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Cab Lot
Learning from a Cab Driver
Most consultants are like cab drivers. Cab drivers run the meter. They throw the luggage in the trunk (that's a $1.00 bag charge). They may or may not be personable. If you have extra passengers, that's $1.50 each on top of the mileage. No smoking. And the radio is tuned to their favorite station - not yours.
Most consultants charge by the hour or the day. The meter is running. When you need a special report or their attendance at an onsite meeting, there's your bag charge. They may or may not be personable to anyone other than the executive who hired them. If you need additional work or facilitation or expertise, there's a fee "on top of the mileage." And most times, you're locked into their "radio station" - tuned to their methodologies, their licensed tools, their processes - not yours.
What if you came across a dramatically different kind of cab driver? Let's call him Ike.
1. Ike has his own business card with his personal cell phone number, a rocket logo and a humorous tagline, such as "Strap in. Hang on. Here we go!" One of his cab's notable features is the Hot Wheels steering wheel cover. Your initial impression might be that he is direct and, most importantly, fast.
2. In addition, Ike is a great listener. This would be in contrast to some "real character" cab drivers, who are great talkers.
3. Ike takes credit cards and proudly displays the Visa and American Express decals inside his cab. A credit card transaction costs him between 2 and 4% of every sale. (The cab company does NOT subsidize this fee - it's up to each individual driver to decide whether to accept credit cards or not.) But it also makes him easy to do business with - and, coincidentally, increases the likelihood of getting a nice tip.
4. Ike is proactive and offers suggestions. For example, when a passenger asks Ike for a good restaurant recommendation, he has a few of his favorite places in mind and a restaurant guide available right in the front seat of the cab. Ike will offer to take his passenger to the restaurant, and also to come back at an appointed time to save the hassle of tracking down another cab. He is never late. Does Ike profit from this? Sure. Does Ike's passenger? Sure. Will some cab drivers refuse to come back at a set time for fear of losing a juicier fare or a longer ride that may or may not come along? You bet.
5. When picking up or dropping off from the airport, Ike always finds out a little bit about his passenger. Is this his first time in town? How long is his visit? If Ike discovers that his passenger has come for business and hasn't any time to see the sights or experience the city, he offers to take the passenger on a 10-minute sightseeing tour of downtown. Pointing out the highlights, sharing a little history, and telling a few stories, Ike has his passenger back on his way with a real flavor of the city that he loves. Is this a gimmick to add 10 minutes to the meter? With some cabbies, it might be. But Ike's passion and knowledge and eagerness to share it with his passengers cannot be faked. Would a friend do the same for you on your way out of town? Absolutely.
Let's turn our focus to the lessons for consulting. Feel free to compare these consulting tips with the corresponding lessons from the taxi business above.
1. Successful consultants stand apart - both in form and in substance. Sales trainer, consultant, and author Jeffrey Gitomer uses a half-dollar sized coin with his image and contact information (and some clever slogans like "In Sales We Trust") engraved on it as his business card. People not only remember it, they keep it and they show it to their friends. Your initial impression might be that he is successful, funny, creative, and different than every other "me-too" sales trainer wearing a nice suit and carrying sharp white business cards (yawn).
2. Successful consultants are not good listeners. They're DEEP listeners. "Good" listeners use surface tricks and techniques like "active listening" and "matching and mirroring." Deep listeners listen with no agenda. Your listening focus should be on empathy - literally "feeling WITH" the client - and understanding the issues behind the issues. This isn't a trick you learn in "consulting school." This comes from your heart and your genuine interest in helping the client improve their situation. Deep listening will help you understand the real value that the client seeks from you.
3. Successful consultants are easy to do business with. One of the world's finest consultants, Alan Weiss, says in his book Million Dollar Consulting, "you have to spend money to make money." Part of that money should be spent on things that will make you easy to do business with. Some of these things are almost trivial - being able to accept credit cards, having an 800 number, etc. And some of these things will be a major investment of time, effort, thought, and energy. Like designing a resource-rich web presence or moving to value-based fee-setting so people get you and your expertise without concern over when you punch in and out on the time clock.
4. Successful consultants are proactive and offer suggestions. Flexibility is a great source of strength. So is forward movement. When consulting with large organizations, it is easy to fall into their trap of "analysis paralysis." Especially with all the hype around "getting close to the customer." The danger for consultants in getting too close to the customer is that you'll get mired in the same quicksand you've been brought in to rescue them from! Keep moving, and always offer options. It could be as simple as "Plan A or B or C," but giving choices always enhances collaboration and provides a sense of shared responsibility for outcomes. And it's harder to say "No" when asked "Chocolate or Vanilla or Strawberry?" Ideally, your clients will say "Wow, they ALL sound delicious." Then you are in a position to make a recommendation based on your deep listening (See #2!)
5. Successful consultants work from passion, knowledge, and eagerness to help. The irony of this is that the more easy and effortless the work for the consultant, the greater the value it has for the client. For the consultant, the intersection of joy and business is called profit. Marketer, speaker, and author Seth Godin believes that in any business relationship, the sooner you ask for money, the less you will get. This has interesting implications for the consulting business, where knowledge and expertise (and to a certain extent, even conversation) has monetary value.
