Alan Weiss Quotes

Real wealth is discretionary time. Money is simply fuel for your life. You can always make another dollar, but you can’t make another minute. Don’t let the pursuit of money erode your wealth.

None of us—not you, not me—is here to stick a toe in the water. We’re here to make waves.

You Will Be What You Decide to Be, Nothing Less, Nothing More

Abraham Maslow observed, “When the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.

Million Dollar Consulting Orchestration: if you don’t blow your own horn, there is no music.

One Percent Solution: Videotape clients giving you testimonials and place these on your Web site home page. This is the most dramatic video marketing tool that I know of.

The only measure that matters is improved results—an improved client condition, in this case represented by objectives met and validated by key metrics.

You grow based on exploiting strengths, not by acclimating to weaknesses.

Objectives are business outcomes and results that have substantial impact on the products, services, and relationships of the enterprise, and which can be measured. They may be new opportunities reached or problems solved.

Don’t accept contingency fees or “pay for performance”; you’re not a trained animal act. Variables are often outside your control, and besides, you’re being paid for your best advice. It’s up to the client to implement it effectively.

Ironically, most people submit proposals far too early and far too often. They are actually at the conclusion of the sales process, just prior to a project’s launch. When a proposal is accepted, you should be able to begin work immediately.

The key to finding a terrific mentor is not to pursue someone who is at the very top of the profession, but to find someone who two years ago was where you are now. He or she will be most familiar with your current situation, and have relevant, timely experiences and perspective to share.

Too many consultants fall in love with their own methodology. Success in this business comes from marketing, not from the depth of consulting expertise. I know that this is heresy to many of you, but all the nonrainmaking consulting gurus are working for somebody else and merely earning a paycheck.

Always ask yourself, “Would I be proud of this if it appeared all over the Internet tomorrow?

On a more localized basis, you can and should relentlessly pursue need within your clients and with your prospects.

Whenever you receive or generate a lead, don’t simply do backflips because someone is interested in your services.

Value, like beauty, may be in the eye of the beholder, but it’s nonetheless discussable and mutually appreciated.

only measure that matters is

when people knock on your door, credibility is assumed and fees are whatever you say they are.

The key is to minimize labor while maximizing fees.

The humorist George Ade once said, 'Don't pity the martyrs, they love the work.

When you settle for “vanilla” objectives such as “increased clarity,” or “more confidence,” or “higher commitment” (which I call “human resources objectives” because they are so weak and nonmeasurable), you deny yourself the opportunity to create dynamic ROI, where the client receives huge benefit and your equitable compensation is quite reasonable in light of that improvement.

No money. There is always money! The lights are on, the floors are clean, people at their desks are being paid. Professional services providers think that money is a resource. It is not. It’s a priority. So the question is really not one of finding money but of moving money that already exists from something else to you.

When you settle for “vanilla” objectives such as “increased clarity,” or “more confidence,” or “higher commitment” (which I call “human resources objectives” because they are so weak and nonmeasurable),

My fee represents my contribution to this project with a dramatic return on investment for you and equitable compensation for me.

Fees are money paid you as equitable compensation for the value you’ve delivered.

should be seen as a credible peer by clients and prospects, not as a vendor, salesperson, or subordinate.  client

While generosity is about more than just money, bear in mind that the idea of it is really based not so much on what you give but rather what you have left after you give.

These 11 questions best elicit true business objectives: 1. What is the ideal outcome you’d like to experience? 2. What results are you trying to accomplish? 3. What better product/service/customer/employee condition are you seeking? 4. Why are you seeking to do this (work/project/engagement)? 5. How would the operation be different as a result of this work?

6. Why are you considering this project (to improve what)? 7. How would image/repute/credibility be improved? 8. What harm (e.g., stress, dysfunction, turf wars) would be alleviated? 9. How much would you gain on the competition as a result? 10. How would your value proposition be improved? 11. How would you most easily justify this investment?

