Jerry Fletcher

4 years ago · 3 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Consultant Marketing Baggage

Consultant Marketing Baggage

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In an hour or so I’m headed for the airport.

Packed this morning.

The usual. Essential electronic components in a computer sized wheeled carry-on and a small, good for up to three days, carry on case.

Packing is a matter of minutes for me these days. There is a mental checklist firmly in place right down to managing the pharmacy that comes along with age.

That checklist thing got me to thinking.

All of us have baggage.

There are two kinds:

  • The layers of detritus that we squirrel away in our homes and offices
  • The layers of mental mothballing we engage in

Each connects with the other in ways that must be put under a microscope to even begin to fathom. Some of it is good. Some bad. Part is positive mirrored by negative. Every element clings to us. Each is a small component of our experiences both in physical and psychic space.

No two of us is alike.

Your baggage is different from mine and from everyone else’s. Sure, there are similarities. The physical stuff tends to be analyzed on a community level. The stuff in our heads is, to me, more intriguing. And, it may be more malleable than we think.

There is no operating manual.

As much as we hear about brain studies and research on what goes on when a stimuli impinges on one of our senses there is still no definitive repeatable system for controlling what we take in, store and carry around with us. It is not like the physical time!bags we lug aboard an aircraft. We can’t change them at will. In fact, it takes a great deal of commitment to make a change, any change. We don’t need research to tell us how difficult stopping patterns of behavior can be. Dieting ain’t easy. Starting an exercise regimen is difficult. Giving up addictions requires help.

Problem solving help

People claim to want this. And, that is why Consultants, Coaches, Head Doctors and Healers of all kinds can make a living. That is their job. Each of us knows, deep down that at some point we need help either because we have no experience with the problem to be solved or we’ve come up against a bit of our own baggage that is blocking our way forward.

Regardless of the reason we tend to spin up like a kid’s whirligig if the concern is allowed to get hold of our ego. Therein lies the dilemma. We need to allow ourselves to accept assistance but we want to believe we can handle just about anything on our own. Or we listen to that little voice that whispers in our ear that we’re just not good enough to do anything. And sometimes we do both at the same time!

On your own.

You might be surprised at how far you can go on your own. Yes, this is advice from a consultant but you have to execute and you have to judge the results and you have to do it alone. Here are some things that have proven to work for me, my clients and coaches I know

1. Challenge your assumptions. You may nTt even know you are making them. When you are having an interior monologue about a problem or concern you are addressing watch for comments like:

  • “that won’t work because…”
  • There’s no evidence that…”
  • I don’t have enough time to implement an approach like that since…”

2. Consider the opposite For example, most people think about brand as some mystical identity that only a big budget and a lot of time can generate. What if you thought of it as something accomplished one individual at a time. Would that change how you think about becoming memorable, trusted and branded? Would it give you a reason to go a step further and become unforgettable.

3. Add some baggage. I know that sounds counterintuitive but often our baggage is just the empty bags that we have assembled over time. So open your mind. Read from sources that provide proofs. Look at research. Talk to people that have been there, done that and maybe originated the T-shirt. In other words get some experience vicariously.

Success is changing thought patterns

A consultant can’t be considered successful unless and until they manage to change the thought and behavior patterns of clients. That is what changes outcomes. That is what gets expected results. That is the way to become Unforgettable.

But it is not enough to make you Legendary. That takes another level of commitment, skill and desire. You must find a way to help the client learn to think differently. Your mission is to bring out the talent hidden in every entrepreneur, every business founder and every successful business owner that wants to take their company, staff, clients and themselves up a notch.Your mission whether or not you choose to accept it.

And so it goes.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

f84db1b0.jpgJerry Fletcher is a master of consultant marketing, a sought-after International Speaker, and a beBee ambassador.

His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for crafting unique trust-based marketing strategies that build businesses, brands and lives of joy.

Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking:
www.NetworkingNinja.com


Comments

Jerry Fletcher

4 years ago #9

#5
Mohammed, A friend and client from Singapore is a director of a Consultant group that leads change management. They are not the "brand of the week" kinds of folks you mention as the deal only at the level of countries and multi-national organizations. They will not work with any organization unless and until a senior executive personally agrees to lead the change. They tell me without a committed leader any change effort will fail. And so it goes.

Jerry Fletcher

4 years ago #8

#4
Thank you Tamim.

Jerry Fletcher

4 years ago #7

#3
Dr. Ali. That is the crux of the matter. The Brand Marketing conference I was attending to audit and review supported that viewpoint. the attendees were given the what on day one and the how on day two, yet at the end of day two a majority went for the offer of having it "done for them." they were firmly convinced that they needed a brand and agreed they had learned more than expected. But they opted, in most cases, to have a guide on the journey. None of us can immediately go it alone. it takes time and an expert to help us craft full understanding. And so it goes.

Jerry Fletcher

4 years ago #6

#2
And therein lies the challenge. I consult with consultants helping them to be memorable, get to trust and establish a brand. Each engagement forces me to look for commonality in their approach and in how to approach them. No two are completely alike. There are similarities which I can use but I find it is more important to work in the way that allows them to change most easily. And so it goes.

Jerry Fletcher

4 years ago #5

#1
i just began looking at the performance of consultants in the terms Memorable, Unforgettable and Legendary. That, after all, is the way clients tend to think of them. I regularly help folks craft a way to become memorable in 3 seconds or less. Unforgettable takes actually engaging and delivering great outcomes. But legendary requires the transfer of the knowledge that changes lives forever. That ain't easy. And th accolade can only be awarded by those who have actually engaged. And so it goes.

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

4 years ago #4

Insightful post and an interesting lesson in 'change management' that can inspire company doctors, who keep trying diverse ideas, precepts and rules to treat sick organizations and bring in dynamic changes for better outcomes.

Ali Anani

4 years ago #3

I agree with you.Change requires change within the clients and has to become self-generating.

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #2

Jerry Fletcher "no definitive repeatable system for controlling what we take in, store and carry around with us" So much in one sentence ;~) So much has to do with with level of consciousness ... and capacity "Internals guide performance more than management of externals"~fem-v

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #1

The main takeaway for me, Jerry, in this post is that “A consultant can’t be considered successful unless and until they manage to change the thought and behavior patterns of clients”. A mighty challenge indeed. All of us ‘specialists’ know we are legends, at least in our own lunchtimes, but are we legends in our clients’ minds? 🤔

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