6/15/04 Quantum Physics and Consulting

Trust me, there is a connection. And if not, I'll create one..

Our local sheriff's department has come up with a new way to monitor speeding. (Yes we call them sheriffs here in Texas) They have this device (gadget? thingie?) that they place in the median. It's about five feet wide, 6 feet tall. There's a large display of the speed limit on top, and below that is an electronic display of your speed as you approach it. Probably solar powered, with a laser gun pointed at the traffic. No enforcement personnel that I could see. No tickets, no fines.

You know what, when I saw that my speed was over the limit, I slowed down. I bet many others did too. Now I will admit, we may have speeded up again a mile or two down the road, but for that brief moment, we were all law-abiding citizens.

Second data point: (You get two for the price of one this time) Attorney General Ashcroft had a major announcement a couple of weeks ago about how terrorists were planning to attack the U.S. again this summer. Big news, scary announcement. It came a few weeks after the special 9/11 committee hearings where every panel member was quizzing those testifying why they had not let the country know in the summer of 2001 about such warnings. On hindsight, some agreed that they should have made some warnings known. So is it a coincidence that in the summer of 2004, we get the AG making the announcement? I think not. They heard the message. They were being watched. So they adapted their actions.

Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle states that sub atomic particles could not be measured (in size, location or speed) because whatever you used to measure (like a ray containing particles) would move the particle being measured.

The corollary as it applies to our world is "The act of measuring actually changes what's being measured." That's why we have status reports. It's not only for clients or project managers to know how we are doing. It's to make sure we are doing what we said we would be doing. See, when we have to report progress, we make a (perhaps unconscious) effort to reach a higher level of completion than we would otherwise reach. It's an inducement to do more. Reporting a delay feels bad, so we try to avoid it (or we hide the delay but that's another matter). Measuring is good - for all parties.

Ashcroft also said "terrorists are 90 percent complete" in their preparations. Boy that made me laugh. It's a reminder of the "90 percent complete syndrome" that a lot of us have fallen for. But that's the subject of another item, in a few days.

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6/7/04 The Great Communicator

Leave your political opinions aside and let's talk about former President Ronal Reagan, who passed away this weekend.

A lot of the commentary has been about how a former actor could get so much done in a complex political system. Comments about how he was perceived to have no "substance." Then we find out that he had his "substance" -- he had deep beliefs, he could set the direction and he would delegate. A great manager -- no, a great leader. Substance? You can get away without it if you have other qualities. Bill Clinton was a "policy wonk." Who accomplished more in 8 years? Clinton or Reagan? (this is a subtle reminder to those consultants who are too proud of their certifications and think that "substance" is the key - the only key - to success.)

Stories - he could tell stories. "He had the knack to put complex ideas in simple terms" they say. Simple statements are always more powerful than long, convoluted ones. Take it a step further - a presentation is stronger with fewer Powerpoint slides. 

Ronald Reagan was ready to negotiate even when he thought he was completely right. A strong man does not feel weakened by having to compromise. "He was ready to take half a loaf, if that was all that was available and work towards getting the other loaf later on."

Even his opponents had good things to say about him. Candidates who ran against him, senators who felt they had to go along with him, even Mikhail Gorbachev. They were impressed by his conviction, his optimistic attitude and the fact that he never said a bad word about anybody.

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4/1/04 "You're fired"

Have you learned anything from watching the Donald Trump / The Apprentice show? (You know, the NBC show where aspiring executives compete with each other and one person from the losing team gets fired on each episode.)

One of the shows registered with me most. The teams were asked to sell items at a flea market and the group with the highest profits would win. One team came back for the day and added up their earnings. And they couldn't find the cash. They had misplaced the cash! It's not that they lost money, they lost THE money. And one of their team members was fired. 

Losing THE money? Totally, unacceptably, fundamentally bad. I think that even what was found of the money had given them a profit, that team should have lost. There are some fundamentals in doing business that nobody  is exempt from. One is keeping the cash.

In our business, that translates into: Keeping your time and expense records impeccably correct, watching over expenses like a hawk (because it's your client's money), billing and collecting on time etc. There are no known excuses for not doing that.

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3/31/04 I'm back

Why a long silence, some have asked. Well, last fall and this winter were pretty bad -- health problems here with the family and the loss of my father. It took us a while to recover.

My father had a long and happy life. I got my work ethic from him. I'm not going to recount all of that here except for one sign that he made an impact. When his customers of the last 50 years heard of the news  they started calling us, the family, to tell us how much they appreciated him and gained from doing business with him. These are people we did not know. But they were moved enough to tell us. And that was very moving for us.

May he rest in peace and may your clients say good things about you after you're done (working with them, I mean)

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8/1/03 One spammer who got it right!

