TheWinWithoutPitchingManifesto

BlairEnns

Rockbench|Nashville|2010

TableofContents

Dedication

Introduction

WeWillSpecialize

WeWillReplacePresentationsWithConversations

WeWillDiagnoseBeforeWePrescribe

WeWillRethinkWhatitMeanstoSell

WeWillDoWithWordsWhatWeUsedtoDoWithPaper

WeWillBeSelective

WeWillBuildExpertiseRapidly

WeWillNotSolveProblemsBeforeWeArePaid

WeWillAddressIssuesofMoneyEarly

WeWillRefusetoWorkataLoss

WeWillChargeMore

WeWillHoldOurHeadsHigh

Acknowledgements

PublishingInfo

Credits

ForThePeopleWhoSee,

sotheirenterprisemaysustaintheircreativity

~

andforColette,habibti

AManifestoofBusinessPracticesforCreativeFirmsTheforcesofthecreativeprofessionsarealignedagainsttheartist.Theseforcespressurehimtogivehisworkawayforfreeasameansofprovinghisworthinessoftheassignment.Clientsdemandit.Designers,artdirectors,writersandothercreativeprofessionalsresignthemselvestoit.Tradeassociationsarepowerlessagainstit.Consultantsandoutsourcedbusinessdevelopmentfirmsearntheirlivingbyperpetuatingit.Andconferencesputtheworstoffendersfromallsidesonstageandhavethempreachabouthowtogetbetteratit.

Itisamistaketolooktothecreativeprofessionstodealwiththisissue.Freepitchingandspeculativecreativewillonlybebeatenonefirmatatime,withlittlehelpandmuchloudoppositionfromtheprofessionsthemselves.Thisbattleisbutacollectionofindividualstruggles:thesingleartistorcreativefirmagainstthemanyalliedforcesofthestatusquo.

Butwhilecollectivelythebattlemayseemlost,arevolutionisafoot.Somecreativefirmsarefightingandwinning.Theyarereclaimingthehighgroundintheclientrelationship,beatingbackthepitchandwinningnewbusinesswithoutfirsthavingtopartwiththeirthinkingforfree.Theyarebuildingstrongerpracticesamidtheforcesofcommoditization.

ThistreatisecontainsthetwelveproclamationsofaWinWithoutPitchingfirm.Itdescribesatrailblazedbyownersofcreativebusinesseswhohavemadethedifficultbusinessdecisionsandtransformedtheirfirms,andthewaytheygoaboutgettingnewbusiness.Theyhaveresistedtheprofession-widepressuretotoethefree-pitchingline.Theyhavegonefromorder-takersupplierstoexpertadvisorsandhaveforgedamoresatisfyingandlucrativewayofgettinganddoingbusiness.

Theirpath,describedinthesepages,maynotbeyourpath.Noteveryonehastheheartorstomachforrevolution.Itisuptoyoutoreadanddecideforyourselfif

youwillfollow.

BlairEnns,

Kaslo

“Wheneveryoufindyourselfonthesideofthemajority,itistimetopauseandreflect.”

–MarkTwain

pitch(verb)

[pıch]Toattempttosellorwinapprovalforone’sideasbygivingthemawayforfree,usuallywithinacompetitive,buyer-drivenprocess

I

{TheFirstProclamation}

WeWillSpecialize

Wewillacknowledgethatitistheavailabilityofsubstitutes–thelegitimatealternativestotheofferingsofourfirm–thatallowstheclienttoask,andcompelsustogive,ourthinkingawayforfree.Ifwearenotseenasmoreexpertthanourcompetitionthenwewillbeviewedasoneinaseaofmany,andwewillhavelittlepowerinourrelationshipswithourclientsandprospects.

Theworlddoesnotneedanothergeneralistdesignfirm.Thereareenoughfullserviceadvertisingagenciesandmarketingcommunicationfirms.Theworldisdrowninginundifferentiatedcreativebusinesses.Whattheworldneeds,whatthebetterclientsarewillingtopayfor,andwhatourpeoplewanttodevelopanddeliver,isdeepexpertise.Expertiseistheonlyvalidbasisfordifferentiatingourselvesfromthecompetition.Notpersonality.Notprocess.Notprice.Itisexpertiseandexpertisealonethatwillsetusapartinameaningfulwayandallowustodealwithourclientsandprospectsfromapositionofpower.

Powerintheclient-agencyrelationshipusuallyrestswiththeclient.Hispowercomesfromthealternativesthatheseestohiringus.Whentheclienthasfewalternativestoourexpertisethenwecandictatepricing,wecansetthetermsoftheengagementandwecantakecontrolinamannerthatbetterensuresthatourideasandadvicehavethedesiredimpact.

Whenthealternativestohiringusaremany,theclientwilldictateprice.Hewillsetthetermsoftheengagement.Hewilldeterminehowmanyofourideasandhowmuchofouradviceweneedtopartwith,forfree,inordertodecideifhewillchoosetoworkwithus.

willchoosetoworkwithus.

Itisfirstthroughpositioningourfirmthatwebegintoshiftthepowerinthebuy-sellrelationshipandchangethewayourservicesareboughtandsold.Positioningisthefoundationofbusinessdevelopmentsuccess,andofbusinesssuccess.Ifwefailonthisfrontwefacealong,costlyuphilljourneyasownersofcreativebusinesses.

ThePurposeofPositioningPositioningisanexerciseinrelativity.Ourgoalwhenendeavoringtopositionourselvesagainstourcompetitionistoreduceoroutrighteliminatethem.Whenwedrasticallyreducetherealalternativestohiringourfirm,weshiftthepowerbalanceawayfromtheclientandtowardus.Thispowershiftallowsustoaffectthebuyingprocessandincreaseourabilitytoprotectourselvesfromhavingtopartwithourthinkingforfree,fromhavingtorespondtowastefulandinefficienttendersorrequestsforproposals(RFP),andtootherwisedevalueourownofferingorincreaseourcostofsale.

TheThreeStepsofPositioningPositioningisstrategyarticulatedandthenproven.Thesecomponentsofstrategy,languageandproofarelaidouthereasthethreestepswemusttaketobuilddeepexpertiseandmeaningfullydifferentiateourselvesfromothers:

Wemustchooseafocus

Thenarticulatethatfocusviaaconsistentclaimofexpertise

Andfinally,wemustworktoaddthemissingskills,capabilitiesandprocessesnecessarytosupportournewclaim.

Whatwecallpositioning,othersmoreseriousaboutthebusinessoftheircraftcallfundamentalbusinessstrategy.Thefirststep–focus–istoanswerthe

strategyquestionof“Whatbusinessarewein?”ChoosingthefocusforourfirmremainsTheDifficultBusinessDecision.Toooften,wedecidetonotdecideandso,inourminds,leaveopenthepossibilitythatwemaycontinuetodoallthingsforalltypesofclients.Increativefirmstheworldover–firmspopulatedandrunbycuriousproblemsolvers–theavoidanceofTheDifficultBusinessDecisionremainstherootcauseofmostbusinessdevelopmentproblems.

Wecaneasilycompletethesecondandthirdstepsofpositioningoncewehavesummonedtheboldnesstotacklethefirst.Forreasonshardwiredintothebrainofanartist,however,mostofusfailinthisvitalfirststep.

TheBenefitsofPositioningWecanmeasurethesuccessofourpositioningbygaugingourabilitytocommandtwothingssimultaneously:asalesadvantageandapricepremium.

ASalesAdvantage→Topossessasalesadvantagemeansthatwhenandwherewechoosetocompete,wewinmoreoftenthannot.

APricePremium→Tocommandapricepremiummeansthatwhenwewin,wedosonotbycuttingprice,butwhilechargingmore.

Winningwhilechargingmoreistheultimatebenefitandkeyindicatorofeffectivepositioning,forpriceelasticityistiedtotheavailabilityofsubstitutes.Themorealternativestoourfirm,thelesspowerwehavetocommandapremiumoverourcompetition.Ifwedonotwinwhilechargingmorethenitislikelyweareattemptingtorunabusinessofideasandadvicefromapositionofweakness;orwearetryingtocompeteoutsideofourareaoffocus;orwehaveavoidedTheDifficultBusinessDecisionaltogetherandhavechosen,bynotchoosingatall,torunabusinesswithoutafocusorafundamentalbusinessstrategy.

Control→Beyondthecombinedbenefitsofasalesadvantageandaprice

premium,positioningbringsuscontrolintheformofincreasedabilitytoguidetheengagement.Wearehiredforourexpertiseandnotourservice.Itisamistaketobelievethattheservicesectormantraof“Thecustomerisalwaysright”appliestous.Likeanyengagementofexpertise,weoftenenterintoourswiththeclientnottrulyknowingwhatheneeds,letalonerecognizingtheroutetoasolution.Forustodoourbestworkweneedtoleverageouroutsideperspective.Weneedtobeallowedtoleadtheengagement.Weneedtotakecontrol.

Ourabilitytocontroltheengagementdiminisheswithtime.Sometimeswelosecontrolslowlyandothertimesquickly,butwealwaysloseit.Itisimportant,therefore,thatweentertheengagementwithasmuchcontrolaspossible.Indeed,businessdevelopmentcanbeviewedasthepolitebattleforcontrol.Ifwedonotwinithere,beforewearehired,thereislittlepointinproceeding.

Itdoesnotcomeeasytoustoaskforcontrolwhenwehavelittlepowerintherelationship.Tojockeyforthepowerpositionseemsatoddswithourbeliefthatweshoulddemonstrateourenthusiasmforwinningthebusiness.Weareoptimistic,enthusiasticpeople,butitistimetoadmitthatourenthusiasmhasnotalwaysserveduswell.

WeAretheSumofOurChoicesWeareluckytodowhatwelove.Andwedeservetobeabletodoit.Butasbusinessownersweneedtoacceptthatlovingourcraftisnosubstituteformakingintelligentbusinessdecisions.PassionfordesigndoesnotgrantusdispensationfromfacingTheDifficultBusinessDecision.Oncewechoosetomakeourpassionourbusiness,wetakeonresponsibilitiestoourclients,familiesandemployees.Amongotherthings,thoseresponsibilitiesincludetheneedtogenerateaprofitaboveandbeyondthesalarieswepayourselves.Itisfromthisprofitthatwebuildstrengthandcreatemanyformsofpossibilitiesforourselvesandeveryoneinvolvedinourenterprise.

Whoamongus,whenfacedwiththequestion,“Wouldyouchoosetobeweakorstrong?”wouldchoosetobeweak?Wefacethischoiceonphysical,emotional,spiritual,financialandotherfronts.Wefaceitinourpersonallivesandinbusiness.Somechoosetobestrongbecausetheywishtoruleothers.Somechoosetobestrongbecausetheywishtohelpothers.Somechoosetobestrongbecausethey’veexperiencedthealternativeandneverwanttobeweakagain.Whatwechoosetodowithourstrengthisourdecision,butasbusinessownerswehaveanobligationtochooseandthentopursuethepathwehavechosen.Nooneconsciouslychoosestobeweak.Inbusiness,weaknessisoftenasymptomofnotmakingTheDifficultBusinessDecision.

TheCostofCreativityOneofthehallmarksofcreativityisafascinationwiththenewandthedifferent.Properlyharnessed,thisfascinationallowsustobringfreshthinkingtooldproblemsandensurethatourofferingstoourclientsarealwaysevolving.Un-harnessed,ourfirm-widedesireforthenewandthedifferentcanleadustoavoidTheDifficultBusinessDecision.Itcanserveasarationalefornothavingtochooseafocus,fornothavingtoeliminatecompetition.

Wecanchoosetoletourfascinationsandpassionsgounbridled.Wecanchoosetoremaina“fullservice”firmdoingallthingsforallpeople.Thislackofstrategywillmakeusrelevanttoeveryonewithmarketingorcommunicationneeds.Itwillindulgeourdesirestodosomethingdifferenteveryday,andtomakeeveryengagementdifferentfromthepreviousones.

Whenwemakethischoice,however,weinviteallkindsofundifferentiatedcompetitionaswellassomehighlydifferentiated,specializedcompetition.Weinvitenumerousalternativestohiringourfirmandweplacethepowersquarelywiththeclient.Inthiscompetitiveenvironmentwewillneverbetheexpertfirm,wewillnevercommandtherespectormarginwewant,andwewillneverbefreeofthepitch.

freeofthepitch.

Wemustrecognizethatasindividualsweareinclinedagainstthenarrowfocusthatdrivesdeepexpertise,butwemustalsorecognizethatourbusinessmusthavethisfocusifitistoprosper.Wemustseeourprotestations,rationalizationsandjustificationsfornotfacingTheDifficultBusinessDecisionforwhattheyare:excuses.Whilesomemakebusinesssuccesslookeasy,weknowthatthebestrewardsaretheonesforwhichwe’veworkedhardest.Ascreativepeoplerunningbusinesses,thedifficultyofdecidingwhatbusinessweareinismadeharderbyourinclinationtopreserveouroptions,topursuesomethingwe’veneverdonebefore,toreservetherighttodoitdifferentlynexttime.

TheParadoxofChoiceWestandinaroomfullofdoors.Ashighlycuriouspeople,wewanttoseewhatisbehindeverydoor.Thisisourdesireasartists–tosatisfyourcuriosityandsolvetheproblemswehaven’tpreviouslysolved.Onsomelevel,however,weknowthatifwearetodrasticallyreduceourcompetitionandbenefitfromtheresultingpowershift,wemustpickonedoor,walkthroughitandneverlookback.Ourpersonaldesireforvarietyissuddenlyplacedatoddswiththefundamentalneedofourbusinesstofocus.Isitpossible,however,thatontheothersideofthedoorwefacethereisnotonelonggrayhallway,notoneemptyboringroom,butmoredoors–morechoices?Isitpossiblethatwhatliesontheothersideofthedoorisnotthedeathofourcreativity,suretobesnuffedbyroutineandboredom,butjustenoughfocustoharnessthefullpotentialofourtalents?

Theanswer,ofcourse,isthatitispossible,butwewillneverknowforsureunlesswewalkthroughthedoorandcloseitbehindus.

FunandMoneyFunandmoneyhavelongbeenthetworeasonswegotoworkinthemorning.Ifwearehonestwithourselveswewilladmitthatinthebeginningitwasmostly

wearehonestwithourselveswewilladmitthatinthebeginningitwasmostlyaboutthefun.Weweredoingtheworkweloved.Othersvalidatedourexpertisebyactuallypayingusforit.Therewerelatenightsofsharedpurposewithcolleagues,everyonedoingwhatneededtobedonetowowtheclient.

Wewerekindredspiritsallwiththesamepassionforourcraft.Wecelebratedourwinstogetherandcommiseratedoverthelossestogether.Inthoseearlydaysthestudiowasmorecollegedormroomorrock‘n’rolltourbusthanplaceofcommercialenterprise.

Thensuddenly,itwasn’tfunanymore.Thosethatonceinspiredusbecameaburden.Employeesbecameoverhead.Thelatenightsweretoomuch.Somehowthemoneyandtherespectwehopedforneverfollowed.Themoney,especially.Foralongtimewewereindenialaboutthemoney.Wedidn’tneedit;wewerehavingfun.Then,whenwefacedourrealityanddecidedwedidneedmoney,wedidsogrudgingly.Now,we’retiredofhavingfunandwe’rewillingtoadmitwe’reinthis,atleastinpart,forthemoney.

Therearegreatercausesbywhichtoframeanenterprise,andtherearenoblermetricsbywhichtomeasurethevalueofeffort.Butwecannotescapethefactthatmoneyisbothanecessityinlifeandthemostbasicscorecardofsuccessinbusiness.Evenifitisnotthevalidationweseek,itisthemostbasicofteststhatwemustpass:Isthereaneedforoureffortsgreatenoughtosustainandnurturethem?

CourageThegoodnewsisthatthereisnofunlikemakingmoney,becausefinancialstrengthaffordsusallkindsofoptionsinourbusinessandpersonallives.ThepathtofinancialstrengthbeginswithfacingTheDifficultBusinessDecision.Therearesomeexceptionstotheproclamationthatwemustspecialize,butitisunlikelythatweareoneofthem.Untilwemakeabravedecision,successwilleludeusandwewilllookatthemarketandcomplainabouttheeconomyorthe

eludeusandwewilllookatthemarketandcomplainabouttheeconomyortheclients,allthewhileknowingthatitwasus.Theproblemhasalwaysbeenus,andourstrugglewithfocus.Weareattherootofourfree-pitchingproblemandwealonehavethepowertofreeourselvesfromthepitch.Theclientwillnotfreeus.Ourtradeassociationscandolittletohelpus.Ourcompetitionwillnotceasetogivetheirideasawayforfree.

