So many consultants are brilliant at what they do, but they don’t like being self-promotional. They don’t like negotiating. In fact, many consultants don’t like anything about the sales process.

In his ground-breaking book Million Dollar Consulting, even Alan Weiss confesses that his impetus for inventing a better way to bring in work was his disdain for sales as it is typically done.

Promoting and selling our services can be a necessary evil. Or it can be a joyful way of engaging people. So then, what does it take to move away from the “fear and loathing” and step towards a better relationship with the dreaded “s” word?

What would it take to actually fall in love with the sales process?

Let’s find out together at the next #NPCons Twitter chat – next Tuesday, January 17th at 1pm US Pacific time. See you there!

So let’s turn that silliness into something useful – a list of “bests” that can actually move us all forward. As our holiday gift to each other this year, let’s talk about the most effective questions you have either asked or been asked this year.

• What was the most effective question you asked of your clients this year? What made it effective? What was the result?
• What was the most effective question someone asked YOU this year?
• What was the most effective question you asked yourself?

Looking forward to a lively year-end chat on Tuesday, December 20 at 1pm US Pacific time. See you there!

“How can we bring more organizations together?” was the discussion this week amongst the ED’s gathered for a monthly meeting in Lake Havasu City. Conversation ranged from the frustrations of knowing some organizations will happily remain in their silos, to the successes achieved in the last year. W has helped these community leaders see the vision of what is possible as a result of collaboration?

The ED of a local youth organization called to tell me about the exciting developments in the relationships she’s building with the local school district, businesses, service clubs and other organizations. Her excitement wars with her fears that the sustainability being built in to the organization won’t happen fast enough for it to survive. What if the founders of this 30 year old organization had started building those collaborations from the organization’s beginnings?

Just as interesting are the supportive relationships developing in the Nonprofit Consultants group on Facebook. As we come together to share ideas and help each other, what collaborations might develop over the long term and how might we and our clients benefit?

One of my favorite tools for helping frame a discussion about requirements for collaboration vs. cooperation or coordination comes from a 2005 blog post by David Pollard http://bit.ly/bqtvI5. In comparing the elements and outcomes of each approach, the purpose of collaboration is to, “Achieve collective results that the participants would be incapable of accomplishing working alone.”

What have the organizations you work with been able to accomplish through collaboration that they would not have been able to do alone? What difference have those collaborations made in the communities they serve?
How has your involvement as a consultant enhanced those collaborative efforts? How do you collaborate with others to enhance your work?

Looking forward to hearing from you on Tuesday, November 15 1pm Pacific Time (US). See you there!

Here are some examples:
• How can we get orgs to adopt social media?
• How can we get orgs to collaborate more?
• How can we get orgs to see the value in X or Y?

Regardless of the content, the intent is the same. How can we overcome clients’ reluctance to move beyond what they already know and do?

So rather than focusing on those individual content questions, let’s get to the real issue. How do we get clients to do – whatever?

Looking forward to a great conversation!!!!

Tuesday, October 18th at 1pm Pacific time (US). See you there!

First, along with the +2 dozen other books I’ve been reading during a 6 week writing sabbatical, I’ve been intrigued with the concepts behind Keith Ferrazzi’s book, Who’s Got Your Back.  The book focuses on building a team of trusted advisors, to enhance one’s strength as a leader, regardless of the work we do.  And while I confess I skimmed most of the book (a bit too macho/aggressive in its approach for me), it is the concept of having a team of trusted advisors that grabbed hold and would not let go.

Then there was the email from a graduate of Creating the Future’s consultants immersion course – perhaps the most passionate pursuer of possibility I know. Here is part of his note:

When you get down to it, it’s the people we reach out to that keep us going.  Without the kids [our organization helps], I don’t know where I would be. They have been my greatest source of healing.

What are your sources of healing?

And then lastly, there was a Facebook post by Beth Kanter that just happened to be in my stream when I happened to look – about hubris as the enemy of creativity and innovation.