I never thought I could learn from a spammer but I've got to give it to this one who got past my "spam-wall" -- a term I made up to reject spam emails.

I thought I would have my email program take all messages that arrive from people I know, i.e. people on my address book and  move them to a folder I called "People I know". It's worked quite well, and anything that's not in that folder is a candidate to throw away.

Then how did these spam messages get in my "People I know " folder? I wondered if I had ever corresponded with these people and they ended up in my address book? Upon closer inspection, it turns out they modified the originating address to be my email address!  And, since I had built my filter by just copying all the names in my address book to the message filter, my own email address was designated a "person I know." Mystery solved.

But it made me think, what a great way to have someone believe in something: Make them believe it's their own product, their own message, their own idea. Do we do that with clients? Or do we try to cram _our_ ideas down their throats? It would help if we gave them enough facts which would let them be the first to think of the idea we just had.

Not foolproof, but worth trying?

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7/28/03 Bob Hope died yesterday

I had heard of this story before but I think it's appropriate to remember Mr. Hope today with the following:

Don Freeman of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote in April:

"Once, when doctors urged him to seek relaxation on a fishing vacation, he went off to Seattle and a cruise in Pacific waters. The vacation bored him, and he soon returned to Los Angeles. "Bob," a friend said, "you go off on a vacation, and you're back after one week. Why so soon?"

Bob shrugged. 'Fish don't applaud,' he said."

What a line. From a great professional. Remember that next time you're at your desk in your office, happy that you don't have to "face the client" that day: Desks don't pay.

Mr. Hope, we've applauded all your life and we're applauding today. And the fish would, too, if they could.

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6/4/03 Outback opens in New York City

Today's NYT reports about chain restaurants opening in Manhattan and how they have been well received: Applebees, Olive Garden, Outback steakhouse, etc. Now, I lived in Manhattan for 10 years and I know there's no shortage of restaurants, classy, cheap, expensive, ethnic, whichever way you look. Manhattan residents are known as savvy, trendy, focused, unorthodox, whatever you want to call them.

So what's attracting them to these homogenized, almost generic outlets? Consistency. Patrons know they will not be surprised when they go to one of those. They will feel familiar, even reminiscent of their days prior to NYC. A feeling of comfort, physical and emotional.

Think of that next time you spring your next out-of-the-box cutting edge idea on your clients. As much as we're expected to be creative and leading edge, there's a part of everyone who enjoys the old and trusted. Leverage that when you're pushing your breakthrough solutions.

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5/28/03 I built a flagpost bracket!

With Memorial Day coming, I thought it was time to display a flag. I could have bought a 3 by 5 flag with an aluminum pole and a metal bracket for 8.95 at Home Depot and attached it with 3 screws and be done with it. But no, left-brained engineer that I am, I had to use the flag we had so I needed only a pole and a bracket. I bought the pole - that was the easy part. Bracket: I thought the metal brackets looked cheap and they wouldn't fit the 1 inch diameter pole I had bought.

So I got a piece of 4 by 4 and drilled a 1 inch hole through it. But the hole had to be at an angle of about 30 to 45 degrees. Do you know how hard it is to do that? After a few tries, I had to find a better way. And I did. Using two pieces of 4 by 4. (Those interested can email me and I'll describe the solution)

So I drilled the wood, stained it, waterproofed it and attached it. The post went in it and the flag was displayed and we were happy.

It then occurred to me I could have spared all the trouble by spending $8.95 but I wouldn't have had the feeling of accomplishment! Same with our clients: regardless of what they say, they want to be involved. They want to be a part of the project, they want to be part of the solution.

So find something for them to do. Something that they don't have to pay you for. Or something that would let them avoid a cost item. Or one which they'd like to put their personal expertise in. And when they do it, let them take credit for it. Or give them credit, publicly.

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3/14/03 Why is the President flying to the Azores?

News flash: President Bush will fly to the Azores this Sunday to meet the leaders of Britain and Spain "in a last-ditch attempt to win United Nations backing for using military force to disarm Iraq." 

I usually don't comment on geopolitical issues. And I'm not going to start today. This is about consulting and influencing.

I'm sure they enjoy each other's company. So it shouldn't be a difficult meeting. What could they possibly discuss? More strategy, more resolutions. More of the same. All the things they could have done over the telephone and videoconferencing.

What they're missing is they're "talking to themselves." I learned many years ago, when we (the consulting team) would meet day after day to commiserate about the client and what we should be doing to win them over. Until one of the smart team member said: "Guys, we're talking to ourselves. We should be out talking to the client."

