathered and plan a course of actions that will guide the business to achieve its goals faster. External consultants add to the productivity and continuity of the planning process.

External consultants for strategic planning process can be hired because the business lacks a qualified person to do the planning or he can be hired to be the expert providing the business knowledge or skills that it lacks or to work in collaboration with the business providing guidance and leaving the rest to be carried out by the qualified staff.

Before hiring an external consultant for strategic planning, decide on the amount you are ready to spend, talk to different consultants, ask them to submit a proposal about the work needed to be done, time frame to do it in and the costs incurred. Be sure to have a list of deliverables, a projected date of completion, forecast of costs to be incurred and means of evaluating the planning and analyzing the results, make clear who the consultant will report to and figure out how the contract can be terminated by either part.

The external strategic consultant should be qualified and should be able to research and analyze the information gathered as well as suggest ways to improve business and fight competitors such that your business will have an edge over them. He should have the ability to convey his plans and steer the business in such a way as to save time and money. Though expensive, the need for hiring external consultants for strategic planning can work out for the benefit of the business.
There are firms that offer their products as well as service to help run a successful business.

Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com