One of the cool features in macOS 26 (Tahoe) is the ability to use your screen as a ring light for video calls and recording (they call it EdgeLight). However, for various reasons, I don’t want to upgrade to Tahoe … Read More
proposals
Why “Sales” Sucks for Solo Consultants, and Trying to Fix It Just Makes It Worse
We’ve all experienced the attack of the aggressive salesman, chasing us across the car lot, shoving a business card at us while we’re just trying to grab a drink, calling and emailing incessantly, trying to wear down our resistance until … Read More
AI for Solo Consultants: Your Intern, not Your Replacement
There’s a lot of talk about AI replacing and transforming jobs, which has some kernels of truth alongside a whole lot of AI-hype. It’s hard to throw an AI-generated rock without hitting a newly minted “AI Expert” or “AI Strategist”. … Read More
Selling a Porsche to a Honda Buyer
“It’s even smaller than I pictured, but I guess I can make it work. How much is it?” “$195,000.” “What? But the Honda I’m looking at is $30,000.” “Well, that’s a very different vehicle.” “I know. It has more room, … Read More
Authenticity is the currency
A lot of folks in marketing overuse the term “authenticity”, like it’s some kind of commodity you can fake, and thereby increase sales. But authenticity is precious, which is why so many people are trying to fake it. This goes … Read More
Small Year-end Solo Consulting Housekeeping Tips
Happy holidays! I hope you’re taking some time away from business to be with family, friends, nature, a good book, etc. But this is also a good time to make some adjustments while you may have a moment. Here are … Read More
Proposals don’t win deals, they lose them
“Sounds good, can you send me a proposal?” These words used to excite and terrify me. Then, I’d go off to write an amazing proposal to wow the prospect and win the business. So much stress, for so little success. … Read More
The Maximum Social Network Calculator
A lot of consultants invest a lot of time, money, and energy in “networking”, understandably hoping to create a strong referral circle. But often this leads to frustration, rather than results. Here’s how we can do a better job networking, … Read More
What’s the best CRM for an independent consultant?
People constantly ask me, “what’s the best CRM for independent consultants?” Actually, they usually don’t even qualify the question that much. They just ask, “what’s the best CRM?” (“CRM” stands for Customer Relationship Management, but most folks use it more … Read More
Calls to Action that Convert for Independent Consultant Websites
The job of your website is simple: to get leads. But how do you convert visitors to leads (and leads to conversations)? You present a Call to Action (CTA), so the visitor can take a natural next step. That CTA … Read More