How true. Talking to the client was not a fun event. They were difficult, unreasonable, intransigent. (Funny how these are the same words Mr. Blair has used to describe Mr. Chirac.) And it's for that same reason we should have spent more time with them. Forging relationships, coming to a better understanding, trying out solutions etc.

In the same vein, I think Mr. Bush and his friends would have done better if they met with their opponents, face to face. In the absence of that, even the smartest strategies won't accomplish much. Does anyone think that Mr. Chirac will take the weekend off and forget about the meeting in the Azores? No, he will feel more snubbed because he wasn't invited. 

Sometimes we (consultants) learn from them (politicians), and at other times, they could stand to learn from us.

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2/17/03 Consulting and silicon caulk

I installed a storm door / pet door combo with a friend last weekend. (The operative words are "with a friend", indicating that I didn't know what I was doing). The door works fine - I just needed to caulk the openings where the molding meets the exterior of the house. How difficult could that be? I went and bought a tube of silicon caulk and went at it.

It's not as easy as it looks. Silicon caulk is sticky, gooey and won't stay where you put it. So I ended up with a lot of goo on my hands and too much on the wood molding. I figured I could paint over the extra.

Not so fast. The caulk I bought is not paintable. (Upon further examination, "it says so" on the tube.)

How could I have been so stupid? Or to put it another way, why didn't they tell me? Who did I have in mind? Well, my buddy. But he had already left and we assumed I could handle the "easy stuff." The Home Depot staff? Well, I never asked anyone before I paid for it, and in case you haven't noticed, Home Depot reduces their staff by 2% every time their stock price falls by 1%. Which means there wasn't anyone to ask.

"How was I supposed to know" that some caulk is paintable and some are not? The tube said "for windows and doors." Short of hiring a caulk consultant or getting a degree in home repairs?

The point is: I couldn't have known. My degrees are in unrelated fields. And if I had found someone to ask, would I know to ask about the paintability? I don't think so. 

Think of your clients and their answers to your questions about what they want or need or require. They'll answer your questions but you have to know which questions to ask. They are not likely to tell you they need the caulk to be paintable because they assume that all caulk is the same. Let's say you ask them what color the wood molding is going to be, and they say "white." You'd suggest getting white colored caulk. But would you ask if they'd like to paint the spillover caulk? 

Oh, by the way, did I mention that it says "not paintable" on the tube? Except it's in 8 point size, and not in the instructions section but the specifications section. 

So next time you are tempted to blame your client for not noticing that "the system will not function properly unless the temperature is over 32 degrees" which you claim was "clearly stated in the requirements document" -- ask yourself whether it was visible and highlighted or whether it was buried in Appendix 8 of a 200 page document, in 8 point size. 

They're not the experts, you are. You think you're there to give them answers but you're really there to ask questions.

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1/30/03 "There's no excuse for not knowing your lines"

Simon Cowell, one of the three hosts of the talent search show "American idol" said it to the contestants last night. He directed it at the contestants who were eliminated because they did not memorize the lines in their songs or failed to remember them during their performance.

How true. There are some basic, fundamental attributes we need in our consulting business, too. They are what an important person called "hygiene factors," those that our client expects and takes for granted. No amount of expertise or show or schmoozing alleviates the absence of those factors: Begin with the hygienic: cleanliness, visible and olfactory. Then, the professionalism: patience, empathy, flexibility. And honesty, truthfulness and dependability. Such as arriving on time! You can't imagine how important all of these are. It doesn't matter how good you are at anything else. Without these, you're doomed.

A guru who has the best expertise in the universe who misses the hygiene factors? The client will listen to that person (once) and pay the bill. But he's not coming back!

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1/19/03 Another architectural reference - smart prototyping?

12/24/02 Amazon -- a model?

I ordered 6 books online on December 13th from Amazon.com. Nothing special, and NOT related to Christmas gift-giving. (this last part is important). Three of my selections said "Usually ships in 24 hrs." and the others were labeled "Usually ships in 3 days" or "5 days". I figured I was not in a hurry and I went for the cheapest (ground) shipping method. And as luck would have it, the books labeled "3 days" or "5 days" (which means they don't have them in stock and have to order them from the publishers) took as long as that or longer to arrive at Amazon's warehouses. I checked on their online tracking page. By the afternoon of Dec. 20th, they had not shipped the books to me. I wasn't alarmed because as I said, they were not Christmas gifts.

But Amazon was alarmed. They shipped the box on Dec. 20th, with a "complimentary shipping upgrade", 2nd-day air delivery. See, they figured ground shipping wouldn't cut it and they would spring for another $10 or so to make sure the order arrived "when expected." That's the power of great client service. They did not wait for me to tell them what to do, they did not call and apologize, they did not ask if they were Christmas items. They just did it. And I got the books today, Dec. 24. For their $10 extra expense, they bought tons of goodwill.

