Comments on: Another Term for Consulant http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/ Learn How Human Business Works - Beyond Social Media Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: chrisbrogan http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-12481 chrisbrogan Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:50:17 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-12481 James- good point. In my effort to paint with a broad brush, I often forget that there are always good ones. Oh wait, I did say that. I've got lots of consultant friends. TONS, now that I think about it- is that wrong? And they're mostly okay. One comes to mind as much too pitchy, but otherwise, a reasonable fellow. So anyhow, really great point. Good people in every stripe. Evil people in every stripe. Zebras. James- good point. In my effort to paint with a broad brush, I often forget that there are always good ones. Oh wait, I did say that. I’ve got lots of consultant friends. TONS, now that I think about it- is that wrong? And they’re mostly okay. One comes to mind as much too pitchy, but otherwise, a reasonable fellow.

So anyhow, really great point. Good people in every stripe. Evil people in every stripe. Zebras.

]]> By: chrisbrogan http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-233754 chrisbrogan Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:50:00 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-233754 James- good point. In my effort to paint with a broad brush, I often forget that there are always good ones. Oh wait, I did say that. I've got lots of consultant friends. TONS, now that I think about it- is that wrong? And they're mostly okay. One comes to mind as much too pitchy, but otherwise, a reasonable fellow. So anyhow, really great point. Good people in every stripe. Evil people in every stripe. Zebras. James- good point. In my effort to paint with a broad brush, I often forget that there are always good ones. Oh wait, I did say that. I’ve got lots of consultant friends. TONS, now that I think about it- is that wrong? And they’re mostly okay. One comes to mind as much too pitchy, but otherwise, a reasonable fellow.

So anyhow, really great point. Good people in every stripe. Evil people in every stripe. Zebras.

]]> By: chrisbrogan http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-233755 chrisbrogan Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:50:00 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-233755 James- good point. In my effort to paint with a broad brush, I often forget that there are always good ones. Oh wait, I did say that. I've got lots of consultant friends. TONS, now that I think about it- is that wrong? And they're mostly okay. One comes to mind as much too pitchy, but otherwise, a reasonable fellow. So anyhow, really great point. Good people in every stripe. Evil people in every stripe. Zebras. James- good point. In my effort to paint with a broad brush, I often forget that there are always good ones. Oh wait, I did say that. I’ve got lots of consultant friends. TONS, now that I think about it- is that wrong? And they’re mostly okay. One comes to mind as much too pitchy, but otherwise, a reasonable fellow.

So anyhow, really great point. Good people in every stripe. Evil people in every stripe. Zebras.

]]> By: James Rafferty http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-12474 James Rafferty Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:27:55 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-12474 Like anything else, there are good consultants and bad. I had a consulting business for 7 years and built up a good client list. But, as other have said, the relationship comes first. If your customers cannot trust your advice and judgement as a consultant, you are nowhere. So, I found it best to tell the truth to my customers, even when they did not want to hear it (for example, when I told my fax customers that they needed to come up with new business models because their traditional cash cow was maturing). Like anything else, there are good consultants and bad. I had a consulting business for 7 years and built up a good client list. But, as other have said, the relationship comes first. If your customers cannot trust your advice and judgement as a consultant, you are nowhere. So, I found it best to tell the truth to my customers, even when they did not want to hear it (for example, when I told my fax customers that they needed to come up with new business models because their traditional cash cow was maturing).

]]> By: James Rafferty http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-233752 James Rafferty Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:27:00 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-233752 Like anything else, there are good consultants and bad. I had a consulting business for 7 years and built up a good client list. But, as other have said, the relationship comes first. If your customers cannot trust your advice and judgement as a consultant, you are nowhere. So, I found it best to tell the truth to my customers, even when they did not want to hear it (for example, when I told my fax customers that they needed to come up with new business models because their traditional cash cow was maturing). Like anything else, there are good consultants and bad. I had a consulting business for 7 years and built up a good client list. But, as other have said, the relationship comes first. If your customers cannot trust your advice and judgement as a consultant, you are nowhere. So, I found it best to tell the truth to my customers, even when they did not want to hear it (for example, when I told my fax customers that they needed to come up with new business models because their traditional cash cow was maturing).

]]> By: James Rafferty http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-233753 James Rafferty Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:27:00 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-233753 Like anything else, there are good consultants and bad. I had a consulting business for 7 years and built up a good client list. But, as other have said, the relationship comes first. If your customers cannot trust your advice and judgement as a consultant, you are nowhere. So, I found it best to tell the truth to my customers, even when they did not want to hear it (for example, when I told my fax customers that they needed to come up with new business models because their traditional cash cow was maturing). Like anything else, there are good consultants and bad. I had a consulting business for 7 years and built up a good client list. But, as other have said, the relationship comes first. If your customers cannot trust your advice and judgement as a consultant, you are nowhere. So, I found it best to tell the truth to my customers, even when they did not want to hear it (for example, when I told my fax customers that they needed to come up with new business models because their traditional cash cow was maturing).