Therevolutionwemustfightiswithin.Thereisnoenemy.Wearevictimsonlyofacreativemindthatmakeschoosingafocusmoredifficultforusthanmost.Alucrativefuturewhereourenterprisesustainsusandnourishesourcreativityiswithinourcontrol.Wemustsimplychoosetotakecontrol,firstbyspecializingandshiftingthepowerbackfromtheclienttowardus,andthenwecanbegintoshapeourfuture.

II

{TheSecondProclamation}

WeWillReplacePresentationsWithConversations

Wewillbreakfreeofouraddictiontothebigrevealandtheadrenalinerushthatcomesfromputtingourselvesinthewin-or-losesituationofthepresentation.Whenwepitch,weareinpartsatisfyingourcravingforthisadrenalinerush,andweunderstandthatuntilwebreakourselvesofthisaddictionwewillneverbefreeofthepitch.Presentation,likepitch,isawordthatwewillleavebehindasweseekconversationandcollaborationintheirplace.

Weinthecreativeprofessionsareaddictedtothepresentation.Wecravethesweatypalms,theincreasedheartrateandtheheightenedperceptionsthatcomefromstandingattheprecipice,addressingexpectantfacesandnotknowingwhetherourrevealwillelicittheapprovalandadulationwecraveortheuncomfortablesilenceoffailure.Itisthisnotknowing–thesoontobeheroorgoatsensation–thatpropelsus.Welovepresentingsomuchthatwearewillingtodoitforfree.Thisisthedirtylittlesecretofourprofession.

Wewillneverbefreeofthepitchifwedonotovercomeouraddictiontothepresentation.Henceforth,wemustworktoeliminatethebigreveal.

Toweanourselvesofouraddictionwemusttakethefirststepofchangingourbehaviourwithourexistingclients.Oncewehaveaccomplishedthis,thesecondstep–changingthewaywebehavewithprospectiveclientsinthebuyingcycle–becomespossible.Wewillexplorehowtotakethesetwosteps,butfirstletusexaminethehiddencostsofpitching.

PractitionerorPerformer?

PractitionerorPerformer?Evenwhenwepitchandwin,welose.Wedevaluewhatshouldbeourmostvaluableofferingandsetupthewrongdynamicsbetweentheclientandus.

Wemustmoveawayfromtheplacewheretheclientsitswitharmscrossedintheroleofjudge,andwetaketothestagewithsonganddanceintheroleofauditioningtalent.Whilebothpartiesfindtheshowmanshipofourcrafttitillating,thepractitioner’sisastrongerplacethanthatoftheperformer.Itisthispractitioner’spositionfromwhichwemuststrivetooperate.Practitionersdonotpresent.Starsdonotaudition.

PreservingtheSurpriseAsuccessfulpresentationrequiressurprise.Itdependsonabigrevealintheformofakeydiagnosticfinding,adramaticstrategicrecommendationoranovelcreativeconceptthatisatoddswithexpectationsorsetagainstabackdropofuncertainty.Preservingthesurpriserequiresustokeeptheclientatarm’slengthandletourknowledgepoolupbehindadamthatwillonlybeopenedatthepresentation.Whileweprotestagainsttheclient’sselectionprocessthatkeepsusatbayandasksustobegintosolvehisproblemwithoutpropercollaborationorcompensation,weoftenacquiesce,inpart,becausehisprocessallowsustomeetourneedtopresent.Inthismanner,weallow–orevendeliberatelycreate–anenvironmentthatleadstoahigherlikelihoodoffailureinordertopreservethedynamicsofthepresentation.

Atatimewhenweshouldbeconversing,weareinsteadcloisteredawaypreparingfortheone-wayconversationcalledthepresentation.Webehavethiswayinourengagementswithexistingclients,sowhenprospectiveclientsaskustobridgemassivecommunicationgapsbypresentingtotheminsteadoftalkingwiththem,itisonlynaturalforustoagree.

StepOne:ImprovingCollaborationwithExistingClients

ClientsMakingthebigrevealssmallandreducingourdependencyonthepresentationrequiresustoworkmorecloselywiththeclient.Thiscreatesachallenge:howtoinvitehiminwithoutallowinghimtodrive?Thisdelicatebalancingactofbringinghimcloserwithoutconcedingcontrolcanonlybeachievedwhenweestablishandcommunicatetherulesoftheengagement.Alas,anotherchallenge:we’veneverbeenfondofrules.

Whenwedonotclearlyspellouthowwewillworktogetherweleaveavoidthattheclientisquicktofill.Thusbeginstheerosionofthepowerweworkedsohardtoobtainbyfollowingthefirstproclamation.Natureabhorsavacuum.Ifwedonotdrivetheengagement,ofcoursetheclientwill.

Whenweestablishtherulesofcollaboration–tousefirstwithourclientsandthenwithourprospectiveclients–weensurethatallengagementsbeginwithbothpartiesunderstandinghowwewillworktogether.

TheRulesofCollaborationInourfirmwewilladoptthefollowingpoliciesthatwillallowustobringtheclientcloserwithoutsacrificingcontrol.

StrategyFirst→Wewillagreewiththeclientonthestrategybeforeanycreativedevelopmentbegins.Byincludingtheclientinourstrategicdevelopmentprocesses,wewillhelpensureweneverfindourselvespresentingcreativerootedinambiguousstrategies.Wewillnotdevelop,norsharewiththeclient,creativeofanykindbeforethechallengehasbeendiagnosedandthestrategyprescribedandagreedto.

ContinuousReferencetoStrategy→Immediatelypriortopresentinganycreative,wewillreviewtheagreeduponstrategywiththeclient.Inthiswaywekeepthediscussionaroundthecreativefocusedandmeasuredagainstthestrategy.Anytimewecomebacktotheclienttosharenewideasorconceptswe

willsetthestagefirstbyreviewing,onceagain,thestrategythatguidesus.

FreedomofExecution→Wewelcometheclient’sinputonthestrategyandinexchangeweaskhimtograntusthefreedomtoexplorevariouswaysofexecutingit.Thismeansweinvitehimtosay,“Thatblueisn’tboldenoughtodeliveronourcorevalueofstrength.”Butweexplainthatheisnotinvitedtosay,“Makeitdarker.”Suggestionsonthisfrontarealwayswelcome,butdictatesarenot.Wevalueourclients’insightintomarketingstrategy,butweneedthecreativefreedomtoexplorethedestinationsimpliedbythestrategy.Theclientmustultimatelyapproveofourrecommendations,andbesatisfiedwiththeoutcome,buthemustalsoletusexplorealongtheway.

FewerOptionsofBetterQuality→Whenwepresentcreativeoptionswewillstrivetolimitthemtoasfewaspractical.Thereisaninversecorrelationbetweenthequantityofcreativeoptionswepresenttotheclientandtheconfidencewehaveintheirquality.Whenwepresentoptionswewillrecognizeourobligationtorecommendoneovertheothers.Wewillbecarefulnottocedeourexpertisebyasking,“Whichonedoyoulike?”Wewilldirectalldiscussionsaroundthecreativebacktothestrategyandaskifweareaccomplishingourgoals.Itisanabdicationofourresponsibilityandourexpertpositionintherelationshiptoshareallofourendeavorswiththeclientandthenaskhimtochoose.

OnlyWePresentOurWork→Wheneverourdiagnosticfindings,strategicrecommendationsorcreativesolutionsarepresentedtoanyoneinourclientcompanies,itwillbepersonnelfromourfirmthatdoesso.Ourkeyclientcontactsmayassistus,butourworkdoesnotgetpresentedwithoutourinvolvement.Oneofthebenefitswebringtoourclientsistheadvantageofanoutsideperspective,onethatisnotsaddledwithperceptionsofbiasorahiddenagenda.Wewillnotallowproperguidancetobesacrificedatthealtarofcompanypolitics.

Ifwearetoreplacepresentationswithconversationandcollaboration,thiscombinedactofbringingtheclientcloserwhilecontinuingtoleadtheengagementisvital.

OurMisplacedFearofPolicies,RulesandRoutineSomeofuswillenforcetheaboverulesofcollaborationaspoliciesandotherswillviewthemmerelyashelpfulguidelines.Formanyofus,consideringadoptingpoliciesisakintoaclaustrophobicpersonconsideringenteringacoalmine.Oneofthecostsofcreativityistheabhorrenceofroutine–thedislikeofsystematicwaysofthinkingandbehaving.Thischaracteristicofourhardwiringthatcontributestoourcreativeproblem-solvingabilitieskeepsusfromestablishingpoliciesonhowwework.Itcausesustoperpetuatetheprocessvoid,thatbyimplication,weinvitetheclienttofill.

Whilewedislikeroutine,theclient–andultimately,anyconsistencyofsuccess–demandsit.Wemust,therefore,reconcileourselveswiththefactthatroutinewillbeimposed.Onceweacceptthiswecanfacethequestion,“Wouldweprefertohaveroutineimposedonus,orwouldweprefertobetheoneswhotaketheleadanddefinetherulesoftheengagement?”

Therewillcomeadaywhenwearehappytohearfromtheclient,“Ahhh,ofcourse!”insteadofthepreviouslydesired,“Oh–Iloveit!”Onthatdaywewillknowthatwehavebeenworkingcollaborativelyandwewillknowthatouraddictionisbehindus.Thenwecanworkonremovingthepresentationfromthebuyingcycle,takingusonestepclosertoeliminatingthepitch.

StepTwo:EliminatingBigRevealsintheBuyingCycleAtfirst,it’shardtocontemplatetheclienthiringuswithoutapresentation.Thepresentationseemslikeanaturalandnecessarystep,untilweponderthequestion:“Howwouldweconductourselvesinthemeetingifwewerenot

question:“Howwouldweconductourselvesinthemeetingifwewerenotallowedtopresent?”Withoutapresentation,allthatisleftisconversation–intermingledtalkingandlisteningun-separatedbyonepartyperformingfortheother.

Oncewedecidewewillnolongerpitchourideasforfree,whatisleftforustopresent?Credentials?Themostbasicinformationaboutourfirmalreadylistedonourwebsite?Surelywecanconveythesepointsinaconversation,withouttheneedofapodium,projectororprops.

Oncewehaveeliminatedourownneedtopresent,theonlyreasonslefttodosoaretheclient’s.Butonthis,theclientshallnothavehisway.Hemaynotrecognizeityet,butthepresentationservesneitherourinterestsnorhis.

Presentingisatoolofswaying,whileconversingisatoolofweighing.Throughtheformerwetrytoconvincepeopletohireus.Throughthelatterwetrytodetermineifbothpartieswouldbewellservedbyworkingtogether.

Thetoneofaconversation,inwhichbothpartiesendeavortomakeanhonestassessmentofthefitbetweenone’sneedandtheother’sexpertise,isentirelydifferentfromthetoneofapresentation,inwhichonepartytriestoconvincetheothertohireher.Presentationsbuildbuyingresistance;conversationslowerit.

FramedbyOurMission,WePursueOurObjectiveLet’sconsiderforaminutewhatwearetryingtoaccomplishinthebuyingcycle,inthismeetingwiththeprospectinwhichweonceplayedtheroleofpresenter.

Mission:Position→First,letusfocusonourbusinessdevelopmentmission–ourhighestcallingandpurpose.Ourmissionistopositionourselvesastheexpertpractitionerinthemindoftheprospectiveclient.Wemustresistthetemptationtosacrificeourmissionformoneyorothershort-termgains.Thismissionshouldguideeverythingwedointhebuy-sellrelationship.Itisa

contraventionofsuchamissiontotrytoswaysomeonetohireusthroughapresentation.Thissimpleideaisradicallyatoddswithwhatmostofushavebeentaught.Itisnotourjobtoconvincetheclienttohireusviapresentationoranyothermeans.Aswewillseeinthefourthproclamation,convincinghasnoplaceinselling.

Ifwehavefailedinthefirstproclamationandwehavenotsetourselvesapartfromthecompetition,thenwemayneverseethetruthinthesecond.Obtainingtheexpertpositionandreplacingpresentationswithconversationswillremainanunachievableideal.

Objective:DetermineFit→Whileourmissionistoposition,ourobjectiveateachandeveryinteractioninthebuyingcycleissimplytoseeifthereisafitbetweentheclient’sneedandourexpertisesuitableenoughtotakeanextstep.That’sit.Itisnotourobjectivetosell,convinceorpersuade.Itissimplytodetermineifthereexistsafitsuitableenoughtomeritanextstep.Ourmissionistoposition;ourobjectiveistodetermineafit.

Inacceptinganyinvitationtopresentinthebuyingcycle,wesacrificeourmissionandreducethelikelihoodofarrivingatourobjective.

Oncewehaveobtainedpowerthroughthesacrificeandhardworkoffollowingthefirstproclamation,why,forreasonsotherthanourownpersonalneedsandtheprofession’slongingrainedhabits,wouldwevoluntarilygiveupthatpowerthroughthesalespitchofthepresentation?

TheRolesThatWePlayThedynamicsoftherelationshipwiththeclientareshapedearly,beforehehiresus.Hereweestablishtherolethateachwillplaythroughouttheengagement.Mostselectionprocessessetupanauditionatmospherewhereonepartycommandsandtheothercomplies.Wemustneverallowourselvestobeplacedinthispresenter/complierrolewherethetermsandnextstepsoftherelationship

aredictatedtous.Ifweassumethislowlyrolethatisofferedtousearly,wewillneverbeabletoexchangeitfortheloftierexpertpractitionerrolethatisrequiredforustodoourbestwork.

Inthismanner,howwesellshapeswhatwesell.Itimpactsourlikelihoodofdeliveringahigh-qualityoutcomeanditaffectstheremunerationweareabletocommandforourwork.

Now,theTruthAboutPresentingAlas,youmayhaveguessedthatwewillneverbecompletelyfreeofthepresentation.Thatisnotthegoalofthis,thesecondproclamation.Thegoalistobefreeofourownneedtopresent.

Tobetrulyfreeofthepitchwemustchangethetoneofthesemeetingswithourprospectiveclientsandmovefromthepresenter/complierroletothatoftheexpertpractitioner.Thiswedoasadoctororlawyerwould,throughconversationandcollaborationandnotthroughpresentation.

III

{TheThirdProclamation}

WeWillDiagnoseBeforeWePrescribe

Wewilltakeseriouslyourprofessionalobligationtobeginatthebeginning,andwewillneverputourclientsorourselvesinthepositionwhereweareprescribingsolutionswithoutfirstfullydiagnosingtheclient’schallenge.

Therearefourphasesinourclientengagements:

Diagnosetheproblem/opportunity

Prescribeatherapy

Applythetherapy

Reapplythetherapyasnecessary

Whileitiscommonpracticeinthecreativeprofessionstoprescribesolutionswithoutfullyandaccuratelydiagnosingtheproblem,inalmosteveryotherprofessionsuchasequencewouldrendertheprofessionalliableformalpractice.Toooftenweareguiltyofthisflawedprocessandourclientsareguiltyoftryingtoimposesuchaprocessonusthroughthepitch.Weoweittoourselvesandourclientstostandfirmonthismostbasicofprofessionalpracticesandtoneveragreetobeginworkingonacreativesolutiontoaproblemthatwehavenotfullyexplored.

Inaprocessthatpitsmultiplefirmsagainsteachotherandaskseachtopresentsolutions,theclientdoesnothavethetimetoinvestinmeaningfuldiagnosticswiththemall.Soheabbreviatesthediagnosticphase;hedictatestheprocess,marginalizesitandproclaimsthathisself-diagnosisisvalidenoughforusto

proceed.

Buthowmanytimeshaveweproceededbasedontheclient’sself-diagnosisonlytodiscoverthatitwaswrong?Howmanytimeshastheclientcometousstating,“IneedX,”onlyforustodiscoverthatheneededY?

Itismorelikelythattheclient’sperspectivewillbewrong,oratleastincomplete,thanitisthatitwillbewholeandaccurate.Weknowthis.Doctorsknowthesameoftheirpatients.Lawyersandaccountantsknowthesameoftheirclients.Thecustomerisnotalwaysright.Morecorrectly,heusuallyhasstrongideasandastrongsensethatheisright,butislockedintoanarrowviewandweigheddownbyconstraintsthatseemtohimtobemoreimmutablethantheyreallyare.Whentheclientcomestousself-diagnosed,ourmindsetmustbethesameasthedoctorhearinghispatienttellhimwhattypeofsurgeryhewantsperformedbeforeanydiscussionofsymptomsordiagnoses.Ourreactionmustbe,“Youmaybecorrect,butlet’sfindoutforsure.”

