At the end of a symphonic concert, we 'expect' the conductor to play 'hard-to-get'. He enters and exits, again and again. Even with a standing ovation, it takes him about 4-5 times before he will finally sit down to play another piece. For someone like me, this tradition of playing-hard-to-get gets … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #116: Questioning ‘tradition’ in business
Archives for May 2010
Scarlett Letter #115: Yikes! My blog is (literally) on fire!
Since some of you are sneaking out early for the long memorial weekend ahead, I thought I'd keep today's post on the lighter-side. {But as always, I'll make this story relates to business practices.} As I sat writing my blog a few weeks ago, I did something quite careless. To set the scene, we … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #115: Yikes! My blog is (literally) on fire!
Scarlett Letter #114: Part II. Meeting Leadership~~Consent agendas for effective group meetings
Do all leaders excel at running meetings? And, do all non-leaders run their meetings poorly? Nope, on both counts. Anyone---regardless of their role in the firm---can either be good or bad at running a meeting. It's up to you to decide which one you want to be. Part I of this post was around … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #114: Part II. Meeting Leadership~~Consent agendas for effective group meetings
Scarlett Letter #113: Part I. Meeting Leadership~~Kick-off your networking meetings with an agenda
Has anyone ever said that you were good at leading group meetings? And/or, has anyone ever complimented you on how well you handled a one-on-one networking introductory meeting? Many moons ago, when I was just a couple of years into my career, I remember a senior associate that I respected in the … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #113: Part I. Meeting Leadership~~Kick-off your networking meetings with an agenda
Scarlett Letter #112: Business lessons from an art salon
Two months ago, I attended my first art salon at the Bluebird in Chicago. Created and hosted by Bluebird's owner Tom McDonald and artist JC Steinbrunner, the salon's intention is to provide a forum for exchanging ideas while providing artists an opportunity to converse about their work. The result: … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #112: Business lessons from an art salon
Scarlett Letter #111: When self-branding, leave your cards everywhere, literally
Last month I delivered a presentation to AIA Chicago called Beyond the Magic Bullet: Business Development Strategies to Tackle a Down Economy (Geared towards Small to Mid-sized Firms). The audience was a mix of 70% small-mid-sized firms and 30% job seekers. As a result, I shifted some of the … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #111: When self-branding, leave your cards everywhere, literally
Creating an ‘experience’ within formal interview presentations
Relationship-building is one thing; closing the deal is another. Published in PSMJ's AE Rainmaker and RainToday. Throughout the lead development process, business development professionals work very hard. We make contacts, nurture relationships, submit RFPs, all before we finally get our chance to … [Read more...] about Creating an ‘experience’ within formal interview presentations
Scarlett Letter #110: What motivates clients to proactively provide online testimonials?
In Scarlett Letter #109, I wrote about ways to capture testimonials from your clients within the moment.In Scarlett Letter #6, I wrote about the impact of testimonials. To round it out, today I'll address what motivates others to proactively provide testimonials---on their own; unprompted. We know … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #110: What motivates clients to proactively provide online testimonials?
Scarlett Letter #109: Positive testimonials—grabbing them in the moment.
How many times have you---as an AEC marketing or firm leader---heard this from the professional staff: "The client loved the way we did this" or "The client really appreciates the way we did that" or "The client cannot stop talking about how grateful they are that they chose to work with us"? Even … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #109: Positive testimonials—grabbing them in the moment.
Scarlett Letter #108: Varying your feedback for each individual
Leading, managing, and teaching have many commonalities. In each role, for example you must adjust your techniques from person-to-person in order to get highest and best results from each individual. Even when you are managing just two individuals, you strike a balance between consistency (not … [Read more...] about Scarlett Letter #108: Varying your feedback for each individual