I happen to believe in the concept of value-first selling. In other words, you should give clients valuable information and point them to resources they need, even before you're hired. You should work to make prospects think, "Wow, this guy is a goldmine. Imagine what we'd get if we actually HIRED him."
Now a lot of sales and consulting experts call this "spilling the candy in the lobby" and they advise strongly against it. And I would advise against it too - if you're only carrying one bowl of candy. But without bragging, I can safely say that among great consultants (people who work at the intersection of passion and knowledge and eagerness to help), we're a veritable candy store and are not likely to run out anytime soon by sharing our gifts with clients that are hungry for what we have to offer.
Would you help a friend with your knowledge and expertise? Sure you would. Perhaps clients are simply friends that pay you money? Think about it.
Beep, beep. "Hop in!"
About the Author
Find tips about dog flea allergy and flea problem at the Flea Infestation website.
Are Death Cab for Cutie good in concert? What songs do they usually play?
I really wanted to go to a Death Cab for Cutie concert and was wondering if they sound good live because I know a lot of bands don't. I also don't know all their songs so I was wondering what their setlist is to make sure they play some songs I like.
I saw them at Bonnaroo last year. They were okay, but to be honest it was kind of boring. They sounded exactly like the recording and the fans were pretty lackluster. I got the feeling that they were just playing and not actually enjoying it that much or really interacting with the audience. It really wasn't a very memorable experience (and I had wanted to see them for a long time, too).
They did mostly material from their new album, with a few "old" ones which are more popular, like Photobooth and I Will Follow You Into the Dark.
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FISHER PRICE AIRPORT PLANE TAXI CAB LOT $39.98 |
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Opal Cabs Solid 3.5 - 4.5 MM Round Stone 100 Piece Lot $14.99 |
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250 ct Lot Cabs Cabochons Amethyst/Labradorite/Quartz $4.81 |
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HI-TECH DETAILS HO #5003 LOT OF 2 GE THINWALL CAB KITS $5.99 |
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1 ct Lot Natural Loose Blue/Yellow Sapphire Ruby Cab NR $0.99 |
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7MM ROUND PURPLE LUSTRE EUROPEAN GLASS CABS LOT 12 $2.01 |
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7MM ROUND GREEN LUSTRE EUROPEAN GLASS CABS LOT 12 $2.01 |
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7MM ROUND BLUE LUSTRE EUROPEAN GLASS CABS LOT 12 $2.01 |
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1000 ct Lot Cabs Cabochons Amethyst/Labradorite/Quartz $80.00 |
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8X6MM ROSE OPAL EUROPEAN GLASS CABS LOT 12 $2.81 |
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5MM ROUND CAB CONNECTOR SETTINGS FRAMES LOT 10 $1.70 |
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100 ct Lot Cabs Cabochons Amethyst/Labradorite/Quartz $0.99 |
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LEPIDOLITE 5 Lbs Cab Rough BULK LOT $39.95 |
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7x5mm LOT 8 ZAMBIAN IOLITE OVAL CABS 6ct WoW *$1NR* $0.99 |
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AMAZING LOT! 5.05ct.Apple Green Peridot RD Cab. 4.1mm. $0.99 |
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LOT OF 5 RED CAB MARKER CLEARANCE LIGHTS - METAL BASE $13.75 |
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1000 ct Lot Cabs Cabochons Amethyst/Labradorite/Quartz $80.00 |
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Gold Medal Projects 2016EX Pop-A-Lot Staging Cab EA -Pop-A-Lot Popcorn Warmer-Illuminated white dome-Twin strip heaters-Two infrared lights-730 watts-Gold Medal Products Gold Medal Projects 2016EX |Pop-A-Lot Staging Cab| EA... |
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10 Carats Pink Green Bubblegum Tourmaline Gem Stones Facet Cab Rough Gemstones Parcel Jewels Ctw Lot Semi Facet Cab Rough Gems Tourmalines Bright & colorful small Tourmaline rough lot - Beautiful watermelon mixed colors - The parcel will have a number of stones that are at least 10 ctw but not less than & the ones shown in pictures are example lots in 1 x 1 inch zip lock bags of what you will receive - One bag with around 4 - 6 stones - Could be used in a number of jewelry , beads , crafts or cut & faceted for small accent stones or ... |
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10 Cts Green Emerald Beryl Gem Stones Facet Rough Gemstones Faceting Cabbing Jewels Parcels Lots Ctw Lapidary Gemstones Cabs Rough Emeralds Green Brazil Emerald facet rough parcel - The picture is representative of the around 15 stones you will receive out of the entire lot - The stones from the lot these are selected from are hand picked to ensure fair quality for all parcels Product type : Jewels |
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15 Ft (15ft) Cat5e Ethernet Network Patch Cable RJ45 (10 Pack) Gray $15.95 Cat5e Ethernet Cable. This cable is commonly used for ethernet routers, modems and network switches. Use for connecting ethernet network devices as well as game consoles such as XBOX, PS3, Wii Lan Adapter, PS2, XBOX 360 to the internet. Other colors are available. Please see our amazon store at pccableonline .com... |