As a smart person once said: "If you don't know whether you're meeting your client's expectations, you are not."

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12/16/02 30th anniversary of moon landing and 64K memory

We just passed the 30th anniversary of the last moon landing. Which reminded me that the landing capsule computers had about 64K (or some ridiculously low level) of random access memory.

We went to the moon with less RAM than is in your car (or microwave oven or in your cell phone.) Some cynics say that's because the moon capsule was not running Windows! True, Bill Gates was only 17 years old then and the first Intel chip, the 4004 was invented only one year prior to that.

But think of the RAM in the moon capsule that when your client asks for something and you say "It can't be done."  

There's no such thing. It can be done. Given enough time and money and the right objective setting, anything can be done. What you're thinking is "It would be expensive" or "It would take too long" etc. Then say so, instead of "It can't be done."

12/9/02 I'm back and I feel better

I fired my chiropractor. Well, shall we say, I "un-engaged" him. See, I had a small accident at home in September and hurt myself. (This is also an explanation about why this column has been quiet.)

It was not major enough to visit a hospital but bothered me enough a couple of weeks later that I decided to get x-rays taken to see if I had broken anything. I called and made an appointment with this chiropractor who came recommended.

I should have known when I stepped into his office. The first things the receptionist told me were: "Have you been here before ... then you'll have to fill out these forms." and: "Is this insurance or private pay?" No good morning, how're you feeling, how's the pain.

So I saw the doctor, got my x-rays taken. No broken bones. But he "recommended" some treatment that would ease the pain. (read: add-on services).

And I visited his office a few times, accumulating more fees but with very small reduction in pain. You should have seen the efficiency in that office. The doctor had 5 or 6 different examination or treatment rooms. Each with two doors opposite each other. he would walk in one, talk to you for no more than 15 seconds, not even registering the fact whether my pain had gone away or was the same and walk out the other door to his next room, where another "client" had been prepped for his treatment. Very efficient (for him) and not at all effective (for his patients.)

A few weeks later, I stopped. The pain went away in a few weeks, just as my sister had forecasted: "You will suffer as many days as how old you are."

Well, what did this teach me: The first impressions one forms with a professional service provider are usually right. I should have walked out when the receptionist greeted me with the insurance question. And the 15 second "conversations" with the doctor: The service provider's own efficiency means nothing if it does not provide benefits for the client.

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8/19/02 The Pentagon renovation 

They were interviewing the guy in charge of the rebuilding / renovation of the portions of the Pentagon damaged in the attacks of 9/11. He was asked what the biggest challenge had been and I expected him to say something about the budgeting or logistics or the time pressures etc. You see, they're planning to move back into the same spaces by the first anniversary of the attacks. None of what I thought he'd say was on top of his list. He said:

"Getting buy-in from the people whose offices were destroyed" (Or something to that effect.)

Imagine! You're working in a military establishment (almost). A department run by civilians but staffed by civil servants as well as military personnel. People accustomed to executing orders. And he's worrying about how to get them to move to their old offices?

What might they be concerned about? I started thinking. and came up with a few: It's too painful. What if we're attacked again? It's going to have that new building smell. I never liked that office anyway. But how can I complain when so many of my friends died and I survived? Who is this person telling me to move anyway?  Maybe I should just go along. But then I'd lose my individuality. Oh, it's all so complicated.

So what's one supposed to do? That's where change management (CM) professionals come in. The rational concerns can be mitigated by facts: It's going to be safe, it's going to be better than what you had. You will be allowed to personalize it, etc. The emotional concerns can NOT be handled by facts alone. Perhaps enlisting one or two individuals whose opinions are respected and have them move their offices first? (CM folks, chime in here!) 

Those of you who have implemented systems and struggled with buy-in from the user community will have found this a familiar issue. It's not just us, everyone suffers from it!

6/24/02 HDTV and consulting

So we bought a large screen, HDTV-capable television set to prepare for the world cup. And we have been enjoying it a lot. In between all the adjustments and settings that I had to make, studying the usually not helpful manuals, I noticed a couple of things we could learn from TV manufacturers:

One, the color and brightness and sharpness settings are all done on screen, using a joystick-like device. That's not new, but what was new is that the screen picture behind the settings was live -- I could see the results of my adjustments as I was performing them. None of the old "make the setting, exit the menu, see what it looks like, come back and re-adjust." Wouldn't it be great if we could let our our clients take part in the customization part of our work?

