Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips Autumn 2014 Client Audits Over the past year or two, interest in what’s become known as “Client Audits” has been growing. What are they, exactly? Why are more firms doing them? And … what’s the bottom-line benefit? A “Client Audit” is a form of Mandeville interview. It’s a hybrid variation […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips Autumn 2013 Marketing Coaching Over the past two to three years, a new system for evolving a firm’s marketing strength has evolved. For sure, it needs to begin with hands-on training, such as with Mandeville-based workshops. But even the best training will have a fading effect. Long-term, some workshop alumni […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips Autumn 2012 Turning the Corner A couple of years ago, we phone interviewed leaders in many client firms, to learn what they saw on the horizon over the next few years. In response to the questions, “How do you see things going for your firm?” and “What gives you the […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips Winter 2012 Positioning Observing where many firms place their marketing energy and dollars, huge commitments seem to rest at the finish line … proposals and presentations. Yet, the greatest success typically comes from efforts invested prior to that time … the “pre-proposal” or “pre-presentation” times. To begin, that first Mandeville […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips Fall 2011 The Fear of Connection Our newsletter heading is “Stu’s News, with Trina’s Tips.” This issue features some of Trina’s Tips. In working with both project managers and firm leaders – essentially coaching the firm’s marketing team – she’s finding that people have an incredible amount of fear in […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips Spring 2011 FOUNDERS’ ROOTS The culture of many of our finest firms seems to have shifted … away from the vision and the values that the founders of our profession’s greatest firms had in mind when they began their firms, and towards a focus on utilization rates and profitability. And […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips Winter 2011 MAKING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FUN For many firms, and for a long time, new business would simply walk in. New hires were simply assigned to projects … letting them do what they went to school to learn to do, and keeping utilization rates high and firms profitable. Now, the […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips Fall 2010 STRATEGIC PLANNING IN TURBULENCE In previous times, we’ve used a three-part process for helping firms in their strategic planning. 1. Client Focus Group. Too often, firms gather their leaders and use their individual insights to forecast where the marketplace will for the next five years or so. The […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips August 2010 SUSTAINABILITY: It’s a lot more than meets the eye. Do you remember the old I.Q. tests? I was in a class on educational systems, in which all the students were doctoral candidates. The professor read us 25 questions from an I.Q. test and invited us to answer them […]
Stu’s News with Trina’s Tips June 2010 Mandeville: THE NEXT GENERATION Until the economy took its drop a couple of years ago, work – for the most part – walked in the door. Clients had plenty of needs. The funding was attainable. And consultants were reasonably busy. Now, the situation has clearly changed. The supply […]