ThePractitioner’sPerspectiveOneoftheadvantagestheoutsideexpertbringsisperspective.Andoneofthehallmarksofcreativityistheabilitytoseeproblemsdifferently,andthusfindsolutionsotherscannotsee.Tobringourperspectiveandproblem-solvingskillstobearwemustbeallowedtimeandfreedomtodiagnosetheclient’schallengesinourownmanner.Designisnotthesolution–itistheprocess.Wecannotbeeffective,responsibledesignersifweallowtheclienttoimposehisprocess,ortruncateorotherwisemarginalizeours.

Butletusnotplacealltheblameontheclient.Doctorsfaceself-diagnosedpatientsasoftenaswedo,butwearefarmorelikelytoproceedwithsuchaflawedapproachthananymedicalpractitioner.Welettheclientdictateanddrivethediagnosticprocess,usuallybecausewehavenotbotheredtounderstand,formalizeandexplainourown.Wehavenottakencontrolonthisissue.Wehavenotcorrelatedourlikelihoodofhigh-qualityoutcomesto

issue.Wehavenotcorrelatedourlikelihoodofhigh-qualityoutcomestoworkingfromadefinedandmeaningfuldiagnosticprocess.Wehavenotmadethiscaseinourownmindsandwehavenotmadeittotheclient.Sotheclientintervenesandfillsthevoidinourownworkingprocessbydecidinghowmuchinformationandaccesswewillbeallowedinthepitch.Lackingourownprocess,wehavelittlemeanstopushbackandargueforabetterway.

Toreversethetrendandliveuptoourprofessionalobligationtodiagnosefirst,wemustmapoutandformalizeourowndiagnosticprocess.Then,whenwearenextinasituationwheretheprospectiveclientisdictatingtous,wemustmakethecasethattheconsistencyofouroutcomesisrootedinthestrengthofourprocess,thereforewemustbeallowedtoemployit.

TheNatureofSuccessfulClientsInAesop’sfable“TheFrogandtheScorpion,”thelatterapproachestheformerattheriverbankandasksforarideacrossonthefrog’sback.Butthefrogisnotsostupidastoreadilyagreetothisfavor,forsurelyonceoutintheriverthescorpionwillstingandkillhim,asscorpionsdo.Thescorpionproteststhatitwouldbesillyforhimtokillhiscarrier,asitwouldensurehisowndeathfromdrowning.Thefrogseesthescorpion’slogicandagreestotheengagement.Onceinthemiddleoftheriverthescorpiondoesindeedstingthefrog,who,withhislastbreath,asksthescorpionwhyhehasjustkilledthemboth.Thescorpionrepliesthathecannothelphimself.Heisascorpionanditisinhisnaturetosting.

Thelessonhereisnotthatclientsarestingingscorpionsthatcannotbetrusted.Thelessonisthatthemostsuccessfulclients,whetherownersorexecutives,haveachievedtheirsuccessinpartbecauseoftheirabilitytotakecontrol–theirabilitytoriseaboveandorchestrateothers.Thisistheirstrength;andeventhoughitisnotalwaysintheirbestinterest,itisintheirnature.

Weareliable.Likethefrog,wearetheguiltypartywhenwelettheclient

controltheengagementanddictatetoushowwewillgoaboutunderstandinghisproblem.Justbecauseitisintheclient’snaturetolead,doesnotmeanheshouldbeallowedtodosoatalltimes.Itonlymeansthat,likethescorpion,hewillattempttodowhatitisinhisnaturetodo.

LearningFromOtherProfessionalsOtherprofessionalsdonotsuffernearlyasmuchasusinbeingdraggedintoengagementswheretheclientorpatienthasbeenallowedtodictatethediagnosticprocess.Interestingly,manyofushavediscoveredthattheseotherprofessionalsmaketheworstclients.Thereasontheyavoidtheproblemwedonot,andthencreateproblemsforuswhentheybecomeourclientsisthesame:theytakecontrol.Otherprofessionalsaretaughttodrivethediagnosticprocessorrisktheirprofessionalcredentials.Whentheybecometheclientinthepractitioner-clientrelationshiptheydowhattheyalwaysdo:theyattempttotakecontrol.Andweletthem.Theresultisusuallyanengagementgoneawry.

TheRootofBadEngagementsWhenwethinkbacknowonourworstclientexperienceswecanseethatmostofthemwererootedinthismistakeoflettingadominantclientdirecttheengagement,beginningwithaself-diagnosisthatwetookatfacevalue.Thinkingweareinthesamebusinessasretailclerks,somehowconvincedthatthereistruth,orevennobility,intheline,“Thecustomerisalwaysright,”wetookthemoneyanddidaswewereasked.

Whentheseengagementsgowrongwecannotunderstandhowtheclientcanpossiblyblameus.“Weonlydidasweweretold,”werationalize.Weseehimasdemandinganddifficult.Heseesusasirresponsibleorder-takersnotworththemoneyheispaying.Herespondswithmoreangrydemandsandagainwecomply,givinghimwhathewants.Thespiralcontinuesuntilfinallywepart,eachblamingtheother.

Ifdesigntrulyisaprocess,thenwewilldefineandguardthatprocessandwewillwalkawayfromthoseclientsandsituations,likethepitch,wheretheprocessisdictatedtous,orwhereweareotherwiseaskedtoproposesolutionswithoutaproperdiagnosis.

ThePoliteBattleforControlThecontrolthatweneedinordertodoourbestworkincludestheimperativetobringourownmethodologytotheengagement.Throughoutthebuyingcycleweareconstantlygaugingwhetherornottheclientrecognizesandvaluesourexpertisetotheextentthatheiswillingtograntusthiscontrol.Doesheseeusastheexpertwhomeritsthereinsoftheengagement,ordoesheseeusastheorder-takersupplierthatneedstobedirected?

Possessingourownformalizeddiagnosticmethods,whethertheyareproprietarytousornot,goesalongwaytoourpositioninginthismatter.Likeanyothercompetentprofessional,itisreasonabletoexpectthatifweaddresssimilarproblemsonaregularbasisthenwewouldhaveaformalizedwayofbeginningtheengagement.Itfollowsthatwewoulddemandtobeallowedtofollowourownprocessandnotreadilyagreetouseonedevelopedbytheclientorhisprocurementpeople.Italsofollowsthatwhenaclientcomestousself-diagnosed,wewouldfeelthesamesenseofobligationtovalidatethatself-diagnosisasanyotherprofessionalwould.

Agoodclientwillbegintorelinquishcontroloncehehastheconfidencethattheexpertpractitionerknowsmorethanhedoes,orhasthetoolstolearnmore.Formalizeddiagnosticprocessesaresuchtools.

Fromhereforwardwewillviewtheactofprescriptionwithoutdiagnosisforwhatitis:malpractice.Wewillasserttheprofessional’sobligationtobeginatthebeginningandwalkawayfromthosethatwouldhaveusproceedbasedonguessesorun-validatedself-diagnoses.

IV

{TheFourthProclamation}

WeWillRethinkWhatitMeanstoSell

Wewillacknowledgethatourfearandmisunderstandingofsellinghascontributedtoourpreferenceforthepitch.Wewillembracesalesasabasicbusinessfunctionthatcannotbeavoidedandsowewilllearntodoitproperly,asrespectfulfacilitators.

Itistimeforustoaddressourfearandmisunderstandingofthebasicbusinessfunctionofselling.Werecoilfromthe“s”wordbecauseweseesellingasthedistastefulactoftalkingothersintothings.Weseeitastheactofpersuasion.Andwhilewearecomfortablewithourroleaspersuadersinamarketingsense–puttingourclients’messagesinfrontofgroupsoftheirdesiredcustomers–webristleatsuchpersuasionintheintimatesettingofsales,wheretheinteractionismorehumanandtheproductwearesellingisus.

Ifweareanygoodatwhatwedo,webelieve,thenweshouldnothavetotalkpeopleintohiringus.

ATaleofTwoSalespeopleWehaveallbeenthecustomerinsituationswheretheproductorservicewewerepresentedwithwasnotthebestchoiceforus.Insomeofthesesituationswewereaidedbytherespectful,consideratesalespersonwhoalsosawthepoorfitbetweenourneedsandhisproductandso,appropriately,steeredusaway.Butitisnotthissalespersonthatwerememberwhenweconsiderthenecessityofsellingourownservices.Forwehavealsobeeninthesesituations,butaidedbyanothersalesperson–thepersonforwhomthetransactionwasallabouthimandhisneedtosellushisproduct.Thissecondsalesmansalliedforth,intenton

gettingthesale,leavingusfeelingviolatedandangry.

Perhapsthemotivationofthissecondsalespersonwasrootedwithinhisforcefulpersonality.Maybehisincentiveswerealignedsolelytoselltousratherthantohelpus.Maybehewasavictimofpoortraining,sufferingfromamisunderstandingofwhatitmeanstosell.Butitisthissecondsalesperson–theoneateaseinthediscomfortandadversityhecreated–thatweconjureupwhenitistimeforustosell.

TheTwoFunctionsofBusinessMakingthingsandsellingthingsarethetwobasicfunctionsinbusiness.Forourbusinesstosucceedwemustsucceedatboth.

Itistruethatifweareexceptionalatthefirstwemayexperiencetimesinthelifeofourbusinesswheremerelybeingadequateatthesecondwillcarryus,butovertimeallthingswillreverttothemean.Nomatterhowgoodwearetherewillbetimeswhenwearerequiredtosell.Wecanwishthisaway,wecancontinuetoavoidit,wecanhidebehindthepitchandkidourselvesthatasmarketerswearetakingamorenoblepathtothesamegoal;butthetruthisthatuntilweembracethefactthatwearesalespeopletoo,andwelearntomasterthiscraftaswell,wewillnotachievethesuccessthatwedesire.Wecannotbeinbusinesswithoutembracingselling.Wemust,therefore,overcomethestereotypesandlearntodoitproperly–professionally.

Here,too,thepitchhasnotserveduswell.Wehaveuseditasatooltoavoidselling.Aspainfulasitmaybetogiveourthinkingawayforfreeandtoactlikepuppetsintheclient-drivenbuyingcycle,sometimesitisfareasiertosuffertheignominythatatleastallowsustopracticeourcraft(evenifforfree)thantoconjureupthesleazysalespersonandtrytotalksomeoneintohiringus.

Salesperson:FacilitatorofNextStepsThegoodnewsisthatselling,whendoneproperly,hasnothingtodowith

Thegoodnewsisthatselling,whendoneproperly,hasnothingtodowithpersuading.Itisnotourjobtotalkpeopleintothings.Thefirstsalespersonhaditright:sellingisaboutdeterminingafitbetweenthebuyer’sneedandtheseller’ssupply(ourveryobjective)andthenfacilitatinganextstep.Sometimesthepropernextstepistopartways,sendingtheclientontoanotherproviderwhoisbetterabletoservehim.

Wemightarguethatthehigh-pressuresalespersonisgoingtosellmorestereosthantherespectfulfacilitator,butitisnotstereosthatwesell.Wesellideasandadvice–theverycontentsofourheads–andsohowwesellimpactswhatweareabletodeliver.Wecannotdisappearimmediatelyafterthetransactionisconcluded,andleavetheclienttowallowinhisbuyer’sremorse.Aftertheclose,ourclientsarestuckwithusforalongtime.

Yes,wemustsell.Butthereisonlyonewaywecanaffordtosell:thewayoftherespectfulfacilitator.

Letusthinkforaminuteonhowdifficulttherespectfulapproachisifwehavenotfollowedthefirstproclamation(Wewillspecialize).Ifwehavenotspecializedandsetourselvesapartfromourcompetitioninameaningfulwaythenallwehaveleftisconvincing.Convinceorpitch:thesearetheoptionsoftheundifferentiatedfirm.

ANewModelforSellingWehavealreadyestablishedthatourobjectiveineachandeverybusinessdevelopmentinteractionistodetermineifthefitbetweentheclient’sneedandourexpertiseissuitableenoughtotakeanextstep.Thisinitselfimpliesthesubsequentjobofdeterminingandthenfacilitatingthatnextstep.Let’sexploreanewmodelfordoingso.

Propersellingcanbedistilledintothreesteps,basedontheclient’splaceinthebuyingcycle.Thesethreestepsreplacetheartofpersuasion.

Tosellisto:

Helptheunaware

Inspiretheinterested

Reassurethosewhohaveformedintent

Thefirstthingwemustunderstandifwearetoapproachsellingproperlyandrespectfullyisthattheclient’smotivation,andbynecessity,ourroleassalesperson,evolvesasheprogressesthroughthebuyingcycle.Hemovesfromunawareofhisproblemoropportunity,tobeinginterestedinconsideringtheopportunity,andfinally,tointentonactingonit.Asheprogressesinthismanner,ourrolemustchangefromoneofhelping,toinspiring,andultimatelytoreassuring.

BuyingisChangingThepsychologyofbuyingisthepsychologyofchanging.Selling,therefore,ischangemanagement.Theverybestsalespeoplearerespectful,selectivefacilitatorsofchange.Theyhelppeoplemoveforwardtosolvetheirproblemsandcapitalizeontheiropportunities.Theresttalkpeopleintothings.

Thenextstepsinthismodeloffacilitatingchangearedrivenbytheclient’sneedtomoveforwardtosolvehisproblem,notbywhatweassalespeoplehaveorhavenotdone.Themodeldoesnotask,“Haveweobtainedameeting?”Itdoesn’task,“Havewepresentedaproposal?”Thefocusisontheclientandwhetherornothehasrecognizedandbegunactingonhisneed.

StepOne:HelpingtheUnawareWhenweencounteraclientwhoisunawareofanyproblemoropportunitythatwouldrequireourservices,whatdoourreflexesorprevioustrainingtellustodo?Convertthenointoayes?Trytoobtainameetinginordertoattempttheconversioninperson?

conversioninperson?

Ifwearenarrowlyfocusedexpertsthenweshouldbeabletosuccinctlyarticulateourexpertise,andconciselydescribetotheclientwhowehelpandhow,overthephone.Torequestameetingaftertheclienthastoldushedoesnotseeafitistoadmitthata)weneedmoretimewithhimtoexplainwhatwedobecausewehaven’tbeenabletocaptureandcommunicateitsuccinctly,orb)we’relookingtotalkhimintosomething.

Thatiswhy,whenwefindourselvessaying,“I’mgoingtobeintheareaandI’dliketocomebytoseeyou…”wecringeatthewordscomingoutofourmouths.Suchbehaviorcreatesbuyingresistancethatwewillhavetoovercomelaterintherelationship.Itcausesustosacrificeourmission(topositionourselvesasexperts),anditcreatesthedynamicsforanexpensivesalethatwillseeuspoorlypositionedtoleadtheengagementoncehired.

No–forthisfutureclient,wemusttakethelongroadofhelpinghim,overtime,toseethatperhapshedoeshaveaproblem.Wedothisprimarilythroughthedisseminationofourthoughtleadership–ourwritingsonourareaofexpertise.

RealThoughtLeadershipOvertime,truethoughtleadershippositionsusasexpertsinourfieldandcreatestheopportunityforsomeofourthinkingtotriggerintheclienttheideathatperhapshisperformanceinacertainareacouldbeimproved.

Theroleofourthoughtleadershipistoeducate,nottopersuade.Thefutureclientshouldbesmarterforreadingit,weshouldbesmarterforwritingit,and,oneday,whentheclientdoesexperienceaprobleminanareaonwhichwe’vewritten,ourguidancemaybehelpfultohiminseeingtheopportunitywithinhisproblem.Untilthatday,wecontinuetocementourpositionasleadersinourfieldthroughourwriting.Expertswrite.

Whenwesitdowntowriteaboutourareaofexpertisewewillbeconfrontedquicklywithanassessmentofoursuccessinfollowingthefirstproclamation.Areweaddingtothemillionsofwordsthatalreadyexistonasubject?Areweretreadingwell-wornground?(e.g.:Abrandisapromise,or,Isyourbrandauthentic?)Or,arewedelvingdeeplyintomeaningfulsubjectsforwisdomthattrulyhelps?

Writingourwayforwardisalong-termapproachthatrequiresthepatienceofafarmerversusthatofahunter.Butitistheonlyeffective,respectfulwaywiththeclientwhosaysnoanddoesnotseethefitbetweenhisneedandourexpertise.

Wecanbuildabusinesswithenoughpeoplesayingnotouseveryweek,providedmanyofthemagreetosubscribetoourthoughtleadershipandwearediligentaboutfuturefollow-up.

StepTwo:InspiringtheInterestedTheunawarefutureclientsitsathisdeskreadingourthoughtleadershiponanemergingmedia,technologyorschoolofthoughtrelativetohisbusiness.Hisawarenessgrows,andhebeginstoseethathisorganizationislagginginthisarea.Heassesseshissituation.Hebeginstogathermoreinformation.Heconsidersthediscomfortoffallingbehind.Helookstothefutureandnowimaginesthebenefitsofbeingoutfront.Heconsiderstherisksoftakingaction,weighingtheprosandcons.Heisinterestedintheopportunityinfrontofhimbutnotyetintentontakingaction.