The Acme Company is a provider of financial services located in Cheyenne, which has been in business for 30 years and has a capitalized market value of $800 million. The Acme buyer knows this! It’s nothing novel or new or related to the project. It’s irrelevant. Here’s an excellent situation statement: The Acme Company has traditionally attracted the best and brightest talent because of its excellent brand and relationships with top schools. However, recent bad publicity over poor financial decisions, the removal of the CEO, and loss of key contacts in top schools have made it imperative to launch an aggressive plan to acquire the best talent in the industry, both at entry and senior levels. That situation appraisal explains exactly why you’ve been talking, why the project is urgent, and what the general goals are. Take a project you’re considering, have under way, or have completed, and try writing your own situation appraisal below:

charts, yada yada. I hated this stuff, and the thought of trying to embrace it and make a living at it was anathema. So I decided that I’d go with my natural inclinations and oppose it. And a contrarian was born.

These 11 questions best elicit true business objectives: 1. What is the ideal outcome you’d like to experience? 2. What results are you trying to accomplish? 3. What better product/service/customer/employee condition are you seeking? 4. Why are you seeking to do this (work/project/engagement)? 5. How would the operation be different as a result of this work? 6. Why are you considering this project (to improve what)? 7. How would image/repute/credibility be improved? 8. What harm (e.g., stress, dysfunction, turf wars) would be alleviated? 9. How much would you gain on the competition as a result? 10. How would your value proposition be improved? 11. How would you most easily justify this investment? A few of these questions honestly

front of the house.” The

If they were, they might not care for an article by Rand, published in Cosmopolitan in April 1963, in which she distinguished between “Money-Makers” and “Money-Appropriators.”6 Rand’s views were rooted in the long-gone days of heavy industry, so she admired “Money-Makers” who exemplify “the discoverer who translates his discovery into material goods.” The Money-Appropriator, on the other hand, “is essentially noncreative—and his basic goal is to acquire an unearned share of wealth created by others. He seeks to get rich, not by conquering nature, but by manipulating men” and by “social maneuvering.” The Money-Appropriator “does not produce, he redistributes; he merely switches the wealth already in existence from the pockets of its owners to his own.” Rand was aiming her ridicule directly at Wall Street. In the article, she quoted her longtime associate Alan Greenspan addressing “what percentage of men in our business world he would regard as authentic Money-Makers—as men of fully sovereign, independent judgment.” Greenspan’s response, “a little sadly: ‘On Wall Street—about five per cent; in industry—about fifteen.

Let’s say that a client has asked you to speak to a management team of 50 people. It is a successful high-tech (or health-care or automotive—it really doesn’t matter) organization in a competitive marketplace. The vice president of operations wants to instill formalized techniques that people can use to constantly raise their own standards and outpace the competition. Your speech is the kickoff for the daylong conference. All of the other speakers and activities involve internal people.

I can meet with you again Monday at the same time here in your office, or any morning next week by Skype, or Wednesday and Thursday for lunch—which is best?

You will see an immediate increase in every aspect of business acquisition (meetings, follow-up, suggestions, and so forth), and every aspect of your life once you form the habit of naturally offering options. Why

Marketing is the art and science of creating need. You can reach out to people to do this, but it’s far more effective to attract them to you.

Alanism: The phrase “specialize or die” is among the worst advice in the world. You need to “generalize and thrive.

strategic planning without managing strategic momentum. Alan Weiss, in his irreverent book Our Emperors Have No Clothes, explains that in these situations the problem is that “[s]trategy is usually viewed as an annual exercise at best, an event that creates a ‘product,’ and not a process to be used to actually run the business.”30

I deconstructed what we actually do when we're successful in being wise. The fuel tanks... that contain the propellant that enables you to accelerate at any time are: Recognition of success. Knowing when you've met or exceeded goals, and why... Positive self-talk. This is the psychologically healthy step of generalizing your victories and isolating your defeats, and looking at obstacles as challenges to be overcome and not problems that will sink you. Healthy feedback intolerance. We should listen to those we respect and have asked for advice, and not be battered like a ball in a pinball machine by every random piece of feedback (almost all of which is to benefit the sender, not you). Appropriate avatars. Who are the exemplars we most admire, and how can we emulate the traits that cause us to hold them in such esteem? A dynamically growing skill set. We should be learning daily through our efforts, our coaching of others, our investment in our own development. Social cue adeptness. The ability to understand from your observation and listening what is appropriate behavior or an appropriate response in wildly divergent environments and circumstances. Judgment. The ability to discern between fighting for a principle and surrendering cordially to a matter of taste, and acting appropriately on all occasions.