Two: Granted, there aren't too many stations broadcasting in HDTV mode. And those that do only broadcast one or two hours a day in pure HDTV. So we'll wait. What's interesting is that the local PBS station is running a two and a half hour HDTV showcase over and over again. One might think that's useless. But on second thought maybe not: The clarity, depth and general beauty of what they're showing makes your mouth water. You think you can't wait for the real thing. And: It makes me think that the lots of money we spent on the unit was worth it. That's the genius in it: Make the client feel that the money was well spent. We could do it too: Highlight the benefits of their expenditure at every opportunity. If there is no opportunity, create one. Always thinking that a project once "sold" has to be re-sold, and re-sold again.

 

 

5/23/02 What I learned in the supermarket 

I was at our local supermarket the other day. You may know the ones -- large, wide, spaces with anything imaginable. Except nothing is easy to find. In their zeal to "manage" traffic paths, "retail consultants" for this market had designed the layout such that one would have to walk a half mile to the most remote corner of the store just to get milk. And walking through the aisles with the most profitable items, mind you. 

But you can't find coffee. Would it be with the milk? No. With the sugars? No. Being male and an engineer, I decided I would find it - no need to ask for directions! After about 2 miles of walking through every aisle, I gave up. I asked this person with a uniform who I guessed would know. "Between the snacks and the wine." 

Who would have guessed? Then he pointed out the "store directory" on the shopping cart and said I could have looked it up there. And walked away.

What did I learn? Retail consultants are no better than we are when it comes to designing with the customer in mind. Two: When a client asks for help, don't rub it in and make him feel stupid by reminding him to read the manual. And three: to make the client know you feel her frustration and not to just hand out ''facts."

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4/16/02 Botox in the Pentagon?

Is it me or is it Victoria Clarke? (public information officer at the Pentagon? As hard as she tries, she comes across (to me at least,) that she's unhappy dealing with the press and disapproves of the questions. 

Now if 4-star generals can appear more friendly and forthcoming than a press officer, you know there's a problem.

Victoria is always frowning. Now I know frowning, it's what I do when faced with a difficult question. But I always try to smile when I do that, suggesting that it's OK to be asked a difficult question. Victoria doesn't smile. 

And she's not even conducting a war, she is fielding questions from the press.

She always jumps in when a reporter asks a question that the general may have trouble fielding. Chill down, Victoria, they can handle it. It's the expression on your face that makes me (and perhaps many others) believe you less than the generals.

This may not be her actual attitude but physical. Perhaps  the Pentagon could spring for some Botox?

Our clients appreciate smiles. Especially when you're giving them bad news.

 

3/22/02 Features vs. benefits. Is user-friendliness a feature?

You know Expedia.com, the travel site. They're running what I think are ingenious commercials. Which tells me they know the differences between features and benefits.

See they're trying to tell us that the fact that one can pick flights by different criteria is an advantage. Sure. It's one thing to say show me flights by price. But they also allow you to display flights by shortest duration. If they stopped there, they would be selling a feature.

The suggested "benefit" is that this is user friendly. But we're flooded with user-friendliness. They have to make it into a real benefit.

So they have this mini-story about a woman going on a business trip and has these images of an obnoxious colleague sitting next to her. She wants to minimize the time spent with this person, so she clicks on "shortest flights' option.

Very smart of Expedia. See, even user-friendliness is not enough these days. You've got to show the WIIFM factor. ("Whats' In IT For Me"). What does ease of use to for ME. "It makes your trips with obnoxious colleagues shorter."

When we try to present an idea to a client, we have to think along the lines of benefits, i.e. what's in it for them. Features don't cut it. Talk benefits and you'll get their interest.

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2/27/02 Enron and the trust issue

I couldn't have said it better. See what Charlie Green has written on the trust issue in the Enron debacle. A must read for any professional service person: Click here  

Charlie Green is one of the authors of "The Trusted Advisor," a most valuable book in any consultant's bookshelf.

1/16/02 Enron and more

Where would one begin? We're based in Houston so this hits very close to home. So many people have been hurt .. Should I mention the thousands who were let go just before Christmas or the South American man who was hired by Enron in September, moved here and found himself without a job or a place to live?  Or the couple who were hired and moved to Houston at "Enron's expense", started work and were fired a few days later -- only to find themselves sued by the moving company because Enron is in bankruptcy, not for the $12,000 they would have charged Enron but for $26,000 because they no longer qualify for the corporate discount?

But there are things we can learn from here. Enron kept the bad news to itself until it was absolutely impossible. And too late, as well. What I tell consultants I counsel is:

Share bad news with your client as soon as you can. And always deliver the bad news with a statement about how you have planned to recover from it.

Two: The whole basis for trust is gone after the Enron affair. Not just Enron executives but auditors, analysts, regulators, banks and many more professions are feeling the fallout. 

