In early Greek society, particularly in Athens, democracy meant the equivalent of a permanent town meeting—all decisions of consequence were made in public assembly. As many professional service firms...
It is important to note that while goods are consumed, services are experienced.
These goals are not unique to us. Our best competitors almost certainly have similar, if not identical goals. If we are to outperformthem, we don't need a better vision, but a better approach to makin...
Send meeting materials in advance
Managers should be hassle absorbers, not hassle creators.
It is important to note that while goods are consumed, services are experienced. The professional service provider is (or should be) as much in the business of managing the client’s experience with re...
In busy times there is also a temptation to let investments such as training take a back seat to getting the work out the door. Only adherence to the firm's principles and values prevents opportunisti...
As the chapter on relationship building suggested (Chapter 5), we must find ways not only to be credible, but also to give the client the sense that we are credible. We must illustrate, not assert. Wh...
A good example of ill-conceived (and premature) training approaches is seen in the many calls I get to conduct training programs to help people become better managers. I put my callers through a stand...
Unity, pride, respect, loyalty, excellence, and integrity.
Use the client’s fit and feel around terminology, style, formats, hours. 5.
The most effective organizations are those that are held together by shared and enforced principles, values, and standards.
The biggest leverage for reliability enhancement probably lies in the emotional realm. The more a provider can do to understand and relate to the usually unconscious norms of the client, the more the...
Review agendas with your client, before meetings, before phone calls, before discussions. Clients should know that they can expect you to always solicit their views on how time will be spent. 6.
Reliability in this largely rational sense is the repeated experience of links between promises and action.
Make sure meetings have clear goals, not just agendas, and ensure the goals are met. 4.
By starting with caring (working from the inside out), we open ourselves to possibilities and become willing to go where the client will take us. The skill or action behaviors can then fall on fertile...
10. Return calls unbelievably fast Stephanie Wethered, the pastor referred to earlier, does this. She tries to return calls within ten minutes. She says it’s the most trust-creating thing she does; no...
Treating financial success as the goal rather than as a by-product of a well-run firm
When resources become relatively scarce and relatively costly, it suddenly does make sense to invest in coaching and training in order to extract the maximum value from medium-grade ore.