Cut costs not corners

Client Newsletter - Cutting out the jargon
Over the last few weeks I've been suggesting to consultants that they need to take a long, hard look at the language they use when responding to clients, and try to cut out some of the unnecessary jargon. While using the right words for a particular skill or method is important the question of whether someone is a 'coach' or a 'mentor' seems to cloud the issue of whether they're the right person for a particular project.
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Newsletter - Rugby 7's and Business
This may seem a rather odd metaphor, but while watching the World rugby sevens tournament last weekend it struck me that the difference between a 7 or 15 a side team is a lot like the difference between small and big businesses. In a sevens team there are never enough people, they all have far too much to do and quickly become exhausted. By contrast, although the 15 a side game is still very demanding there's a little more time to organise and take an occasional breather and it's much easier to defend your position. And of course some teams get themselves thoroughly stuck in a rut.
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Cut costs not corners

This week's newsletter is a day early as judging from the number of 'out of office' emails we've been getting many of you are either away or about to head off for the Easter break. Plenty of clients seem to have been clearing their desks too and there's been a flurry of projects and tenders which I expect will fade away at the end of Thursday. There'll be no daily alert on Friday or Monday but we'll be back to normal on Tuesday.

Direct Client Process Hazard Analysis - For Team Leaders, United Kingdom
systems integration - small project, United Kingdom
web and seo brief, Home Counties
Opportunity Training programs in the UAE,Middle-East

There's been the usual wide range of tenders on the site, these are just a small selection:

Client Web Site 'Coping with dementia' DVD development, Scotland
Evaluation of Arts Programme , Scotland
Marketing film and interactive podcasts, United Kingdom
Marketing for Coastal Area, Wales
Customer Relationship Management Software , East Midlands
Hydrocarbons Risk Assessment Study,Overseas
Client Web Site Training Consultancy,Overseas
Recruitment Process Design , West Midlands
Competent Trainers /Facilitators ,Overseas
Public Relations Service ,Yorkshire and Humberside
Leadership Development , Greater London
Heritage Lottery Fund Application Support , South East
OJEU Consultancy for Review of Pension Schemes, South East
OJEU Procurement Training and Development , Wales
OJEU Language trainers , South West
OJEU Website development and design, Eastern England
OJEU SFEDI Assessment and Accreditation,Yorkshire and Humberside

I was asked earlier in the week to comment on whether the G20 summit would make any difference to small businesses or consultants. Apart from making London a no-go area last week I think it's too soon to tell but it did make me think about how important confidence is. The main purpose of the summit seems to have been to tell the world that the leaders are 'on the case' and doing everything they can.

When you work alone or in a small company it can be quite easy to lose confidence and end up projecting a rather dismal image to your clients so given that it's spring cleaning time we should all do a quick check of how our business appears to the outside world. Try these checks as a starting point;

Ring the phone numbers on your card - are they still valid, who answers the phone, does your voicemail message sound professional and confident?
Email yourself from a test email address - we get a surprising number of bounces because people have changed providers and forgotten to redirect their email
Do a search for yourself or your company on Google, does your website appear, have you contributed to any blogs, is your Skillfair profile (and any other profiles) up to date?
Take a look at the last dozen emails you've sent - do they all have your contact details included, are they confident and positive, clear and to the point?

If all's well then you can take a break with a clear conscience - if not then a little spring-cleaning on your business image will make you feel better and, more importantly, will ensure that potential clients get a positive impression however they make contact with you.