As I say in our workshops, Trust is earned in drops and lost in bucketfuls. Take Andersen, for example. Andersen has over 80,000  people working for them. Many -- actually a vast majority -- of them are decent, honest individuals. They were practicing with over 100 years of accumulated trust behind them. One balance sheet at a time.  Whatever they do now - it will be so hard to recover. Let's wish them luck. (I mean the honest ones.)

Update 1/22/01: The couple who were being sued by the moving company are OK now. Enron decided to pay their moving costs. One down, many many to go.

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12/20/01 Windows XP Glitch? Download the upgrade

Microsoft just announced that Win XP "contains several serious flaws that allow hackers to steal or destroy a victim's data files across the Internet or implant rogue computer software.

Microsoft made available on its Web site a free fix for both home and professional editions of Windows XP and forcefully urged consumers to install it immediately.

The flaws, discovered five weeks ago by independent security researchers, . . . . "

First, it took them five weeks to fix it. Then, all they say is "download the fix." They've sold SEVEN MILLION copies. Do their servers even have the capacity to serve that many people? Do the seven million users know how to or are they willing to? 

Microsoft also said it would not send e-mail reminders to XP customers detailing the importance of downloading the fix.

OK, they also said, "a new feature of Windows XP, known as "drizzle,'' can automatically download the free fix, which takes several minutes to download, and prompt consumers to install it."

But it still comes down to the user doing something. And how many of those users have turned the "drizzle" option on? 

Posting the fix does not SOLVE the problem. Good client service requires that you bend over backwards to fix a problem that you created. Remember the Tylenol scare, the Pentium calculation error? Admit responsibility and do everything humanly possible to fix it. That's how good consultants earn their keep.

Microsoft shares lost 3 percent on the news. That's about 10 billion dollars.

Mr. Gates, how about shipping out seven million update CD's? You've got the addresses since you required them to "register" to activate XP. Total cost: At retail rates, no more than 3 million dollars. Or another idea: Place a box of update CD's at every CompUSA and Barnes & Noble store, as AOL does.

Granted the mailed CD's may arrive late, but the impression it would create would reduce the PR nightmare drastically. XP users, here's a prediction: Watch for those CD's in your mailbox.

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12/19/01 The IBM way? Not implementable?

Have you seen the IBM commercials? The CEO asks his people "I have this brilliant strategy document from our consultants. Is this implementable with our current technology?"

They come back with a sad look on their faces: "No."

Then the ad displays "Implementable strategies by IBM."

Am I missing something here? Is IBM out of the technology sales business? Am I to understand that IBM is not interested in selling you more hardware / software / connectivity? Isn't strategy supposed to mean thinking out-of-the-box? What kind of strategy is it if it's constricted by "legacy" platforms?

OK, let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they're actually apologizing for their past recommendations. Or giving their clients a false sense of comfort.

Let's remember, selling (particularly cross-selling) is built on honesty. And pandering to passing concerns will only get you temporary business. 

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12/16/01 Is this any way to sell? What the Lord of the Rings producers did right (and wrong)

"Lord of the Rings" will have no indication at the end that the story will continue. Those of us who know there are at least two sequels -- and those who know cross-selling is critical in the delivery of high-value services were astonished. 

How could the distributors forsake such an enormous opportunity to tell their "clients" that "there's more where this came from?" It's naive to the point of being stupid, we said. Their public comment was that it "would be tacky." "We felt it would  cheapen the experience ... like saying ' We got you, we're going to make you sit through the trailer.'" OK, they are smart and honest.

Then we find out that "there is a plan that deep in the theatrical run, probably March 2002, New Line may replace all the last reels and replace them with ones featuring a new teaser-trailer. It could possibly drive people back into the theaters."

THAT'S too much. If you're trying to sell more (read: value-added services) as we sometimes try to do in consulting, do it honestly. NOT by getting them to pay for the same thing twice!

12/15/01 Can one word make the difference? Managed expectations, again

Gen. Tommy Franks was asked in a press conference yesterday if the enemy was surrounded in the mountains. He replied he'd rather call it "contained." 

A few minutes later on CNN, when asked to comment on that, Gen. Wesley Clark said "We should be careful about not raising expectations. Contained is the right word, because any other words such as "pinned down, trapped, cornered" suggest that they have no way out at all when in fact they may have."

Generals have learnt to watch for expectation-setting words. We should, too.

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12/13/01 Secrets of consensus building

Three examples this week about how difficult it is to get a group of people reach the same decision

First: Who's going to play in the Rose Bowl? The USA Today/ESPN poll of coaches says it's Miami and Oregon. The AP Poll of reporters agrees. And Nebraska is No. 4. So far so good. Or is it? The results of those polls are an average or consolidation of many many votes. We can be sure there were some who disagreed with others.