Theinterestedfutureclientlooksforinspirationtomoveforward.Thisiswhereweascreativepeopleexcel.Weareamonghumankind’smostnaturalinspirers.Ourworkisinspirational.Ourskillincommandingandleadingaroomisinspirational.Ourabilitytocomeatproblemsfrompreviouslyunconsideredanglesandourpassionforsolvingtheproblemnotyetsolvedarebothinspirational.Weexcelhere,ininspiringtheinterested.

inspirational.Weexcelhere,ininspiringtheinterested.

Letusbeclear:ourgoalwithsuchaprospectistoinspirehimtoformtheintenttosolvehisproblem;itisnottoinspirehimtohireus.Atthisstage,hiringusisbutapossiblefutureconsequenceofhisdecidingtotakeaction.Ourfocusneedstoremainontheclient,helpinghimtofacilitatethechangeinhimselfthatheisconsidering.

FormsofInspirationOurportfoliosareourbesttoolsofinspiration.Theyshowtheclientwhatcouldbe.Theyshowhimwhatothershavedone.Ourexamplesofourbestworkpaintthepictureofthebeautifulworldontheothersideofhispain.Inspirationistheprimaryroleofourwebsite,ourbrochure,oursalescollateralandourin-personportfolioreview.Itneednotevenbeourownworkthatweshowheretoinspiretheinterested,justinspirationaloutcomes.

MisusingInspirationLikeanyone,weplaytoourstrengths.And,likeanyone,ourstrengthsbecomeourweaknesseswhenwegotothemtoooften.

Whenwegetaheadofourselvesandattempttoinspiretheunaware,wecreatebuyingresistanceandsetupthewrongdynamics.Tryingtoinspiresomeonewhodoesnotrecognizethathehasaproblemisarecipefordefensivenessandresentment.Inspirationissomethingwemustsavefortheinterested.

StepThree:ReassuringtheIntentTheinterestedprospectiveclientsitsacrossfromusand,throughourportfolio,viewsexamplesoforganizationsthathavemasteredthechallengeheisnowconsidering.Throughourexamplesandourconversation,hebeginstoenvisionafutureofwonderfulpossibilities.Inspiredbywhathiscompanycouldbecome,hesummonstheresolvetocommittosolvinghisproblem.Inthismomenthesaystohimself,quietly,“I’mgoingtodothis.”Hisarrivalatthedecision

saystohimself,quietly,“I’mgoingtodothis.”Hisarrivalatthedecisiontriggersachangeinbrainchemistrythatbringsaeuphoriclift;thebiggerthedecision,thehigherthelift.

Heturnstous,excitedandgratefulforthestrengthwehavegiventomoveforward,andsays,“Thisisfantastic!Thisiswhatweneed!Youpeoplearegreat!I’llgetbacktoyou.”Andhemeansit.Hetrulymeansit.

TheEmergenceofDoubtOurmistakeisinthinkingthisisthelaststep.Itisnot.Whatgoesupmustcomedown.Afteronlyafewhours,theclient’seuphoriawearsoffandheslipsintoahangoverofdoubtcalledbuyer’sremorse.Nowhequestionseverything,includinghisdecisiontomoveforward.Heconsidersallthethingsthatcouldgowrong,allthereasonswhythismightnotmakesense.

Asnaturalinspirers,ourtendencyistodoexactlytheoppositeofwhatisrequiredatthismoment.Playingtoourstrengths,weleantowardsinspirationonceagainatatimewhenweshouldreassure.

Itisnotinthenatureofmostcreativepeopletoofferthereassurancetheclientseekshere.Wetendtowardexcitementatatimewhenherequirescalm.Wespeakofanorganicapproachtoproblemsolvingwhentheclientwouldbesoothedbythelogicandconsistencyofhearingaboutourdefinedapproach.Wecontinuetotalkbig-picturewhentheclientnowneedstoprocesssequentiallyandseekstounderstandwhatthestepsarethatwewouldtaketogether.Heasksquestionsofthesmallestdetail–questionsthatseemmeaninglessandevenoddtous,butareoftheutmostimportancetohiminhisquestforassurancethatheisnotabouttomakeasignificantmistake.

AlternativeFormsofReassuranceClosing–thelaststepinthebuyingcycle–isallaboutreassuring.Letusrememberthatwhenafutureclienthasformedintentandasksusforawritten

proposalcontainingfreerecommendationsorspeculativecreative,hisprimarymotivationisfearofmakingamistake.Ifwecankeepthisinmindandlookpasthisrequesttohisunderlyingmotivation,thenmaybewecanfindotherwaystoofferthereassuranceheseeks.Mostcreativefirmstaketheserequestsatfacevalueandsimplycomply.WinWithoutPitchingfirmsofferalternativewaysforward.Phasedengagements,pilotprojects,money-backguaranteesandcasestudiesframedindefinedmethodologiesareamongthemanyviablealternativeformsofreassurance.Thekeyistorespondtothemotivationandnotnecessarilytherequest.

TheFourPrioritiesofWinningNewBusinessTofollowthetwelveproclamationsandWinWithoutPitchingdoesnotmeanthatwemustalwayshaveourway.Itisnotourgoaltoreplacetheclient’srigidandoftenridiculousselectionprocesswithoneofequalrigidityandabsurdity.Letusbeguidedbythefollowinghierarchyoffourprioritiesofwinningnewbusinessthatwillensurewedonotbecomeoverlyrigidinourapproach.Thegoalistowin.Thepreferredmeansistonotpitch.Afirmthatdoesnotwinwillnotlast.

TheFirstPriority:WinWithoutPitchingWefirststrivetosecurethebusinessbeforeitgetstoadefined,competitiveselectionprocessinwhichwearepittedagainstourpeersandaskedtogiveourthinkingawayforfree.Thisiseasiestwhentheclientseesusastheexpertandreachesouttousfirst.Itisalsoeasierwhenwereachouttotheclientatatimeearlyinthebuyingcycle,whenheisunawareofanyneed;andwestaywithhimasheprogressesthroughthebuyingcycle,atfirsthelpingovertime,theninspiringwhenappropriate,andfinally,reassuringattheend.

ToWinWithoutPitchingistheideal,butitisnotalwayspossible.

TheSecondPriority:DerailthePitch

Weoftendonotbecomeawareofopportunitiesuntillateinthebuyingcycle–whentheclienthasalreadyformedintent,hasalreadyputaselectionprocessinplaceandhasreachedouttonumerousfirms.Intheseexamplesourpriorityistoderailthepitch–togettheclienttoputhisprocessasideandtakeanalternativefirststepwithus.Thetwelveproclamationsofferguidanceontheprinciplesofderailingthepitch.

TheThirdPriority:GainTheInsideTrackTherewillbetimeswhen,tryaswemight,wecannotderailtheclient’sselectionprocess.Someorganizations’policiesaretoostrong.Someclientsaretoounwilling–evenwhentheydorecognizeandvalueourexpertise.Intheseexamples,weapplythesameprincipleslaidouthere,butourpriorityisnowtogetanedgeoverthecompetitionwithintheprocess.

Whenwedochoosetoparticipateintheclient-directedselectionprocessweshoulddosowiththeperspectivethateverycompetitivebidprocesshasapreferredoption.Somebodyalmostalwayshasinsideinformationoraccesstohard-to-reachdecisionmakers.Sometimestheoutcomeispredeterminedandtheprocessisbutaveiloflegitimacy.Ourdefaultassumptionshouldbethatsomebodyalwayshastheinsidetrack.IfwecannotWinWithoutPitching,ifwecannotderailthepitch,thenweendeavortobetheoneontheinsidetrack.Webegintoparticipateintheprocessbutdosowhileconstantlygaugingwhethertheclientrecognizesandvaluesourexpertise.Weaskforconcessions.Weaskforaccesstodecisionmakers.Wenegotiatewhatwewillandwillnotwriteinaproposalorshowinapresentation.Wemeasuretheclient’swords,butmoreimportantly,hisbehavior–hiswillingnesstotreatusdifferently–andifhegrantsustheinsidetrack,thenitmaymakesenseforustoproceed.

TheFourthPriority:WalkAwayInthesixthproclamation(Wewillbeselective)wewilldiscusstheneedtowalkaway.Therewillbemanytimeswhenitmakessensetodoso;butforthose

prospectsthatwouldotherwisemeettheparametersofclientswecanbesthelp,walkingawayisthefourthpriority.WewalkawaywhenwecannotWinWithoutPitching,whenwecannotderailthepitchandwhenweareunabletogaintheinsidetrack.Goodprospectiveclientswhorecognizeandvalueourexpertisewillgrantusoneoftheabove.Theothersarenotworthsacrificingourmissiononinalong-shotattempttoout-pitchothers,oneofwhomalmostcertainlyhasgainedtheinsidetrackaheadofus.

WeAreSalespeopleNowInfollowingthisfourthproclamation,wewillembracesalesasoneofthetwobasicbusinessfunctions,andwewillgoaboutthisfunctioninthemanneroftherespectfulfacilitator.Wewilllookforthosethatwecanbesthelp.Wewillseekoutthosethatseeafitbetweentheirneedsandourexpertiseandwhoarewillingtoletusleadtheengagement.Andthenwewillfacilitatetheappropriatenextsteps:wewillhelptheunaware,wewillinspiretheinterestedandwewillreassuretheintent.Withthislastgroup,wewilllookbeyondtheirrequestsforproposalsandfreethinkingtothemotivationsbehindthem,andwewillsuggestalternativewaysforward.ThosethatseeusasexpertswillgrantusatleastsomeoftheconcessionsweseekandallowustoWinWithoutPitching,toderailthepitchortogaintheinsidetrack.Fromtherest,wewillwalkaway.

V

{TheFifthProclamation}

WeWillDoWithWordsWhatWeUsedtoDoWithPaper

Wewillunderstandthattheproposalisthewordsthatcomeoutofourmouthsandthatwrittendocumentationofthesewordsisacontract–anitemthatwecreateonlyonceanagreementhasbeenreached.Wewillexamineallthereasonsweask,andareasked,towriteunpaidproposalsandwewillneveragainaskdocumentstoproposeforuswhatweourselvesshouldpropose.

Whenwelookbackattheproposalswehavewrittenandweconsidertheengagementswehavewon,wecaneasilyconcludethatitwasrarelythewrittendocumentthatsecuredthebusiness.Thoseengagementswewonweretheonesforwhichwewerebestsuited.Thesuitabilityofthefitwasapparenttobothpartiesthroughouttheconversationsinthebuyingcycle.Thewrittendocumentdidlittletoswaythedecision.

Justasweareleavingbehindthepitch,thepresentationandpersuasion,sotooareweabandoningthewrittenproposalandtherebyfreeingupthedozensorevenhundredsofhourswepreviouslydevotedtoiteveryyear.

Wehavelongbeenconditionedtothinkthatthewrittenproposalisanecessarystepinthebuyingcycle.Itisnot.

Thedocumentthatwewriteisthecontract.Itservesaspublicverificationofanagreementwehavealreadyformedwiththeclientinconversation.Theagreementisanoralunderstandingthatcoversthescopeofwork,timeframe,budgetandthebasictermsoftheengagement.Whiletheagreementmaybe

subjecttominordetails,alloftheseissuesareaddressedinconversationfirst.Thepaperisproducedonlyoncetheagreementhasbeenreached.

OverinvestingCreatesBuyingResistanceThebuyingresistancethatweengenderintheclientispartlyaresultoftheobviousinvestmentwehavemadeinthesale.Whenwespendhoursonalengthywrittenproposal,onethatdiagnosesandprescribesforfree,itsendsthemessagethatweneedtheclient’sbusiness.Weclearlyimplytohimthathehasthepowerintherelationship.Beyondgivinghimtheupperhand,wealsomakeitdifficultforhimtobehonestwithus.Let’sfaceit,Noisthesecondbestanswerwecanhear.Iftheclientdoesnotseeafitbetweenhisneedandourexpertise,wewanttohearsoasearlyinthebuyingcycleaspossible.Themoreheavilyinvestedweappeartobeinthesale,thelesslikelytheclientwilltelluswhatheisreallythinking.Whenhethinkswecannotbeartohearno,hewillsimplystallordeferordeliverastringofmaybes.Mostofthetime,hewilldosobehindtheshieldofarequestforawrittenproposal.

Wewanttooperatefromthepractitioner’spositionwherewehavenotoverinvestedinthesale,wherewearenottryingtotalktheclientintohiringus,andwhereweinvitehimtosaynoearlyandoften.Inthisenvironment,thereisnoroomforthewrittenproposal,which,likethepresentation,isatoolofswaying.

WhytheClientAsksforaProposalEvenatfirstreading,thelogicofthisproclamation(Wewilldowithwordswhatweusedtodowithpaper)seemsobvious,almostirrefutable.Thisstraightforwardapproachofusingconversationratherthanwritingtodetermineafitmakesperfectsenseforbothparties,butitisrarelypracticedinthecreativeprofessions.Thewrittenproposalisthenormandnottheexception.

Letusexplorethemanyreasonswhytheclientasksforawrittenproposaland

seehowmanyofthemarevalid.

ToKeeptheHordesatBayTheover-supplyofundifferentiatedcreativefirmshasnecessitatedaprocessthatkeepstheclientfrombeingoverwhelmed.Heusesthewrittenproposalasatooltohelphim.Itallowshimtokeepthemassesatarm’slengthandstillgivehimsomethinguponwhichtodetermineanextstep.Ifwehavesucceededinfollowingthefirstproclamationandwehavebuiltanobviousspecializedexpertise,thenwemakeiteasierfortheclienttoletusin.Otherwise,hewillusethewrittenproposaltokeepusout.

Wemustembracethechallengeimpliedbytherequestforproposal(RFP).IfweseetheRFPasatoolforkeepingundifferentiatedfirmsatarm'slength,thenwewilltakeupthechallengetobreakthroughtheproposalprocessandgainvalidationthattheclientdoesindeedrecognizeandvalueourexpertise.Whenhedoesnot,hewillusetheproposal,anditssupportingselectionprocess,asameansofmaintainingdistance.Thebetterclients,whentheydorecognizeexpertise,willcrackopenthefaçadeoftheproposalprocessandagreetoaproperconversation.Thequestionisoneofmerit:istheexpertiseofourfirmdeservingofsuchaccess?

Thischallengeaidsusindeterminingveryearlyintheprocesswhetherornottheopportunityisworthpursuing.Foriftheclientdoesnotrecognizeandvalueourexpertisethenwehavefailed–failedtobuildtrueexpertise,failedtodemonstratethatexpertiseorfailedbypursuinganopportunitythatisnotproperlyalignedwithourexpertise.Inmostofthesecasesitisappropriateforustoretreat.Wecandosowithouthavingoverinvestedintheopportunity.Wecandosowithourintegrityintactandwithpossiblefuturebusinessopportunitiespreserved.

ToCompareInsortingthroughmanysimilarfirms,theclientseekstogridouttheirlikenesses

Insortingthroughmanysimilarfirms,theclientseekstogridouttheirlikenessesanddifferences.Undifferentiatedfirmsgladlyparticipateinthisprocess.Bynotfollowingthefirstproclamation,thesebusinessesoperatefrompositionsoflittlepower.Thus,alltheycanhopeforistowinbasedonservice(asdemonstratedbycompliancetotheclient’sprocess),personality,price,orbybeginningtosolvetheclient’sproblemwithintheproposal.Theprocessitselfisanexerciseinhomogenizationthatreduceseachfirmtosamplesofitswork,ill-informedguessesatpossiblestrategiesandhourlyrates.Truedifferencesdonotshinethroughinwrittenproposals.

Ifwearepomegranatesthenwewillresistbeingpushedintoaprocessdesignedtocompareapplestoapples.

ToMeasureValueValue=Quality/Price.Theclient’schallengeindeterminingthevalueofourservicesisthatthequalityofanideanotyetdeliveredisdifficulttomeasure.Thisleaveshimwithtwooptions:hecanover-weightthedecisiontowardthatwhichhecanmeasure(price),orhecanaskustodelivertheidea(forfree)inanefforttodetermineitsquality.

Byfollowingthethirdproclamation(Wewilldiagnosebeforeweprescribe)wedemonstratethatourabilitytodoourbestworkisrootedinthestrengthofourdiagnosticandstrategicdevelopmentprocesses.Aclientaskingforunpaidideasinawrittenproposalislikeapatientaskingforadiagnosisandprescriptionfromadoctorherefusestovisitorpay.

Theflawsoftheproposalprocessareonemorereasonwemustseetherequestforaproposalasachallengetobemet.Eitherweleveragethepowergainedbyourexpertisetoimpacttheclient’sprocessandreplacetheproposalandaccompanyingpresentationwithconversation,orwewalkawayandleavethisclienttoanotherfirm.

