Blog

I once had an Accounting firm who had been considering engaging us to run a change management program across their business, tell us that ultimately the board had decided that they didn’t believe in paying for external guidance. Imagine an Advice business saying that it didn’t believe in it’s own value? Yet that is a... [Keep reading]

Ok, so I am going to take what may be a controversial stance here. You see, I believe that most professional services firms are undercharging their clients in a systematic way. Or more precisely, they are confused about the real value they bring to clients and are consequently over delivering on service while undercharging on... [Keep reading]

The discussion of fees with clients seems to be one of the most hit and miss aspects of the Services Professions, and yet it is also undoubtedly the most important part of creating a mutually beneficial and sustainable relationship. I spend a lot of my time helping firms get their models, their messages, their service... [Keep reading]

Have you ever had a client tell you that they were not going to go ahead with working with you, yet the reason they give you just doesn’t make any sense? Invariably your ‘no’ comes in the guise of such famous lines as: "The price is too high". Meanwhile, you are thinking "but I just... [Keep reading]

I put up a post on LinkedIn last week asking how ‘Fee For Service’ was still a thing and it has raised some interesting perspectives. By the way, if you would like to check that out and to join the conversation click here. So, I thought I would raise the next logical question: ‘What exactly is... [Keep reading]

So in case you hadn’t noticed… I’m a guy. In our world that means a few certain things, other than I might be able to lift really heavy things or to stand up to go to the bathroom. It means that there is a certain societal way of doing things. Of what is and isn’t... [Keep reading]

It will probably be no surprise to you that whilst 78% of people trust peer recommendations (i.e. ‘word of mouth’ referrals), and only 14% of people trust advertisements.  It is much easier for a client to trust you when they know of someone else who has a relationship with you, and is better off for... [Keep reading]

How fast you get things done is possibly the single largest determinant of ultimate success in Business. I not only now have 24 years of business experience under my belt, but I have also been advising Business Owners for 24 years. So you think I would have learned this lesson sooner… but the truth is,... [Keep reading]

Let’s face it, your website probably sucks. Ok, so I am making a generalisation here but one based on the simple truth that 99.9% of the websites representing Professional Services Firms are communicating the wrong things in the wrong ways and are focused on achieving the wrong goal. More than 98% of the visitors to... [Keep reading]