But the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) computer says it's Miami and Nebraska. So people disagree with computers. Nothing new.

Second: You've heard about how the Hewlett and Packard families have come out against the HP-Compaq merger. First it was Walter Hewlett, son of the late HP co-founder, William R. Hewlett and board member who came out and opposed the merger. Then the Packard Family Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced they agreed with him.  A total of 18% of the outstanding shares are now declared to vote against the merger. What a difficult position for Carly Fiorina (HP CEO) to find herself in. 

But there's a lesson here. The Packards and Hewletts and the Trust Fund are what we call in the consulting project lingo, stakeholders. (Not to mention large shareholders!) Do you think she consulted with them prior to making the merger decision and announcement? I don't think so. Can you be so confident of your stakeholders when you need a decision from them?

Third: Very recently, the Hearst Corporation wanted to construct 36 floors atop its landmark six-story headquarters in New York City. For those not familiar with NYC, "air rights" and building permits are extremely difficult to get. It takes years of presentations, review and  negotiation. The Landmark Preservation Commission and the City Planning Commission are very powerful entities. Then there are the Municipal Art Society, the New York Landmark Conservancy, and the powerful Community Boards.

So what happened? "The Hearst Corporation and Lord Foster (the architect) had so carefully cultivated support for the project that the entire formal review lasted only 2 hours and 40 minutes, from the opening statement by Frank A. Bennack Jr., president and chief executive of Hearst, through Lord Foster's presentation, public testimony, questions and answers, commissioners' remarks and the vote" (NY Times , Nov. 30, 2001)

Cultivating BEFORE the meeting. That's how you get consensus. Think about that before you go into a major meeting.

11/27/01 Things are not what they seem

No bragging, but our Managing Scope Creep article is on top of the charts! Try a search on Google for "scope creep" and our article is number 3. With no search engine optimization and no special effort. It must be great content and great meta tag design. Why else would it be in the top 3 articles in the world?

And what have I learnt from it?

First, that a lot of people are suffering from scope creep, and as they have been searching for the term and clicking on our article, Google has determined that it's a great resource to be displayed to its readers. Moral? You never know what your market (read: your clients) are looking for until they demonstrate it to you.

Second: Something is a little out of sorts, though: The #2 entry in Google is for a band called Scope Creep. So perhaps visitors were looking for the band and stumbled upon our site! Moral: Always question your conclusions.

Imagine a band called Scope Creep? Could they be disappointed I.T. project members? Possible.

So, don't give up and join a band, read the genuine article.

So how do I get my other (great) articles to be top-three? Maybe I should sprinkle references to Britney Spears in them? Perhaps: "Consulting skills workshops with a special appearance by Britney"?

11/5/01 Free lunch

This is a long one. You need to promise to read it to the end.

We start with a quote from the NY Times Sunday Style section: (registration required)

One weekend the elegant Francis Carpenter (of Dupont fame) and her friend Shirley Maytag sailed into Sag Harbor. ''We must go to the Hedges,'' Francis said, (referring to the restaurant owned by the famous chef Henri Soule) and so they set out for East Hampton.

Arriving, Francis was stunned to see only a few cars. The dining room was all set up but empty. ''Tell Mr. Soule that Mrs. Carpenter is here for lunch,'' Francis said to a passing busboy.

Soon, Soule appeared in a bloody apron wiping his hands. Apologizing that he'd been butchering, he was charm itself, seating the ladies and asking what they'd like. ''Whatever you'd like us to have,'' responded the gracious Francis. To Mrs. Maytag, she whispered: ''Poor Henri. He has no customers.''

Soule served them a fine lunch accompanied by an excellent white Bordeaux. When Francis asked for the check. ''Oh, madam,'' Soule said, bowing. ''There is no check. For you see, there is no lunch at the Hedges!''

So, who says there's no free lunch?

Providing service clearly not within his "scope" and when he had other things to do? And for FREE? Whew!

So many emotions surfaced when I read that. Is it that "Rich people always get to enjoy life?" I think not . . . how about "good customers always get the best."

Did you think "It's easy for a successful restaurant owner to give away a free lunch"?  I would agree. It wasn't a big deal for him. OK, perhaps it was. But he handled it with total grace.

It was a big deal for his "clients", though -- not the free part but that he would even accept to serve lunch when he didn't have a lunch menu!

Do you think those same clients came back, again and again? You bet. Do you think they told their friends about their experience? No question about it. It's still being reported in the paper! And if you thought: "Yeah, I'll do that when I'm famous," let me suggest you give some thought to this: 

How do you think he became so famous?