ToGainInspiration

ToGainInspirationThemostcommon,andcostly,businessdevelopmentmistakesharedbycreativefirmsaroundtheworldisthatofmistakinginterestforintent.

Clientsoftenaskcreativefirmsforproposalsbeforetheirintenttoactontheirproblemhasbeenformed.Inthesesituationswemustrecognizethatwhiletheclientissimplyseekingtheinspirationtohelpmovehimforward,sendingusawaytowriteisnotlikelytoachieveit.Wemustlearntomeasuretheclient’sintent;ifhisdecisiontoactonhisopportunityhasnotyetbeenanchoredtoafuturedateorevent(adecentindicatorofintent),thenthewrittenproposalisnotthetooltohelppropelhimforward.Iftheengagementhasnotyetmovedfromhiswishlisttohisto-dolist,thenitisstillinspirationheseeks.

Wearebetteroffinthesecasesexploringourpreviousworkforexamplesofinspiration,orexaminingwithhimhiscompetitor’sworkorotherbestpracticesfromfurtherafield.Sometimessuchexplorationsmeritasmallpaiddiscoveryengagement,andsometimestheyaremerelypartoftheconversationsinthebuyingcycle;butwemustnotmistaketheseekingofinspirationforthewilltomoveforward.

ToStallSometimestheanswerisno.Sometimestheanswerisprobablynot.Andifthisiswhattheclientisreallythinking,thenthisiswhatweshouldbekeenandabletohear.Butwhenwepushtoohard–whenwepitch,presentandinvestinawrittenproposal–weoftenmakeitdifficultfortheclienttobehonestwithus.Inthesecaseshewillusethewrittenproposalanditssupportingprocesstonotsayanythingtouswhenhereallywouldliketosayno.Iftheanswerisno,wewanttohearit;therefore,wewanttomakeiteasyfortheclienttosayit.Itservesneitherofuswhenwelobawrittenproposaloverthefenceandwaitpatientlyforareply.

ToShopAroundforaBetterPrice

ToShopAroundforaBetterPriceWeareundernoobligationtoprovidetheclientwithareferenceofservices,processandpricejustsothathecanfindsomeoneelsetodowhatwewoulddo,thewaywewoulddoit,butcheaper.Resipsaloquitur.

RFPR.I.P.Ofallthereasonsthataclientmightaskforawrittenproposal,nonecanwithstandthestrongerlogicofhavingaconversationwithanexpertoffewequals.Whenwefailtomakethiscasethenwemustunderstandthatwehavefailedinsettingourselvesapartfromthecompetition,orwehavecreatedbuyingresistancethroughourneedtopresentorpersuade.Whenwefollowtheearlierproclamations,wemakefollowingthisfifthonepossible;andinthiswaywecontinuetomarchfromorder-takertoexpert,onestepatatime.

GettingPaidtoWriteProposalsOneofournewmantrasthatwewillrepeattoourselvesandourpotentialclientsis:Wedonotbegintosolveourclients’problemsbeforeweareengaged.

Manytimes,theclient’ssituation,ortheprobablesolutions,aresocomplexortechnicalthatweneedtobetterunderstandthechallengesifwearetoproposeandquantifyresponsiblesolutions.Suchengagementsdemandthatwebeginourdiagnosticworkinordertopresentaplan.Butletusnotmakethemistakeofdoingthisdiagnosticworkforfree.No–understandinganddiagnosingtheclient’ssituationisvitaltothesuccessofanyengagement,anditisourworkhereattheveryfrontoftheengagementthatwilllargelydeterminewhetherwesucceedorfailinourendeavorsfortheclient.Wemustchargeforthiswork.

DoctorschargeforMRIs.Accountantschargeforaudits.Lawyerschargefordiscovery.Andwechargeforourdiagnosticworkaswell,whetheritisabrandauditordiscoverysessionthatweconductourselves,oroutsideresearchthatwecommission.

Forthesecomplexchallengesinwhichwemustdiagnosebeforewecanevenbegintoquantifyaprescription,ourclientspayustowriteproposalsviaaphasedsalethatbeginswithadiagnostic.Theoutcomeofthediagnosticphaseistwoparts:findingsandrecommendations.Inourfindingswedeliverourdiagnosticdiscoveries,andinourrecommendationsweincludeaplantomoveforward,completewithtimelineandbudget.Inthisway,wegetpaidtocrafttheproposalthosetimeswhenitisnecessarytowriteone.

ContractsandProposalsOurproposalisindeedthewordsthatcomeoutofourmouths:“WeproposetodoXforyou,overYtimeframe,forZprice.”Oncewehaveagreementontheproposal,thenwewriteupthecontractforsignature.Letusbecleartoourclientsandourselves:wearenotintheproposalwritingbusiness.Andletusmakeapromisetoourselvesthatwewillnolongeraskadocumenttodowhatweourselvesshoulddo:propose.

VI

{TheSixthProclamation}

WeWillBeSelective

Insteadofseekingclients,wewillselectivelyandrespectfullypursueperfectfits–thosetargetedorganizationsthatwecanbesthelp.Wewillsaynoearlyandoften,andassuch,weedoutthosethatwouldbebetterservedbyothersandthosethatcannotaffordus.Bysayingnowewillgivepowerandcredibilitytoouryes.

Mostofusdonotsufferfromhavingtoofewclients.Theproblemwithourclientrosterisusuallyoneofquality,notquantity.Wesometimesattempttocompensateforthequalityofourclientsbyaddingmoreofthem;butweknowthathavingnumeroussmall,unsophisticatedorotherwiseinappropriateclientsisnoreparationforhavingtherighttypeandsizeofclients.

Ifwearetobuildalucrativeexpertfirmthenwemustregainthisbalanceofasmallnumberofhigh-qualityclients.Onceregained,wemustacceptthatourclientbasewillturnoverandwemustunderstandthatthischurnishealthy.Ourclientrelationshipsshouldnotbelifesentences.

OurBusinessDevelopmentGoalsClientshireusattimesofneed.Wegenerallysolvethemostpressingproblemsatthebeginningofourrelationships,andovertimethenatureofourworkslidestowardthetacticalendofouroffering.Thus,ourpositioningwiththeclientchanges.Atsomepointwebecomelessofanoutsideadvisorandmoreofapartner,andthen,ultimately,asupplier.Eventuallywepartways.Thetransitionisinevitable;theonlyvariablesaretimeandthepointofdeparture.

Theoptimalengagementlengthwilldifferfromfirmtofirmandfromclientto

Theoptimalengagementlengthwilldifferfromfirmtofirmandfromclienttoclient,butwemustembracetheideathatturnoverishealthy,andthesubsequentideathatourbusinessdevelopmentgoalistomanagesuchturnover.Ifitisourdesiretogrowourpractice,thenweaccomplishthisbyensuringthatthenewclientswetakeinrepresentincreasedopportunityoverthatofthosedeparting.

Selectivityisoneofthedefiningcharacteristicsoftheexpert.Itbuildscredibility,reducesbuyingresistanceandcreatestheconditionswhereitispossibletoreplacepresentationswithconversations.

Aclearunderstandingofourgoals–asmallnumberofslowlyrevolvinghigh-qualityclients–makesiteasierforustoadoptthisselectiveapproach.Wewillnotwineveryopportunity,nordoweneedto.Fromthisweshouldtakecomfortandpatientlygoaboutfindingthosethatwecanbesthelpinamannerthatismorefocusedandlessfrantic.

RetreatingWhereOthersAdvanceClientscansmellselectivity.Itisoneoftheearlycuesthatsignaltothemtodroptheirguardandparticipateinmeaningfuldiscussionsoffit,orraiseitandretreatbehindtheprotectivecoverof“theselectionprocess”wheretheyaskforcredentials,proposalsandpresentations.

Itishumannaturetofollowwhatretreatsfromusandtobackawayfromwhatadvances.Confuciusfamouslysaid,“Speaksoftlyandpeopleleantowardyou;speakloudlyandtheyleanaway.”

Buyersprefertobepolitelyvettedbyasellerwhohasclearlydefinedparametersofthenatureoftheworkhewilldo,thetypeofclienthewilltakeon,andthebudgetswithwhichhewillandwillnotwork.Theclient’sexperienceindealingwiththeselectiveexpertversustheenthusiasticgeneralistwhobargesheadlongintoeveryopportunityisnightanddaydifferent.Oneinviteshimtoadvance;theothercauseshimtoretreat.

BackAgaintotheFirstProclamationSelectivitybeginswithpositioning–theveryfocusofourenterprise.Ourpublicclaimofexpertisemustdescribewhowehelpandhow,andinthisdescriptionthosethatwouldbebetterservedbyothersshouldbeabletoselectout.Theclientshouldbeabletodeterminefromasentenceortwowhetherourexpertiseislikelytomeethisneeds.

Thenarrowerourclaimofexpertise,themoreintegrityweearn.Bystakinganarrowclaimwebuildthecredibilityfortheclienttoassumewehavecapabilitiesbeyondourclaim,whereasabroadclaimgeneratestheoppositereaction.Theclientknowsthegreatdifficultyofamassingbroadexpertise,andwhensuchaclaimismadeheassumesourtrueexpertise,ifany,mustbemuchsmallerthanwhatisdeclared.Inhisveryfirstinteractionwithus,inreadingthewordsonourwebsitewithouthavingevenmetorspokentous,hemakesjudgmentsonourintegritythatwillimpactthedynamicsmovingforward.

Thefirstproclamationlaysthefoundationforallothers,includingthis,thesixth.Ifwehavesucceededinspecializing,thenselectivitybecomeseasierforus.

InPursuitofNoNoisthesecondbestanswerwecanhear.Iftheanswerisno,wewanttohearitassoonaspossible,beforeweandtheclientunnecessarilywastevaluableresources.Whenanopportunityfirstarises,therefore,wetrytoseeifwecankillit.

Thisiscontrarytohowwetypicallyact,butitisapowerfulapproachthatletsusweedoutpoorfitsearlyandeliminatethoseopportunitieswheretheclientwouldnothireusintheend(orthosewherewewouldregretthathedid).Iftheopportunityisrightandweretreatjustalittle,theclientislikelytofollow.Theretreat-and-followisanimportanttestofhowmuchtheclientrecognizesandvaluesourexpertise.Ittellsusifheseesafitandindicatestousthepowerwe

havetoleadanyengagement.

Ourinclinationistoavoidthequestionstowhichwethinkwemaynotliketheanswers,buthereagainwemustlearntofightourtendencies,demonstratetheselectivityandefficiencyoftheexpertandmarchheadlongintotheseconversationsinpursuitofno.Therearemanycommonreasonswhyanengagementmightnotmakesense:money,thenatureoftheclient’sneed,hiswillingnesstoletuslead,geographiclocation,thedepthofourexperience.Wewanttodevelopthehabitofputtingonthetableforearlydiscussiontheseoranyotherconcernswe,ortheclient,mighthave.

ReversingtheDynamicsofObjectionsThedynamicsofobjectionsaresuchthatwhenonepartyraisesthem,itisincumbentontheothertoaddressthem.Ourtendencyistoavoidareasofpotentialobjection,buttheycannotbeavoidedforever.Eventuallytheclientraisesthemandweareforcedtoaddressthem.Suchdynamicsareeasilyreversedwhenwelearntoraisetheobjectionsfirstandplacethemonthetablefortheclienttoaddress.Insteadofwaitingtohear,“Youseemexpensive,”wemightsay,“I’malittleconcernedabouttheabilityanorganizationofyoursizehastoaffordus.”Inthismannerwewanttolearntoleanintopotentialobjections.Iftheobjectionisgoingtokillthedeal,thenlet’skillitearly.

BridgingtheExpertiseGapItisokayforustoacceptworkoutsideofourareaofexpertise,provided:wehavetheability,wehavethecapacity,wecandoitprofitablyandwearenotdeludedintothinkingthatsuchworkimmediatelymeritsexpandingourclaimofexpertise.

Ifwearewellpositionedthenwewillpossesscapabilitiesbeyond–oftenwellbeyond–ourdeclaredexpertise.Whenpotentialclientsapproachuswithneedswithinourcapabilitiesbutoutsideofourcentralexpertise,itisvitalthatwe

handletheseenquirieswithhonesty.Whenourclaimofexpertiseisbroad,weareinclinedtorespondtosuchenquirieswithwhattheclientexpectstohear:“Wecandothat!”Thisreplybuildsbuyingresistanceandmakesitdifficulttoreplacepresentationswithconversations.

Thetargetisnotthemarket.Wetakepreciseaimatthesmallertargetandarehappytohitthewidermarket.Ourclaimofexpertiseshouldbealotnarrowerthanthesumofourcapabilities.

Whenweencounteranopportunitywithinourcapabilitiesbutoutsideofourexpertise,weoweittotheclienttotellhimthat,yes,wecandothis,butno,itisnotwhywearetypicallyhired.Weoweittohimtoreiterateourclaimandpointoutthegapbetweenwhatheneedsandwhatwedo.Fromthere,theclientcanmakethedecisiontobridgethegapornot.Hecandecidethatourexperiencetranslatestohisneedandthathewouldratherworkwithsomeonewhoishonestaboutherstrengths.Or,hecandecidetolookforsomeonewhoseexpertisemorecloselyalignswithhisneed.Ifthegapistobebridged,it’sbetterifitistheclientwhodoesso.Thedynamicsofobjections,andtheneedtoreversethem,applyhere,too.

Onthispointofacceptingworkoutsideofourexpertise,letusrememberthatweneverwanttobeenticedintocompetingforit.Iftheclientbridgesthegapandsays,“Ithinkyoucandothis,”anditmakessenseforustodoit,thenwearewithinourrightstotakethework.Ifhisstatementisfollowedbyaninvitationtocompeteforthework,however,thenwearebettertodecline,pointhiminthedirectionofafirmbetteralignedwithhisneed,andgetbacktolookingforournextperfectfit.Hemayadvancewhenweretreat,hemaybeworthfollowingupwithafterhehasspokentootherfirms,buthemayalsodisappearandneverreturn.Regardless,wedonotwanttosacrificeourmissionandbedraggedintocompetingforworkthatisoutsideofourexpertise.

ThePassionDichotomy

ThePassionDichotomyWhoarewewithoutourpassion?Itisanassetthatdrivesusintotheproblemswesolve.Itisthemotivationalengineforfindingthebestsolutionstothechallengesweface.Surely,displayingsuchanassetinthebuyingcycleisadvantageous?Buthere,too,wemustbewareand,toanextent,fightournaturaltendencies.

Passioncanbeatiebreakerwhentheclientbelievesthelevelofexpertisetobeequalamonghisconsideredoptions.Whenweplayupthetiebreakersofprice,chemistryandpassion,however,wetacitlyimplythatwhenitcomestomeasuringusonthemostimportantvariable–expertise–wearenobetterequippedthanothersinconsideration.

Wemustbefreetouseourpassion,withoutforgettingthatitcaneasilybecomealiability.Theclientmayviewourdisplayofpassionasaninvitationtotakecontrolandanadmissionthatourexpertisemaybelacking.Letususeourpassionbutbewarethatwedonotoveruseitandallowtheclienttouseitagainstus.

SelectivityDeepenswithExpertiseAsourexpertisedeepens,sotoodoesourabilitytobeselective.Expertiseforcesselectivity.

Thegeneralistisdrawntotheproblemhehasnotyetsolved.Hiscuriositytrumpsallelse.Hefeelsnodiscomfortinoperatingoutsideofhisareaofexpertisebecausesuchanareaisbroad,shallowandlooselydefined.Hepursueswithpassionthenewandthedifferent.

Whenthetransitionismadehowever,andhebecomesusedtothebenefitsofdeepexpertise–whentheclientcedingcontroltosomeonedeservingofsuchcontrolbecomesthenorm–hewillnotbeeasilyenticedbacktooperatingfromthepowerlesspositionofthegeneralist.

Whengivenachoicetooperatefromthepositionofpowerthatcomeswithdeepexpertiseortopursueworkoutsidethatareaforclientswhowillnotallowhimtolead,theexpertwillrefuse.Hewillrefusenotbecauseitiswrittenheretodoso,butbecausehewillneverwanttoretreatbacktothatplaceofgeneralistorder-taker.Hewillbewaryofsituationsinwhichhedoesnothaveconfidenceinhisabilitytofindthebestsolution–inwhichthelandscapeandchallengesareunfamiliarandhehastoadmittohisclient,“I’veneverdonethisbefore.”