]]> By: John Wall http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-12411 John Wall Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:13:18 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-12411 Seth Godin had a related post this week - that slimy feeling you get from a hard sell the product of desperation, the fear of not finding the next gig. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/02/how_to_succeed_.html Ronin have no fear, they know there's always another battle out there. Seth Godin had a related post this week – that slimy feeling you get from a hard sell the product of desperation, the fear of not finding the next gig.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/02/how_to_succeed_.html

Ronin have no fear, they know there’s always another battle out there.

]]> By: John Wall http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-233750 John Wall Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:13:00 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-233750 Seth Godin had a related post this week - that slimy feeling you get from a hard sell the product of desperation, the fear of not finding the next gig. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/02/how_to_succeed_.html Ronin have no fear, they know there's always another battle out there. Seth Godin had a related post this week – that slimy feeling you get from a hard sell the product of desperation, the fear of not finding the next gig.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/02/how_to_succeed_.html

Ronin have no fear, they know there’s always another battle out there.

]]> By: John Wall http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-233751 John Wall Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:13:00 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-233751 Seth Godin had a related post this week - that slimy feeling you get from a hard sell the product of desperation, the fear of not finding the next gig. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/02/how_to_succeed_.html Ronin have no fear, they know there's always another battle out there. Seth Godin had a related post this week – that slimy feeling you get from a hard sell the product of desperation, the fear of not finding the next gig.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/02/how_to_succeed_.html

Ronin have no fear, they know there’s always another battle out there.

]]> By: Christopher Penn, Financial Aid Podcast http://www.chrisbrogan.com/another-term-for-consulant/comment-page-1/#comment-12395 Christopher Penn, Financial Aid Podcast Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:11:02 +0000 http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/another-term-for-consulant/#comment-12395 I refer you to <a href="http://www.themshow.com/wordpress/2006/12/23/christopher-penn-honorary-ronin/" rel="nofollow">John Wall's blog</a> for the ronin conversation. There's a famous Dilbert cartoon about consultants, too. "I like to con people. I like to insult people. I'll be a consultant! I'm here to consult you." I've had a number of bad experiences with consulting - both being one and working with several in the past. You're right to say that a lot of consultants want to be friends with your wallet and expense account. There's an equally great cartoon in one of Robert Allen's books, a couple holding hands at a beach, and the caption reads, "I'll be with you until the end of your money." That's the way I've felt in the past, particularly in financial services, when you have a consultant march in, tell you everything you need to do, and then march out leaving you with a useless white paper and very large bill. SAS70 auditors, I'm looking at you. Same for those day seminars you go to about this real estate investment or whatever. It's easy for the consultant to stand up in the front of the room and make condescending sneers at the audience about how they're simply behind the times if they're not leveraging tax lien certificates, while behind the scenes their only moneymakers are the seminar entrance fees and the books they write for the sole purpose of getting you to one of their seminars. The relationship comes first - always. Without it, I can't tell the difference between you (and your fancy 401k tax sheltering plan) and snake oil. In an age when building credibility is as easy as slapping up a web site in iWeb and buying a vanity phone number, I will default to believing you're snake oil every time. I refer you to John Wall’s blog for the ronin conversation.

There’s a famous Dilbert cartoon about consultants, too. “I like to con people. I like to insult people. I’ll be a consultant! I’m here to consult you.”

I’ve had a number of bad experiences with consulting – both being one and working with several in the past. You’re right to say that a lot of consultants want to be friends with your wallet and expense account. There’s an equally great cartoon in one of Robert Allen’s books, a couple holding hands at a beach, and the caption reads, “I’ll be with you until the end of your money.”

That’s the way I’ve felt in the past, particularly in financial services, when you have a consultant march in, tell you everything you need to do, and then march out leaving you with a useless white paper and very large bill. SAS70 auditors, I’m looking at you.

Same for those day seminars you go to about this real estate investment or whatever. It’s easy for the consultant to stand up in the front of the room and make condescending sneers at the audience about how they’re simply behind the times if they’re not leveraging tax lien certificates, while behind the scenes their only moneymakers are the seminar entrance fees and the books they write for the sole purpose of getting you to one of their seminars.

The relationship comes first – always. Without it, I can’t tell the difference between you (and your fancy 401k tax sheltering plan) and snake oil. In an age when building credibility is as easy as slapping up a web site in iWeb and buying a vanity phone number, I will default to believing you’re snake oil every time.

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