AI won’t transform your firm. Your people will, but only if you give them the tools and expectation to use it every day. The biggest mistake firms make? Treating AI like another piece of soft-ware and keeping it locked away with a handful of ‘experts’ instead of embedding it into how everyone works. If that’s your strategy, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Launching a rocket to the Moon and scaling a professional services firm to the top of its industry share similarities – both endeavors require immense effort, strategic planning, and overcoming significant challenges like gravity, drag, and heat generation. Traveling to the Moon parallels the stages of scaling a firm to the top:
In today’s noisy, competitive marketplace, building Market Eminence is essential for CEOs, founders, and senior leaders who want to stand out, earn respect, and lead with authority.
Market Eminence isn’t about being the loudest in the room; it’s about commanding more respect, earning higher trust, and building a permanent presence in your industry.
In the world of small service firms, forging strong, reliable relationships with clients is the cornerstone of business success. The bedrock of these relationships often lies in well-crafted client agreements. Such documents not only formalize engagements but also set clear expectations for both parties. However, while the allure of a comprehensive agreement might suggest a panacea for all client-related challenges, it’s essential to approach these documents with a balanced perspective. Agreements serve as a guide and a safeguard, but they cannot anticipate every possible outcome or conflict. They are tools to manage expectations and responsibilities, not a substitute for building trust and open communication with your clients.
In the competitive landscape of professional services founders are continually seeking strategies to enhance efficiency and drive growth. A critical aspect of this endeavor involves understanding and optimizing key sales metrics. This article is a bit different this time as I want to offer 10 metrics to think about and provide industry benchmarks, and actionable strategies.
Why Tracking Time Matters More Than You Think. I recently spoke with a buyer of professional service firms. I asked him: “What’s one thing you think sellers must have perfected for you to purchase them at a premium price?” He didn’t hesitate.
Ouch.
Frustrated and anxious, she asked me: what does it take?
Only four things, I told her. Do this and I guarantee it won’t happen next time.
The Collective 54 members at the Founders Summit last October completed an exercise that forced us to summarize our work succinctly to uninformed audiences. Frankly, most of us seemed to struggle mightily with completing the C54 “haiku”:
For small service firms, such as marketing agencies and consulting firms, crafting a retainer relationship with clients is a strategic move that can lead to stable revenue streams and stronger client relationships. But what exactly is a retainer? At its core, a retainer is a contract between a firm and a client that outlines the services the firm will provide, the duration of the service, and the payment terms. Unlike fixed-price projects, which are priced based on the scope of work, retainers are based on time – offering services within a set period for a predefined fee.
One of the toughest transitions for consulting firm owners is letting go of client work. It’s easy to worry that stepping back might jeopardize client relationships you’ve spent years cultivating. After all, clients often come to us for our expertise and personal touch. But holding on too tightly to client work can actually hinder growth—for your firm, your team, and even your clients.
Nick Saban, one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, famously preaches that success comes from focusing on the process rather than the outcome. While this philosophy works well on the football field, business operates under a different set of rules. Unlike football, where plays and strategies are highly controlled, the business world is filled with unpredictable variables. That’s why, as leaders, we must prioritize outcomes over processes while still respecting the importance of a strong operational foundation.