Oncehegrowsaccustomedtooperatingfromthepositionofthepractitioner,theexpertwilltakepainstoensurethathisfutureclientsgranthimsuchaposition.Inthismanner,hisexpertisewillforcehisselectivity,butinthebeginningitwillnotbesoeasy.Selectivityissomethinghemustlearn.Hemustputhispassioninitsplaceandwalkawayfromthoseopportunitieswhereheisnotviewedastheexpert.

Andsomustweall.

VII

{TheSeventhProclamation}

WeWillBuildExpertiseRapidly

Wewillviewourclaimofexpertiseasabeginningandasarallyingcryforperpetualprogress.Oncefocused,wewillworktoaddtoanddeepentheskills,capabilitiesandprocessesfromwhichwederiveourexpertise,andwewillcommittotheideathatcontinuouslearningismandatory.

Weaddressherethethirdofourthreestepstopositioningourfirm.Firstweselectafocus,wethenarticulatethatfocusviaaclaimofexpertise,andfinallyweworktoquicklyaddprooftoourclaim.

Whenweputourflagintheground,headsturn.Thecompetition,seeminglyoblivioustousbefore,suddenlytakesnotice.Thosethatdonotclaimmeaningfulterritoryarerarelyattacked.Whatistheretodefend,afterall?Thisisoneoftheindulgencesofthegeneralist:itisaneasierlife.Itisnotaslucrative.Itisnotasfulfilling.Itis,however,easier.Nobodyattackstheunthreateninggeneralist.

Thetruthabouttheaveragehumanbeingisthat,regardlessofwhatheclaimstowant,hewillavoidthedifficultdecisionsandtheundesirabletasks,eveniftheyrepresentthepathtotheoutcomeorfuturehedesires.Theprovenrealityisthatmostpeoplewillchangetheirdesires,eventheirvalues,beforetheywillchangetheirbehavior.

Now,thequestionwemustfaceis,arewemostpeople?Willwestayontheoldcomfortablepathwherewecanavoidattack?Willwechoosedenialandcontinuetoshapeourbeliefstoconformtoouroldbehavior?Ordowehaveit

withinustodowhatweknowmustbedonetobuildanexpertfirm:afirmthatdeliverstoourclientsourbestwork,afirmthatbringstousthefulfillmentofacareerwellmanaged,andafirmthatprovidestoourfamiliesthesecurityandprosperitytheydeserve?Willwedowhatweknowneedstobedone?

MakingtheClaimRealPuttingonefootinfrontoftheother,webeginbychoosingafocusandarticulatingaclaim(thefirstproclamation).Thenwechangethewaywesell(proclamationstwothroughfive).Webecomeselectiveaboutournewclientsandtheworkwedoforthem(thesixthproclamation).Andnowthatwehavemomentumandwebegintotastethebenefitsofexpertise,hereintheseventhproclamationwemakeapromisetoourselvesthatwewillseehowfarwecango.Wecommittodeepeningourexpertise,rapidlyandforever,sothatwecanfindoutjusthowgoodwecanbecome.

Fromthemomentwemaketheclaim,wefindourselvesinaracewithnofinishline.Itisaraceinwhichthegreaterourlead,themorewehavetolose;therefore,thefasterwefeelwemustrun.Thisisnottheeasypath.Onceweareonit,however,movingpastthestationarygeneralistsonthesideline,werealizewewouldnothaveitanyotherway.Wewouldratherracetofulfillourpotentialthanstagnateinunchallengedcontentment.

TheImportanceofProvingOurExpertiseAclaimisjustaclaim;anyonecanmakeone.Ourclaimofexpertisehelpsusbreakthroughtheclutterofcompetitionandgainattentionattheveryfirstinteractionwiththeprospectiveclient.Butfromthenon,itisincumbentonustoproveourclaim.Thefurtherweprogressintothebuyingcycle,themoretheproofofourexpertiseaidsus.Withoutproof,wefindourselveshavingtopitch–havingtobegintosolvetheclient’sproblemasproofofourabilitytosolvehisproblem.

Theproofthatwedesiretobuild,andthatourfutureclientsneedtosee,isrootedinourskills,capabilitiesandprocesses.Thesearethingsthatwemustneverceasetobuild–assetstowhichwemustneverstopadding.Letusexploresomemeanswehaveavailabletoustodeepenourexpertise.

StartingWithFocusThegoodnewsisthattheveryactoffocusislikelytobuilddepth.Ifweweretotaketwopeopleofsimilarintellectandabilitiesandchargethefirstwithbuildingabusinesswithabroadfocusandthesecondwithbuildingabusinesswithanarrowfocus,wewouldfindthatthesecondpersonwouldbuildadepthofexpertiseexponentiallygreaterthanthatofthefirst.Hecouldnothelpbutdoso,forwhenwenarrowourfieldofthoughtwethinkdeeper.Weneednotbesmarterormorecreativethanourcompetition,onlymorefocused.Focusispowerful,butitisjustthefirststepinbuildingdeepexpertise.Otherstepsfollow.

TheRequirementtoWriteWritinggetsusfound.Writinghelpstocementourpositionasexperts.Mostimportantofall,writingaboutwhatwedoisthefastestwaytodeepenourknowledge.Writingatlengthonourexpertisedrivesusintothedeepcrevicesofourterritory.Asfocusedexperts,webenefitfromrepeatedobservationofthesamechallenges.Writingisthetoolthathelpsusformalizeourthinkingontheseobservations.Itforcesustotightenourargumentsandthereforeourunderstanding.Writingmightnotcomenaturallytous,itmightbepainfulattimes,buttherewardsaresignificantandtheexerciseismandatory.Ifwearetobeexpertswemustwrite.

Theskillswemustpossessoracquireinordertosucceedinadifferentiatedcreativeenterpriseare:consultingfirst,writingsecond,artistrythird.Theproblem-seeingandproblem-solvingskillsoftheadvisor,alongwiththeabilitytoleadothersthroughtheengagement,trumpeverythingelse.Writingfollows,

forwritingbothprovesanddeepensourexpertise.Theartistry,increasingly,isthecommodity.Itisinexpensivelyacquiredfromthosethatneitherhave,norattempttocultivate,thefirsttwoskills.Wemusttakecontrolandwemustwrite.

FormalizingHowWeWorkIfwewerepaidtodigaditchofaspecifieddepth,widthandlength,ourfirstattemptwouldbecompletedatqualityX,intimeframeY.Ifweweretodigaditchofthosesamespecificationseveryday,wecanassumethatthequalityofouroutputwouldincreaseandthetimerequiredwoulddecrease.Repeatedobservationandproblemsolvingisboundtoimproveourqualityandefficiency.

Wecanalsoreasonablyassumethatovertime,throughtrialanderror,wewouldhappenuponanefficientapproachthatallowsustodeliveratqualityandspeedwithconsistency.Inalmostanyofourrepeatedendeavors,itisthestrengthofourprocessesthatdrivestheconsistencyofouroutcomes.

Ifwewanttobuilddeepexpertisewemusttakepainstodocumenthowwework,todefinehowwewillworkinthefutureandtocontinuouslyrefineandimproveourapproach.Workingfromadefinedprocessleadstotheveryconsistencyofqualitythatapotentialclienttriestodiscernlateinthebuyingcycle,whenourroleistoreassure.Nothingreassurestheclientmorethanhimdrawingthepowerfulinferencethatlittlevariabilityinprocessequalslittlevariabilityinoutcomes.Everyoneofthefirmsheisconsideringcandemonstrateanabilitytodogreatwork,butthequestionhewantsansweredbeforehebuysis:“HowdoIknowI’mgoingtogettheirbestwork?”Whenweareabletodemonstratestrongprocesses,theclientcandecideforhimselftheimplicationsofourprocessesontheconsistencyofourquality.

TrainingandEmpoweringIfwehavenomeaningfullydefinedprocesses,thenthereisnotmuchtotrainourpeopleon.Butoncewecommittodefiningandimprovinghowwework,thenwemustcommittotrainingourpeopleonsuchmethods.

wemustcommittotrainingourpeopleonsuchmethods.

Trainingandotherformsofindividualprofessionaldevelopmentarevital,foracreativefirmeitherhasacultureofcontinuouslearningoritdoesnot.Wemustmakethecommitmentthatinourfirmallourpeoplewillfeelcompelledtokeepupwiththeirassociatesandexcelpastourcompetitors.Whenournewemployeescometoworkforustheymustfeelasthoughthelearningneverendsandthepaceoflearningneverlessens.Weracetogether.

Webuildacultureofcontinuouslearningbyhiringforskill,bydevelopingitthroughtraining,byempoweringourpeopletoformtheirownprofessionaldevelopmentplansthatwewillapproveandfund,byholdingthemaccountabletotheseplans,and,mostimportantly,byleadingwithourownexample.Wegofirst,andsettheexampleofpaceanddeterminationrequiredtobepartofourenterprise.

AllWillNotFollowWhilecreativepeoplehaveaproclivityforgeneralisttendenciesthatallowthemtoexplorethenewandthedifferent,mostwillselectapathofdeepexpertiseonceitisshowntothemandtheyhaveexperiencedthebenefits.Withoutthatexperience,notallwillbeconvincedtojoinusonourjourney.

Thecultureoftoleranceandinclusivenessthatwe’vealwayshadinourfirmstillapplies,butnowitappliesonlytothosewillingtopulltheirweight.Whenwechoosetofollowthetwelveproclamationsandmakethetransitionfromorder-takertoexpert,wecommittotheideathatperpetuallearningandcontinuousimprovementaremandatory.Everyoneinvolvedinourenterprisemustbuyin,pullhisweightandpushtherestofusaswepushhim.Thosewhodonotwillbeshepherdedontootherfirmswherethecollectivedesiretorealizepotentialismoreinlinewiththeirown.

TheOneWhoEddiedOut

TheOneWhoEddiedOutWeknowtheprincipalwhoeddiedout–theownerofthecreativefirmwhoenjoyedearlysuccessformanyyearsonlytohavethatsuccessleavehimforgood.Hestartedonhisownduringgoodeconomictimesorwithonelargebenefactorclientandherodethatcurrentforyears.Thenthingschanged.Theeconomyturnedortheclientmovedonandtheprincipal’seasysuccessvanished.

Foryearsnowhesitswonderingwhatwentwrong.Whatdidhedotodeservesuchmisfortune?Whathecannot,orwillnot,seeisthathismisfortuneisrootedinhisearlysuccess.Hewasnotforcedtomakethedifficultdecisionsearly,sowhenfacedwiththemlateheremainedcertainthatthedecisionsandtheeffortcouldbeavoided,andsuccesscouldbehadtheoldwayonceagain.Nowclientsnolongerbeatapathtohisdoor,andheblamesthemarketorhelamentsthattimeshavechangedinamannerhecannotcomprehend,forreasonshecannotsee.

Asothersmovepasthim,makingthebravedecisionsanddoingthedifficultwork,heremains,withhisreminiscentstare,bobbinginthecalmattheside.Hestaysthereforus,asareminderofwhatwewillbecomeifweeverstoplearning,ifweevergiveuptherace.

VIII

{TheEighthProclamation}

WeWillNotSolveProblemsBeforeWeArePaid

Ourthinkingisourhighestvalueproduct;wewillnotpartwithitwithoutappropriatecompensation.Ifwedemonstratethatwedonotvalueourthinking,ourclientsandprospectswillnot.Ourpayingclientscanrestassuredthatourbestmindsremainfocusedonsolvingtheirproblemsandnottheproblemsofthosewhohaveyettohireus.

Apitch-basedbusinessdevelopmentstrategydevaluesourthinkingandemphasizesthemorecommoditizedpartsofouroffering.Ifwedonotvalueourthinking,theclientwillnot.Heusesmanycuestotrytoascertainourvalue.Helooksforsignsfromusofhowwevalueourselves.Howcanwediagnoseandprescribeforfreeoneminute,andlateraskforhundredsorthousandsofdollarsforsimilarthinking?

Wemuststriveforaconsistencyinourbehaviorthatsaysweknowourownworthandwewillnotbeledintosellingourselvesshort.Wemustaddressourownnegligenceinstandardsaroundthisbehavior,andsimplyagreethatthereisalinethatseparatesprovingourabilitytosolvetheclient’sproblemfromactuallysolvinghisproblem.Weshallnotbeluredintocrossingoverthislinebeforewearepaid.

Thispervasivechallengeofgivingourthinkingawayforfreeiseasilyremedied.Itisassimpleasdecidingwewillnolongerdoit,writingthiscommitmentintoapolicystatement,andthenstatingtotheclientwithpoliteconviction,“Itisourpolicytonotbegintosolveourclients’problemsbeforeweareengaged.”

Itisirresponsibleofustouseouridentityasartistsasanexcusefornotforming

businessstandardsandpolicies.Clientslaypoliciesonusasthoughtheywerelawandwerespondwithpreferencesandinclinations.No–wemustrespondwithpoliciesofourown.Weencounterfarlessclientresistancewhenweprefaceourrequirementwiththewords,“Itisourpolicythat…”

FreeThinkingisNotJustCreativeManyofusweighthefree-pitchingproblemandfeelproudthatitdoesnotaffectus.“Wedon’tdospeculative(spec)creative.”Butourdesignsaremerelytheapplicationofourstrategy;andourstrategy,whenarrivedatresponsibly,isrootedinathoroughdiagnosis.Eachofthephasesthatprecedesdesignoranyotherapplicationworkhasavalueatleastashighastheapplication.Likecreative,thisthinkingthatprecedesitshouldnotbegivenawayforfree.

Thelinethatseparatesprovingourabilitytosolvetheclient’sproblemfromactuallysolvinghisproblembeginsatthediagnosis.Wecorrectlycollectpreliminarydiagnosticinformationinthebuyingcycleinordertoassesstheclient’ssituationandmakeadeterminationofourabilitytohelp.Butweshouldnotprogresssofarastoshareourdiagnosiswiththeclientbeforewearehiredandappropriatelypaid.Beyondthat,wecertainlyshouldnotbeprescribingstrategywithoutproperdiagnosisandcompensation.Freepitchingisfreethinking,period.

OnceHiredOurneedtonotbeginworkwithoutappropriatecompensationdoesnotendoncetheclientcommitstoworkingwithus.Thetransitionfromintentprospecttonewclienttakesplacethroughaseriesofsteps,eachanescalationinhiscommitment.Whilewedonotdoubthiswordwhenhespeaksit,wemustrememberthatheisnotfullycommitteduntilhehaspartedwithhismoney.Everyclientreservestherighttochangehisminduntilhepartswithhismoney.

Theescalationofcommitmentbeginswithaprivateone,whenhesaysto

himself,“I’mgoingtodothis.”Fromtherehemovestosharedcommitmentwhenhesaysaloudtous,“Let’sdothis.”Hethenfurtherescalateshiscommitmentbysigninghisnametoalegaldocument,beitacontract,letterofintentormemorandumofunderstanding.Butevennowheisnottrulycommitted.Itisnotuntilhehaspartedwithhismoneythatheisfullycommittedtomovingforwardwithus;andeventhenwewillstillhavetoreassurehimthroughtheinevitableperiodofbuyer’sremorse.

Wemustrecognizethisescalationofcommitmentasanaturalseriesofsteps,andsimplyensurethatwedonotbegintosolvetheclient’sproblemuntilhehascompletedallofthem,themostimportantbeingthelast:payment.Onethirdtoonehalfofthefeeportionoftheengagementisappropriate,oreventheentirefeeforthefirstphaseinaphasedengagement.

Thereisnoneedforustobetentativeaboutstatingourrequirementforadepositbeforewebeginworkingfortheclient.Wesimplysay,“We’llgetstartedassoonaswereceivethedeposit,asisourpolicyforallnewclients.”Weneednotapologizeforbeingresponsiblebusinesspeople.Neveragainshouldwefindourselvesattemptingtoclarifyissuesofpaymentafterwehavebegunworkingontheengagement.Thisisthesimplestofbusinesstests,oneforwhichthereisnolongeranyexcusetofail:forallnewclients,wewillbepaidinadvance.

IX

{TheNinthProclamation}

WeWillAddressIssuesofMoneyEarly

Wewillresistputtingourselvesinapositionwherewehaveoverinvestedinthebuyingcycleonlytofindtheclientcannotaffordtopayuswhatweareworth.WewillsetaMinimumLevelofEngagementanddeclareitearlyinconversationssothatiftheclientcannotaffordus,bothpartieswillbeabletowalkawaybeforewastingvaluableresources.

LetuscommittomemorytheWinWithoutPitchingruleofmoney:Thosewhocannottalkaboutit,donotmakeit.

Weclaimtohavebeenraisedinafamilyoraculturewhereitisimpolitetotalkaboutmoney,butweknowthisisonlyahalf-truth,don’twe?Ineverycultureitisimpolitetotalkaboutmoneyinapersonalsetting.Justasubiquitousasthisruleisitscorollary:ineverycultureitisconsideredasignofpoorbusinessacumentoavoidtalkingaboutmoneyinabusinesssetting.Wemustreconcilethesetwoconventionsandnotconfusesocialmoreswithsoundbusinesspractices.Oneofthegoalsofourenterpriseistomakemoney;therefore,wemustformthehabitoftalkingaboutitearlyandoften.