Who’s Got Your Back?
Consultants are expected to be the smart ones in the room – to be the one who can right all the wrongs, fix all problems, make everything ok. Our monthly NPCons chats often touch on the issue of whether or not it does our clients good when we consultants act as experts.

But let’s set aside for the moment what is good for the client (yes, that’s what I said). Let’s instead focus on what the assumption of “being the expert” means for us as consultants.

When our livelihood and our professional “being” is all bout being the smartest one in the room, where do we turn when WE need help? When WE need advice? When WE need – as my Creating the Future colleague said – healing?

Which is why my thinking about hubris suddenly came full circle. When we think we have all the answers, what happens when we realize that’s simply not true? Where do WE turn for guidance and support? Who DOES have our backs?

So this month, let’s explore…

• What could a circle of supportive professional advisors mean for your work and your life?
• What would it take for you to have such individuals in your corner?
• Where do you go for supportive guidance, to explore different answers AND to be asked different questions?
• What would need to be in place for you to move beyond your own comfort zone? What would need to be in place for you to feel ok about exploring beyond the practices you assume are “best practice?” What would need to be in place for you to ask yourself dispassionately, “What if I’m wrong?”
• When things go badly, where can you turn for understanding – or support – or just a beer and an evening of “can-you-top-this” stories?
• What are your sources of healing?

Looking forward to a great conversation.  See you on Tuesday, September 20th at 1pm US-Pacific time!

When my friend raises it to her family, they all insist, “Our business is different. You can’t plan for what we do…”

If there were ever an example of the old expression, “The cobbler’s kids go shoeless” – we consultants are often the worst.

• Consultants who urge their clients to collaborate, but who don’t partner with other consultants.
• Strategic planning consultants who have no business plan.
• Fundraising consultants who are always broke.
• Nonprofit resource centers – the teachers and consultants to whole communities – who teach evaluation but don’t measure their own outcomes.
• Seasoned consultants who advise “newbie” consultants to do all sorts of smart things that they themselves perhaps used to do, but haven’t done in years…

The list goes on and on.  It’s not that we don’t know we should, but in reality, how often do we consultants do everything we advise our clients to do?

So this month, let’s look at how we can support each other in being for ourselves what we provide to our clients.

• What percentage of what you advise to clients do you do for yourself? (And are you guessing or do you really know? Go back over your past few months recommendations to clients – what percentage of that do you REALLY do?)
• If you do most (if not all) of what you recommend to clients, what allows you to focus so clearly on your business, that the rest of us might learn from?
• And if you would like to do a whole lot more of what you recommend to your clients, how can this group help you to do more of what you know works?

Looking forward to a lively chat – Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 1pm Pacific time / 4pm Eastern time (US time). See you there!

Photo credit: Medjai on Wikimedia Commons

Our clients lament not having time to think, to explore, to research, to connect with others. They lament not having time to rejuvenate, to get to know people, to just be.

And yet when they do take time, they find fresh ideas, fresh perspectives, solutions to problems. And they find joyful connections that can actually save them time in the future!

So let’s take some time this month to talk about taking time – both for our clients, and for ourselves!

• What do your clients wish they had more time for?
• What do you wish your clients would take more time to do?  What do you wish they would take time to learn about? To explore? To create?
• How might we create an environment that encourages / allows them to do so? What would it take?
• And then how does that translate to our personal and professional lives as consultants? What do we wish WE would take more time to do? And how to make that happen?

Looking forward to exploring together!

Please note: The #NPCons chat has been rescheduled to Tuesday, June 28th 1pm US-PT. See you there!

Photo Info: Stormy sky in the Arizona desert 2011

Can we have a question about “When the Dream Turns Into a Nightmare?” I’m having one of those weeks. #NPCons

We’ve all had weeks like Maria’s – client stuff that arises mid-engagement that throws us for a loop.