Moral: Pick your own threshold of what and when you can give away for "free" (or ask your project manager or your spouse or your accountant). It could be an hour, two, a whole weekend. It could be within your specialty or not. Deliver with no questions asked. After the work is done, and if the opportunity arises, bring it up, WITH GRACE. If you can't find a graceful way, forget it.

Whichever way, the return on that "investment" is bound to be hundreds of percent. With the same client or with others (whom they will refer you to!)

11/01/01 B-52's

How many miles does a B-52 have to fly to get there? Very many. That got me started thinking about the planning they have to go through for the refueling along the way. 

See, the refueling tankers have to be at a certain location and a certain time so the bombers can meet them on the way. And presuming the tankers are slower, they have to take off earlier. Say there are two re-fuelings on the way, that means tanker number one has to take off before tanker number two which has to leave before the B-52. And it makes it even more difficult if there are more than one B-52 they refuel.

And the risks? What if the B-52 gets somewhere and for whatever reason the tanker isn't there? Would you have backup tankers? Would you have the B-52 return? At what point on its flight would it have to make that decision? What if it has flown more than one-half the trip and has less than one-half of its fuel capacity left? It would have to land _somewhere_. You'd have to have alternative landing points arranged.

I find it fascinating. Don't you wish our projects could be run the same way? Advance planning, monitoring task dependencies, backup plans, go / no-go decisions etc.?

10/31/01 The Head of the C D C

The head of the C D C was asked tonight how the lady in NY could have contracted the disease, given that she was not in the media or the government and did not work in the post office. Guess what he said: "Your guesses are as good as mine."

Now one's immediate reaction could be, "Well you're supposed to know." But on second thought, he's a doctor. Not a detective. Investigators will get to the bottom of it, in due time.

But what would you have said, if you were a doctor (or a consultant) and were asked a question you were not prepared or trained to answer? "Have no idea"? "Haven't the foggiest"?

How about "I'm not prepared to answer that, but I know who could .."

10/26/01 How much to tell?

Such a controversy about the anthrax briefings. Why didn't they tell us what they knew? What else do they know that they're not telling? On and on.

Then some smart person came and suggested, they should tell everything they know and what they don't know. We are smart enough to understand.

Would you? You're on a client project and there's some bad news you know. Do you share it? When? As soon as you know? As soon as you've prepared them? How do you tell them? Special announcement? Sneak it in with volumes of other info?

My general rule has been, the earlier the better. I give my clients all the credit they deserve. See "Surprise are for Valentine's Day."

10/25/01 Windows XP and Passport

OK, Win XP is out. Will it fly? I don't know. People are making such a big deal about the registration part. And its linkages to the "Passport" system. How that part will never catch the world on fire.

You know why? "I don't trust Microsoft to be careful with my personal data," a pundit said.

What a bad position to be in. You spend millions of dollars, zillions of man-years developing what some consider the best MS operating system, and it may flop because of something else the company did before?

Does that happen to you? Were you ever in a situation because of the way somebody else in your project or your company behaved? I bet you were. And the reverse: Are we careful enough to project the right message to our clients so that those who come after us aren't burned?

It's your clients' perceptions that count as much as your work!

10/24/01 One million gloves

So now they want to buy hundreds of thousands of gloves for the postal workers. Imagine yourself in the shoes of the "Chief Purchasing Officer" of the USPS. What would you do?

"I can't get to it right now?"

You couldn't. You'd get on it right away, get your agents to collect bids, overnight and award the bid to a company who you'd trust to deliver on time. Speed is of the essence.

And what about all the other things those people were doing?

Does that happen to you in projects? "Drop everything, get on such and such problem!"  ? Sure it does. It annoys the hell out of us but we do it.

That got me thinking. Should we plan for such interruptions in our work? Then: How do we react to such interruptions? Resist or comply? And if we decide to comply, what else do we have to do?

Call home, tell them we'll be late. Change air reservations. Cancel / postpone all meetings. AND: Get an extension on the deadlines for our regular duties. Or: Delegate to someone who is not involved in the emergency.

Get your own emergency checklist ready and handy!

October 2000: Who won the 2000 presidential debates?

The candidate known for his debating skills or the one who was called grammatically challenged and an awkward speaker?

We don’t know. But what’s interesting is how Governor Bush’s campaign set the stage prior to the debates by letting us know that debating skills were not critical to being president and that their candidate would still try to communicate his vision to contrast with Al Gore’s. And therefore “Even if Mr. Bush ties with Mr. Gore, he wins” they said.

What happened? After the debates, “Bush aides said their man had fought Gore to a draw in the debate. And a draw, they said, means an overall victory for Bush.”

Fascinating how managing expectations works!