TheStressofMoneyConversationsHowoftenhavewefoundourselvesdeepintoabusinessdevelopmentopportunity,heavilyinvestedintimeandotherresources,onlytolearnattheendthattheclient’sbudgetwasfarbelowwhatwasrequiredforustodothejob?Howisitthatwegetsofarwithsuchagapinvitalinformation?Howisitthatweallowourselvestodosomuchworkwithoutfirsthavingameaningfulconversationaboutthefinancialfitbetweenbothparties?

Theclienthasabudget,orattheveryleast,budgetlimitations,andweshouldhaveourownparametersthatdefineourminimumclientsize.Witheachpartyhavingsuchcriteria,itbecomeseasytodetermineasearlyaspracticalifthereisafinancialfit.Butformanyofus,itisnoteasy:moneyconversationsareasourceofstress.

Whenwetakestockofthestressinourlife,itiseasytoseethatalmostallofitiscausedbythingsthatareeitheroutofourcontrol–or,moreoften,thingsthatarewithinourcontrolthatweareavoiding.Stressiscausedbythethingswedonotdo.Therootofthismoneystressisnotintheconversationsthemselves,butinnothavingthemwhenweknowweshould.Overcomingthisstressbeginswithdecidingthatfromhereforwardwewilltalkaboutmoneyearlyandoften.Assoonastheopportunityariseswewillleanintothediscomfortofthetopic,dealwithitimmediatelyandeliminatethestressfromthesubject.Intimewewilllearntodothiswithease.

AMinimumLevelofEngagementByfollowingthesixthproclamation(Wewillbeselective)weagreetobemorepurposefulaboutthenewclientswetakeon.Weagreetoestablishthecriteriathatdefinewithwhomwewillandwillnotwork.Includedinsuchcriteriaisbudget,andspecificallythefeesthatsuchbudgetwouldrepresent.Whenwecommittodeliberatelymanagingaslow,steadychurnofasmallnumberofclients,wecommitequallytotheideathateachnewclientmustbeofacertainsize,representingacertainamountoffeeincome.Weoweittoourprospectiveclientstosharesuchfeeexpectationswiththemassoonasappropriate.

TheannualfeeminimumthatwerequirebecomesourMinimumLevelofEngagement.Itisanapproximatenumber(usuallysomewherearound10%ofourtotaltargetfeeincomefortheyear)thatweuseasatooltoquicklyweedoutpoorfinancialfits,toescalatediscussionsofshorttermtacticalprojectsintodiscussionsoflongtermstrategicengagements,andtohelpusbeginthemoney

conversationearly.

Soonafteraneedisinitiallydetermined,itisincumbentonustolettheprospectknowthatweonlyworkwithasmallnumberofnewclientseveryyearandthereforecanonlyaddclientsthatwillspendatoraboveourMinimumLevelofEngagement.Wearenotlookingtotheclientforaniron-cladcommitmentonthispoint,wearesimplysaying,“Thisisthesizeofclientitmakessenseforustoworkwith,soifyoudecideatsomepointthatyouwouldliketoworkwithus,weaskthatyoubepreparedtocommittofeesatorabovethislevelovertheyear.”

CommittedbutFlexibleTheMinimumLevelofEngagementisapowerfultoolthatwewanttocommittousingoften,butwithoutbeingoverlyrigidinitsapplication.Therewillbetimeswhenwechoosetowaiveourminimum,butletusnotconfusetheprerogativetowaiveitwiththenecessityforusingitinconversation.WewanttodevelopthehabitofroutinelysharingourMinimumLevelofEngagementineveryfirstdiscussionofanopportunitywithanewprospect,whilealwaysreservingtherighttowaiveit,ifappropriate.Waivingitwithoutmentioningitdoesn’tcount.Suchbehaviorissimplyafailuretofollowourownparametersofselectivity.

OnProjectWorkAsselectiveexperts,itisnotinourinteresttopursueprojectworkthatistacticalinnatureorwellbelowourMinimumLevelofEngagement.Thisdoesnotmeanwedonottakeonprojectworkfromtimetotime.Obviously,weundertakeprojectworkforexistingclientswithwhomwehavelarger,morecomprehensiveandstrategicrelationships.Wemaychoosetotakeonnewprojectworkifitmeetscertaincriteria,suchas,ifwehavecapacity,ifwecandoitprofitably,ifitdoesnotimpairourabilitytoobtainmoreappropriatestrategicworkfromtheclientinthefutureandifwedonothavetocompeteforit.

workfromtheclientinthefutureandifwedonothavetocompeteforit.

Projectworkisabyproductofpursuingasmallnumberofmoremeaningfulengagements.Weuseittofillgapsincapacity,butitisnotthemainstayofourpractice.Ifweweretoacceptevenhalfoftheprojectworkthatcomestous,thenwewouldfindourselvesaimlesslybuildingatacticalfirmburdenedbytoomanysmallclientsandprojects,withthecommensuratechallengesofpoorerfinancialrewardandlessfulfillment.Wewillrefusemoreprojectworkthanweaccept,butfromtimetotimewewillacceptit.ItisherethatwewouldwaiveourMinimumLevelofEngagement.

WaivingOurMinimumLevelofEngagementWhenwedochoosetowaiveourminimumandaccepteitherprojectworkortheoccasionalmoremeaningfulstrategicengagementsjustbelowourminimum,wecanstillbenefitfromitspowerbykeepingitinplaceasanobstaclethatwemayormaynotmoveaside.

DeliveringourMinimumLevelofEngagementearlyteachesusoftheclient’sabilitytoaffordus.Ifwefindthattheclientdoesnotmeetourminimum,butforotherreasons,maystillrepresentalucrativeopportunity,wecansimplyfollowupwithlanguagesuchas,“BeforeIsayno,letmeaskyouafewquestions.”Thiskeepstheminimuminplayandletsuscontinuetogatherinformationtomakeanassessmentofthefit.Inthisway,webettermanagethedynamicsofthebuyingcycle.

Ifwedeterminethefitissuitableandwedecidewewouldtakethisclientonasoneofourfewexceptionstoourminimumrequirement,wemustensurethatremovingtheminimumisthelastthingwedobeforeacceptingtheengagement.Weneverwanttobeinapositionwhereweagreetowaiveourminimumonlytohear,“Great,we’llsendyouanRFP,”or,“Nowweneedtomeetwithafewmorefirms.”

WeuseourMinimumLevelofEngagementlikeanyotherobjectionthatwe

WeuseourMinimumLevelofEngagementlikeanyotherobjectionthatweraiseearlyfortheclienttoovercome.Liketheothers,wereservetherighttoremoveit.Thisisthepowerofno.Whenweuseit,ithelpsusmeasureandimproveourplaceintherelationship,andit’sonlyaspermanentasweneedittobe.

WalkingAwayOneofthefunctionsofbusinessdevelopmentistokeepbadclientsorotherpoorfitsout.Likethegatekeepersatourclients’companies,wemustestablishwhoisallowedinformeaningfuldiscussionsandwhoshouldbegentlyguidedawaytoamoreappropriaterelationshipwithouresteemedcompetitor.Thefastestwaytoefficienciesinourbusinessdevelopmentapproachistounabashedlyuncoverimportantinformationearlyandusethatinformationtomakeanhonestandpracticalassessmentofafit.Theanswertothequestion,“Canandwilltheclientaffordus?”isvitalinformationthatwemustresolvetouncoverassoonaspossible.Walkingawayfromthosethatcannotpayuswhatweareworthlowersouraveragecostofsaleandpreservesbothourpositioningandanyfuturebusinessopportunitieswiththeclient.

Discussingmoneyearlyisaneasilyformedhabitthat,onceacquired,helpsusbettermakethedecisionsthatshapethefutureofourpractice.

X

{TheTenthProclamation}

WeWillRefusetoWorkataLoss

Wewillbuildourpracticeoneprofitableassignmentatatime.Exceptingourcarefullyselectedprobonoengagementsandtheoccasionalfavortoourbestandlongeststandingclients,everyprojectwillgenerateaprofitthatrecognizesourexpertiseandthevaluewebringtoourclients’businesses.

Wewillstrivetowinwhilechargingmoreandthusvalidateourexpertpositioning.Ifwearenotaccomplishingthisfeat,thenwehavenotyetsucceededinimplementingtheearlierproclamations.

Wemustdispossessourselvesofthenotionthatwecanoperateonthinprofitmarginsatthebeginningofanewclientrelationshipandthenworktoincreasethosemarginsovertime.Weknowthatprofitmargin,likepower,onlydiminisheswithtime.

Thetenthproclamationbuildsontheothersbeforeit:theneedfordiagnosisbeforeprescription,theneedforselectivity,theneedtodiscussissuesofmoneyearly.Notonlywillwemeetourobligationtodiagnosebeforeweprescribe,butwewillselectivelyworkforthoseclientswillingtopayusforsuchanapproach.

WeAreHiredtoBeginattheBeginningLikethemedicalprofessionalsthatourfour-phasemodelofdiagnose,prescribe,applyandreapplysuggests,ourhighestvalueofferingisourabilitytobringnewperspectiveandunderstandingtoourclients’problems.Successateachphasedependsongettingtheearlieronescorrect.Thefirsttwophasesofdiagnoseandprescriberepresentthestrategicportionoftheengagement–thethinkingphasesthatprecedethedoing.Ourstrengthinthesefirsttwophasesiswhatsetsusapart

thatprecedethedoing.Ourstrengthinthesefirsttwophasesiswhatsetsusapartfromourcompetitionandkeepsthecommoditizingforcesoftheprofessionatbay.Thethinkingthatprecedesandwrapsourdoingisourvalue-addeddifferentiator.Itisthebasisofourdeepexpertise.Ouropportunityforprofitmarginintheengagementisgreatestinthesefirsttwophasesanddiminishesfromthere.

Noclientwillwillinglyallowustoreversethisnaturaltrendandcommandmoreprofitmarginastimegoeson.Wemustadmitthatanapproachthatseesussacrificesignificantmargintowinbusinesswithhopesofmakingituplaterisrootedeitherinnaivety,afalseagreementwithaclientwhoistellinguswhatwewanttohear,orinourowndishonestintentionsofhopingtofindprofitthatisnotvisibletotheclient.

Akeytestremainstowinwhilechargingmore.Whenwewinbychargingless,pricebecomesourpositioningthatwewearlikeanalbatrosswiththatclientforever:webecomethepriceshop.

OnDiscountingInourenterprisetherewillbenolossleaders.Asexperts,wewillnotdiscountwithnewclientstodayfortheopportunitytomakemoneytomorrow.Wewillsavetheuseofdiscountsforourbestandlongestservingclientsattimeswhentheyneedoursupport.

Legitimatepricenegotiationsarefairgame.If,fromtimetotime,wedecidethatitmakessensetocutpricetowintheengagement,wemustensurewenevercutsodeepastojeopardizeitsprofitability.Byseeingthateveryengagementisprofitable,weensurethatourfirmisprofitable.Byallowinganengagementwithanewclienttobeginunprofitably,wesetupwhatisalmostcertaintobearelationshipofmutualdiscontent.

AlternativestoDiscountingWemaynegotiatefromtimetotime,butbeforewecutpricewewillensurewe

Wemaynegotiatefromtimetotime,butbeforewecutpricewewillensurewehaveexploredallthealternatives.

Guarantees→Clientsmayattempttonegotiatebecausetheyareunsureofthevalueofourservices.Inthesesituationswecanconsiderguaranteesasalternativestodiscounting.Notguaranteesofreturnoninvestment–fortoomanyvariablesremainoutofourcontrol.Notguaranteesonourentirespectrumofofferings–fortheymaybeusedagainstuslateintheengagement.Itisappropriatetoguaranteethefirstphase–diagnosisandprescription–ofaphasedengagementinordertoreassuretheclientofthevalueofmovingforwardwithus.Thereisfarlessriskinthisguaranteethanthereisinpitchingfreeideasandhopingtogetpaid.

Terms→Clientsmayseethevalueofourofferingbutattempttonegotiatebasedontheirinabilitytopay.Inthesesituations,beforewediscountweshouldconsiderofferingfavorabletermsthatlettheclientpayovertime.

HoldingOurGround→Sometimesclientswillseeourvalueandwillbeabletoaffordus,butwillnegotiatetogetabetterpricenonetheless.Often,negotiatingsuccessinthesecasesgoestothepartymostcomfortabletalkingaboutmoney.Theonewiththeleastemotionalbaggageonthesubjectwilldobetteratholdinghisground.Byfollowingtheninthproclamation(Wewilladdressissuesofmoneyearly),weworktoensurethatthatpartyisus.

TwoRulesforDiscountingWhenwehaveexploredthealternativesandstillwechoosetodiscount,wewilladheretotworules:

WeLeaveittoLast→First,wewillensurethatcuttingpriceisthelastthingwedo.Wewillsearchforandaddressallotherobjectionsbeforeweagreetodiscount.Inonefinalsweepbeforeweagreetoacceptlesswewillask,“Ifweweretoagreetothisprice,isthereanythingelsetostopusfromdecidingto

worktogetherrightnow?”Ifnoobjectionsornextstepsremain,thenwecancutourpriceandtaketheengagement.Ifthereremainstepstobetakenorobjectionstoaddress,thenwewilldosobeforewediscount.

WePutitinWriting→Second,wemustensurethatsuchdiscountsareclearlyidentifiedinallwrittendocumentation,includingcontracts,estimatesandinvoices,inordertoremindtheclientofthetruevalueofourservices.Ourfailuretoabidebythisrulewillalmostcertainlycostusinthefutureastheclient“forgets”thispropervalueandreferencesonlywhathepreviouslypaid.Byrecordingourdiscountinallpricedocumentationinthisway,weensurethatsuchadiscountdoesnotsetaprecedentfornewpricingmovingforward.

OurProBonoClientsWewillbuildalucrativeexpertpracticeoneprofitableengagementatatime,andthenusethestrengthofourfirmtohelpthosethatneeditmost.Forthesecarefullyselectedcharityclients,wewillworkforfree.

Wewillleavetoourcompetitorstheunseemlypracticeofworkingforcharitiesforfreeinthebeginninginhopesofup-sellingthemtopaidservices.Wewillletotherschoosetheircharitiesbasedonthebusinessconnectionstheyhopetomakeintheboardroom,butnotus.Wewilltreatcharityascharityandnotconfuseitwithbusinessdevelopment.

Amongthosecharitieswhosecausesalignwithourvalues,wewillworkwiththeneediest,committothemunselfishlyandsacrificeanyopportunitytobenefitfinanciallyfromthiswork.Wewillthusgiveourselvesthecouragetoensurethateveryfor-profitengagementisindeedprofitable.Thisrelievestheburdenofthemushymiddleofbarely-profitableclientsandquasi-charitablecauses.

Thisistheemancipatingdualityofprobonowork:itisthecharitywemustdo,anditgivesusthecouragetoturnawayworkthatwouldbeonlymarginallycharitableorquestionablyprofitable.

Everyoneofourfor-profitengagementswillbringusprofit.Ourcarefullyselectedprobonoclientswillbringusnothingbutfulfillment.Wewillleavetoourcompetitionthoseclientsthatwouldneitherbringusprofitnormeritourcharity.

UsingProBonoWorktoBuildExpertiseIntheearlydaysofafirm,therecansometimesbelittlefoundationonwhichtobuildexpertise.Here,probono–orevendeeplydiscountedworkwithintheselectedfieldoffocus–mightberequiredtobuildthatexpertise.Inthesecases,thereisnoshameinbeingupfrontwithaprospectiveclientaboutworkingcheaplyorforfreetoamassexpertise.Suchanapproachisvalid,foraperiodoftime.Ifwetrulyaretradingprofitforexpertisebuilding,thenwewillbehonestanddirectwithourclientaboutit.Todoitquietlyistoemploythegeneralisttacticofcompetingonprice.

XI

{TheEleventhProclamation}

WeWillChargeMore

Asourexpertisedeepensandourimpactonourclients’businessesgrows,wewillincreaseourpricingtoreflectthatimpact.Wewillrecognizethat,toourclients,thesmallestinvoicesarethemostannoying.Throughchargingmorewewillcreatemoretimetothinkonbehalfofourclientsandwewilleliminatetheneedtoinvoiceforchangesandothersurprises.