Stuff they never mentioned prior to our beginning work, that hugely impacts our ability to get the job done.

Or an unforeseeable crisis – a key person being somehow taken out of the picture (new job, emergency, etc.)

Or six jobs that were never noted in the contract – tasks YOU assumed THEY would be doing, and THEY assumed YOU would be doing. Tasks you are clearly NOT getting paid for, but that, if you don’t do them, will prevent your deliverables from being deliverable!

There are as many variables for what can turn a dream gig into a nightmare as there are variables of human behavior.  One thing that is pretty constant – blame starts to flow. Whether it is the client blaming you, you blaming the client, you blaming yourself (or the full moon, or the fact that Saturn is in retrograde, or…) – when the nightmare begins to strike, blame is simply a warning sign that we are feeling out of control.

So this month, let’s focus on the things we CAN control:

• What can we do to better ensure smooth sailing in our consulting engagements?
• How can we minimize surprises?
• How can we prepare / propose / think things through early on, to prevent mid-game disasters?

Join us for a lively discussion on Tuesday, May 17 at 1pm US – PT (4pm ET). Bring your “nightmare” stories and let’s see how we can begin to nightmare-proof our work!

Stepping back to consider those seemingly varied responses, the through-line jumped out at us.

Maybe it’s spring fever (for those in the north). Maybe it’s the first chill in the air (for those in the south). But the essence of all those responses was the longing for things to be better – easier, more exciting, less stress, less same-old-same-old.

Regardless of the image that drew each of us to consulting, the day-to-day reality is a mixture of amazing and – well – less so.  “Being your own boss” also means having all the responsibility and all the pressure. “Permission to be creative, to explore” can at times also mean being mentally (emotionally?) tapped out.

So if we were “living the consulting dream,” what would that dream be? What would your own dream-made-real look like?

• Reliable, sufficient income?
• Interesting clients?
• The ability to learn and grow and try new things?
• Just the right amount of work?
• Flexibility?
• The ability to make a bigger difference?

And what will it take to make the “consulting dream” our reality?

Sounds like you may want to invite friends to join this month’s chat, for sure!  Let’s be the dream!

See you on Tuesday, April 19 at 1pm US Pacific time.

“Don’t dream it; be it.” Dr. Frank N. Furter
You were thinking it; someone had to say it…

Here is what Cheryl suggested: “I’ve seen boards panicking because of $ issues and taking desperate measures.”

The effect of fear upon a board obviously extends beyond just a board’s dealings with consultants. Fear-driven boards make fear-based decisions about everything!

And while it is easy to think it is the economy that is causing their  fear, those who have been consulting for several economic cycles know that boards are often fear-driven even when times are good.

Consultants and Boards
In most small (and even mid-sized organizations), if a consultant is going to be hired, the board is going to be involved. From grant-writers to planning consultants and everything in between, at a minimum the board will be the ones to approve the contract.

To have the work be truly effective, though, board involvement in the contract negotiations is only the beginning. Especially in small to mid-sized organizations (but also with very large ones), successful results of our work inside the organization frequently hinges on board involvement.

What that translates to is this reality:

Working with boards is an integral part a consultant’s work, whether or not we are “Board Consultants.”

So let’s figure out what it would take for boards to be just the opposite of fear-driven. Let’s figure out how we might build courageous boards.

• What would a courageous board look like? What could be the impact for an organization if its board was courageous?

• What causes the fear boards face? And what might then create the opposite – an environment that feels safe and solid? What would boards need to have for that to be their reality?

• How can we as consultants help create that environment, from the moment we have our first conversation with the board?

Getting excited – this should be a good one! (But then, these chats are all terrific. If you are new to the chat, check out the archives and you’ll see what I mean!)

See you at the chat! Tuesday, March 15 at 1pm US-PT.

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“Building Courageous Boards” #NPCons chat for consultants to #nonprofit orgs http://is.gd/VueaJ9 Tue Mar15 1pm US-PT (Pls RT)