Byfollowingthemoneyproclamations–gettingpaidfirst(VIII),talkingmoneyearly(IX),refusingtoworkataloss(X),andnow,chargingmore–wedevelopaconfidencethatattractsbetterclientsandweedsoutpoorfitswithoutwastingresources.ProperemploymentofourMinimumLevelofEngagementhelpsinthisregard:thriftyclientsarerepelledandqualityclientsareattracted.

Inboldlychargingmorethanourcompetitors,weadvertisetoourprospectiveclientsthatwehaveconfidenceinourabilitytodeliverhighqualityoutcomes.

Aswegetbetterwewillchargeevenmore,untilwefindthatequilibriumthatcapturestheappropriateremunerationforthevalueofourservices.Ourpremiumpricingwillcostusclientsfromtimetotime;butifwearenotlosingbusinessonpriceoccasionally,thenwearenotchargingenough.Conversely,ifweneedtowinonprice,wearenotsettingourselvesapartasexperts.

Likeourcompetitors,wetoowillusepricingasapositioningtool;butunlikethem,wewillstrivetodemonstratehigherpricingandthusbenefitfromallitspositioningimplications.Whereotherstalkoftheir“competitiveness”onthisfrontwewillmarchheadlongintothesubject,followingtheninthproclamation(Wewilladdressissuesofmoneyearly),andboldlyexplainthatwearelikelyto

bemoreexpensivethanotheroptionsunderconsideration.

Wewillinvitetheclienttotellusthathewouldprefertoworkwithamoreaffordablefirm.Wewillnotapologizeforchargingmore;itisfaircompensationfortheincreasedvaluewedeliverasexperts.Itletsusimproveourofferingbygivingusthemeanstoreinvestinourselvesand,mostimportantofall,italmostcertainlyimprovestheoutcomeandtheexperiencefortheclient.

ProfitImprovesServiceWhenwetakeonanengagementwiththinmarginsandthenweencounteraproblemwiththeengagement–fromourdoingornot–weareleftwithlittleabilitytofixtheproblem.Healthymarginsgiveusthewherewithaltofixmistakes,earntrustandbuildloyaltywithourclients.Inthisway,ourmostprofitableclientsgetourbestservice.Itdoesnothappentheotherwayaround.Superiorservicedoesnotimproveprofit;profitimprovesservice.

Thetestforthisistheringingphone.Whenwelookdownandseetheprofitableclient’sname,wearehappytopickup.Whentheunprofitableclientcalls,wecringe.Ourclientsknowwhethertheyaregettingthebestfromus,buttheyrarelyknowwhy.Failingtochargeenoughleavesuslittleroomtomoveandcreatesdiscordantdynamicswithourclients.Allofthisaffectsthequalityofourworkandourreputationsasreliableadvisors.

Everyclientonourrosterdeservesourfullestattention,ourbestserviceandourcommitmenttofixingmistakes.Forustodeliverthistothemtheyneedtodelivertoustheprofitmarginthatwillallowit.Weneedtoacceptnothingless.Healthyprofitmarginisvital,forsometimestherightthingtodoistogivesomeofitbackinordertocorrectabadsituation.Theimpliedunderstandingis:wewillbepaidwellandinexchangewewilltakecareoftheclient.Wewillmakeallthelittleproblemsgoaway.

Howmanyclientrelationshipproblemscouldhavebeenavoidedorfixedifwe

Howmanyclientrelationshipproblemscouldhavebeenavoidedorfixedifwehadchargedproperly?Howmanyofourclientscouldwehavedonebetterforsimplybycommandingalittlebitmoremoney?

TheDeathoftheChangeOrderThechangeorderrepresentsmostofwhatiswrongwithourbusinessmodelandourclientrelationships.Firmslikeoursarenotfiredoverthelargeinvoicesforstrategicwork;theyarefiredoverthesmallinvoicesfortacticalwork.Itisthechangeorderthatcreatestheresentmentthatbuildsuntiltherelationshipsnaps.

Wouldweeliminatethechangeorderandtheclientresentmentthatcomeswithitifwehaditinourpowertodoso?Suchanachievementispossible.Whentheclientallowstheexpertfirmtotakecontroloftheengagementandchargemore,hedoesawaywiththeinjusticeofanewinvoiceeverytimeasmalltacticalchangeisrequested.Isthisnotatradeoffthatqualityprofessionalsandbetterclientswouldmake?

TimeorThinking:WhatAreWeSelling?Wesellourthinkingbutwedoourselvesagrossdisserviceinsellingitbythehour.Thesurestwaytocommoditizeourownthinkingistosellitinunitsofdoing:time.Laterintheengagement,whenthestrategyworkhasbeendoneandwearedeepintoimplementationwork,theclientbuysourtime.Itisourthinking,however,thatseparatesusfromourcompetitionandformsthebasisofourabilitytopremiumprice.Whenwechargeforthisthinkingbythehourweundomuchoftheworkofthepreviousproclamations.“Howmuchanhour?”weheartheclientthink.“Howmanyhours?”Whenweemploycommoditypricingweinvitecommoditycomparisons,regardlessofthevaluewedeliver.Thedefiningcharacteristicofacommodityisaninabilitytosupportanypricepremium.Ifwecannotwinwhilechargingmore,thenwemustfacetherealitythatwearesellingacommodity.

StrategyisNotWhatbutHow

StrategyisNotWhatbutHowWhileourengagementsfollowthefourphasesofdiagnose,prescribe,applyandreapply,itistheoutcomesofthethirdandfourthphasesthatarethedeliverablestheclientseeks.Ourstrategy–diagnosesandprescription–ishowwedowhatwedo.Thestrengthofourstrategicprocesses,rootedinourdeepexperienceandsystematicthinking,iswhatensuresourhighlikelihoodofahigh-qualityoutcome.Thisisthebasisofthepremiumwecommand,thereforeweshouldnotbechargingforitinunitsoftime.

Wemustpriceourupfrontwork,rightuptothefirstcreativedeliverable,inbigroundnumbersthatendinzeros,andthusclearlyimplythatourpricingfortheseserviceshaslittletodowiththehoursittakestodeliverthem.

Forthereapplicationworkthatfollows,wearefreetochargebythehour.Whenourclientsbuyourthinking,however,theyneedtounderstandtheyarenotbuyingitinunitsoftime.Itisnotuntilweceasetosellthesestrategicservicesbythehourthatwecantrulychargemore.

PremiumPricingImprovesCommitmentWeneverwantourclientstobeinsituationswhereitiseasyforthemtodecidetonottakeouradvice.Anytimesomeonehiresanoutsideexpert,theultimateoutcomeheseeksistomoveforwardwithconfidence.Whatisthevalueofgoodadvicenotactedupon?Yes,itisourjobtotellhimwhattodo,butthatisoftentheeasypart.Weareequallyobligedtogivehimthestrengthtodoit.

Wearenotmeetingourfullobligationstoourclientswhenwemakerecommendationsthattheyfindeasytoignore.Thepricewechargeforsuchguidanceshouldbeenoughthatourclientsfeelcompelledtoact,lesttheyexperienceaprofoundsenseofwastedresources.Theremustbetheappropriateamountofpainassociatedwithourpricing.Thisimpliestheneedforourpricingtochangeasthesizeoftheclientchanges.Largerorganizationsneedtopaymoretoensuretheircommitment.

LargerClientsGetGreaterValueAnotherreasonlargerclientsmustpaymoreistheyderivegreaterfinancialvaluefromsimilarworkwewoulddoforsmallerorganizations.TochargeJohnDoeChevroletwhatwewouldchargeGeneralMotorsforthesameworkwouldbeirresponsibleofus.Thelargerclientpaysmoretoensurehiscommitmenttosolvinghisproblemandtoensurehiscommitmenttoworkingwithus–andhepaysmorebecausewearedeliveringaservicethathasagreaterdollarvaluetohim.

ReinvestinginOurselvesOfalltheinvestmentopportunitieswewillfaceinourlives,fewwillyieldreturnsgreaterthanthoseopportunitiestoinvestinourselves.Pricepremiumsgiveustheprofittoreinvestinourpeople,ourenterpriseandourselves.Thecorporationsthatwemostadmirearetheonesthatinvestinresearchanddevelopment.Wemustfollowtheirpath.Whileothersgetbyonslimmargins,winningonprice,wewillusesomeofourgreaterprofitmarginstobetterourselvesandputgreaterdistancebetweenourcompetitionandus.

BetterMarginsEqualBetterFirmsandBetterClientsOnthesemanylevels,chargingmoreimprovesourabilitytohelpourclientsandincreasesthelikelihoodthatwewilldeliverhigh-qualityoutcomes.Itallowsustoselectthebestclients–thosethatwearemostabletohelp.Likeleaningintothediscomfortofmoneyconversations,chargingmoremightnotcomenaturallyorseemeasy,butitisbetterforeveryone,includingtheclient,andsothistooweshalllearntodowithconfidence.

XII

{TheTwelfthProclamation}

WeWillHoldOurHeadsHigh

Wewillseeourselvesasprofessionalpractitionerswhobringrealsolutionstoourclients’businessproblems.Wewillseekrespectabovemoney,foronlywhenwearerespectedasexpertswillwebepaidthemoneyweseek.Thismoneywillallowustoreinvestinourselves,becomeevenbetteratwhatwedoanddelivertoourfamiliesandourselvestheabundancewedeserve.

Today,weinthecreativeprofessionsfindourselvesstandingatacrossroads.Ontheoneside,theprocessofdesignisfinallybeingseenasthelastgreatdifferentiatorofbusinessesandeconomies;whileontheother,theoutputsareincreasinglyseenascommodities.

Technologyandoversupplyarecombiningtorapidlywidenthegulfbetweenthecommoditizedtacticianswhonowbidtheirservicesagainsteachotheronline,andtheexpertpractitionerswhocommandsignificantfeesforleadingtheirclientstonovelsolutionstomeaningfulbusinesschallenges.Themiddleisdisappearing.Theneedtochooseapathisbeingforceduponus.Ifwecontinuetochoosenottochoose,thedecisionwillbemadeforus,andwewillbepusheddownthecommodityroadwherewewillresidewiththousandsofotherorder-takersupplierswhowillneverbefreeofthepitch.

Thisisnotabadtimetobeforcedintodecision.Theworldiswakinguptotheideathatthechallengesofbothbusinessesandsocietiesarechallengesofdesign,creativityandinnovation.Theopportunityforustohaveameaningfulimpactontheworldhasrarelybeenlarger.

SustainingtheDreamFromtheverybeginning,weweredrivenbysomeboldideas.Weweretaughtinschoolthattheartist’splaceintheworldwasspecial.Wewereencouragedbyourteachersandfellowstudentstolivethedream,tosurrendertoourpassionandrevelinthenobilityofourcraft.Absentamongtheseearlyencouragements,however,wasanydiscussionofmoneyorbasicbusinesspractices.Wewerenevertaughttoaddresstheveryissueofsustainability:howtoensureourpracticethrivessothatwemaykeepdoingwhatweloveforaslongasitmovesus.

Thereisnobilityinourcraft.Thereisaspecialplaceforthosewithourskillsofseeingandcreating.Whenwecommittobuildinganenterprisearoundtheseskills,however,wemustalsocommittoacquiringanothersetofskillsthatwillallowourenterprisetothrive.LetusdreamthedreambutalsobepracticalenoughtomakeTheDifficultBusinessDecision,andletusmakeahabitofbargingheadlongintothesometimes-undesirabletasksthatmustbedoneifourenterpriseistothrive.Dreamsalonearenotenough.

SelectivityisPowerWhenweexpressourresentmentfortheclientwhodoesnotvalueus,wearereallyexpressingourself-loathingfornotbeingabletowalkawayfromhim.Wemustacceptthatthebadclientsandtheridiculousselectionprocessesarenotgoingaway.Thosethatexpectustoworkforfreeasameansofprovingourwortharenotsuddenlygoingtodisappear.Itis,afterall,theclient’smoney.Hecanemployanymeanshelikestoselectsomeonetohelphim,nomatterhowabsurdorinsulting.Wecanonlycontrolhowwerespond.Thepowerwewieldisthepowertowalkaway.

Thereisalwaysanother,betteropportunitybehindtheonefacingus.Ifwecannotseeit,wemustatleastbelieveit.Infollowingthetwelveproclamationswewillleavethepoorclientstoourcompetitors,andinthiswayacknowledge

wewillleavethepoorclientstoourcompetitors,andinthiswayacknowledgethatthefree-pitchingproblemisnevergoingaway–itisonlygoingawayfromus.

AmongtheProfessions,butApartWhilewestrivefortherespectthatiseasilyassignedtotheotherprofessions,wemustacknowledgethatwearedifferent.Weaimtobringtoourenterprisethebusinesssavvythattheybringtotheirs,butweknowwecanneverbethem.Wedidn’tchooseourcraft;itchoseus.Andwewereneverinthisforthemoney.Eventhoughwecannolongerdenytheimportanceofit,itisstillnotmoneythatdrivesus.Profitistheproofoftheworthofourenterprise.Itvalidatesourgiftsandgivesusthestrengthtomakeourmarkontheworld,andthatisallwehaveeverwanted.Likeallcreativepeople,weonlyseektocreate,andindoingso,somehowchangetheworld.

Weaimedthishighintheearlydaysofourpractice,butthengotburiedintheminutiaeofrunningabusiness.Perhapswestartedtobelievetheliethattogetnewclientswehadtosacrificealittlebitofself-respect.Weoccasionallyfoundourselvesgroveling.Toooften,wedidadequateworkforpoormoneyforpeoplewhodidn’tvalueus.Theactsofcreatingandproblemsolvingbringusfulfillment,butthestrugglesofrunningacreativebusinessoftenpushusfurtherfromourloftygoal.Howcanweharnessourgiftstochangetheworldiftheyaresocommonorundervaluedthattheymustbegivenawayforfree?

TheReturnofVisionWhatweoncesawasabattlewithourclientswenowseeasajourneyofpersonaltransformation.Oneproclamationatatime,thefoglifts,thepathbecomesclearerandsoonsuccessappearspossible,theninevitable.

TheGiftWeMightGiveWepossesssomethingthatmostothersdonot.Weseewhatotherscannot.Wecanconceivewhatdoesnotyetexist.Atourverybest,wehaveitwithinusto

canconceivewhatdoesnotyetexist.Atourverybest,wehaveitwithinustolayoutthefutureandleadpeopletoit.Whenweimagineourselvesatourbest,wecanseeagainthechangewemightbringtotheworld.Wecanseethepowerwehavetomovepeopleandorganizations.Atourbest,whatproblemcanwenotsolve?Inbandingtogetherwithotherslikeus,whatchangecanwenotbringabout?

Wearethepeoplewhosee.Thecauseofourrevolutionisnottoridtheworldoffreepitching;itistobuildabusinessthatallowsustorisetothehighestheightspossibleandmakeanimpactontheworldthatislargerthanus.

Wewillmasterthetwelveproclamationssothatourenterprisemaysustainusandnourishourcreativity.Wewilldogreatworkforthosewhorespectusandpayusourworth.Fromourrewardswewilluseourgiftstoliftourfamilies,inspireourcommunitiesandinfluenceallofhumankind.Focus,selectivity,respectfulselling,continuouslearningandconqueringmoney–thesearebutstepsonourpath.

Acknowledgements

Thecontributionsofdozensofmyclientsfillthesepages.ToallofthemIamgratefulforthetrusttheyhaveshowninmeandforalltheyhavetaughtme.

Morethananyoneelse,threecolleagueshavehelpedformmythinking.PaulineO’Malley(therevenuebuilder.com)showedmethatsellingcouldbedonerespectfullyandlogically.Herteachingsareeverywhereinmyworkandhervoicecontinuestoguideme.TheideasofDavidC.Baker(recourses.com)–mentor,colleague,publisherandfriend–alsoappearthroughoutthesepages.David’simpactonmyworkissoprofoundthatInolongerattempttokeeptrackofwhatismineandwhatishis.CalHarrison(beyondreferrals.com)hasbeenaninvaluablecollaborator,reviewer,teacherandlong-timefriend.Ihavebeenshapedby,andhavestolenfrom,allofthem.

Threewritersofferedvaluablefeedbackonthismanuscript,andguidanceonnavigatingthewritingprocess.IamindebtedtofellowKaslovians,HolleyRubinskyandRandyMorse.Idon’tpretendthatthethird,MarkTwain,wouldbehappywiththisfinalversion,butintwicerisingfromthedeadtowarnmeagainstpublishingthemanuscriptprematurely,hehelpedensurethatIamhappywithit.

MywifeColetteEnnsdidwhatshealwaysdoes:supportedmeunblinkinglythroughoutthebook,thebusinessandlife.Here,wordsfail.

AbouttheAuthorBlairEnnsisabusinessdevelopmentadvisortocreativefirmsworldwide.HeliveswithhisfamilyinKaslo,BritishColumbia,Canada.

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