One of the challenges in the current economy is sorting out which firms to build lasting relationships (and pursue new opportunities with), and which to acknowledge (thanks, but no thanks) and leave behind. And, more important—hating to have had to base a sentence on a proposition (though isn’t that the point)—the bigger challenge is determining which are in it for the long haul, and which are just passing through—not structured to survive uncertainty, nonetheless the difficulty of the need to react quickly to new potential when there are many competitors and other options.

So, whether prime or consultant, the issue is developing trust. How do you know which “partner” is truly committed versus those just interested in your portfolio, resumes, or connections to satisfy their immediate need? How do you sort out the “looks good on paper” versus the likelihood for “enduring?”

Realistically, no B2B relationship is forever. There will always be mitigating factors that will pair one firm with some other supporting business to meet the need of the ultimate end-user client’s demands. That doesn’t necessarily violate the trust already established. But, at the end of the day, providing support, insight, and continuity for each other’s goals is vitally important. That approach builds a foundation for a long and fruitful relationship. When done honestly and openly it will lead to new opportunities for growth and profit.

Analyzing your current prime/consultant and consultant/prime relationships based on the measure of communication, commitment, and mutual support is a good start to filtering out the “real” from the “nice to have met you.”

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Suffering through the “dog days”—some of the hottest days of summer (coined by the romans for the appearance of sirius, the dog star in the night sky)—reminded me that this can also define a time marked by dull lack of progress. Sounds like the building industry economy (again, this year). Responding to that economy (or lack thereof) can bring on the doldrums (from the sailor’s observation of a general lack of wind in the transition region between northern and southern hemispheres), that tendency toward listless, despondent behavior caused by general inactivity and stagnation, when all around you seems to be in a slump.

Sounds like time for an intervention (or maybe just some more Prozac). Seriously, there is work out there; just far less and far smaller (in total) and much more disperse than in past “up” years. Time to up the effort—not to go on vacation. Time to extend the network, and share what you know with all you know. Giving in to the light, shifting, and sometimes completely absent headwinds, neglects the ability we each have to row (or better, power up the outboard!).

We too often forget that our network of peers and past clients are suffering the same dog days and doldrums, and the simple effort of connecting, sharing, and strategizing in and of itself can trigger positive change. Time to get serious, pun intended.

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We talk a lot about the importance of building strong B2B relationships in the professional service industry. Time after time it has been proven to be the key factor to finding the grail of “win-win.” How we develop those relationships is a key to the success of our practice.

Understanding the client’s perspective is critical. Listening to what’s important, what has worked for them in the past (and what hasn’t) can help guide your performance based on their stated (or unstated) expectations. Understanding their vision is also foundational. Knowing their aspirations can help you develop strategies from your area of expertise and ability that can move them toward their goals. Learning, over time, of their influences—the sphere of business, political, and personal connections that are important to them, and why—can better help you respond to their needs in an appropriate and supporting way.

Not to say that this is a unidirectional relationship. Your goals and the objectives of your firm are important too. But only after first building the understanding, can you offer and, if accepted, deliver your service. How you perform (and how they react) is the important second step. When the project goes smoothly and timely, the results viewed as exceptional, and their investment is viewed has being both appropriate and high value (i.e., faster, better, cheaper—you see you can do all three), you are on the path to cementing what can become a long-term commitment.

But you’re not done yet. There’s a personal side to this too. Your contacts have the same individual vision, objectives, and goals that you do. They navigate their own waters of politics, family, and outside influences (including your competition) that you do every day. Knowing that the relationship is not “all about you” can allow you empathize with their life issues (assuming you’ve connected in a personal way—usually through the “fun” part of the B2B development of golf, ballgames, meals, etc.), and look for ways to build on common interests.

One more thing: You can do all these things, and still come up short. If, after time, you don’t experience a sense of mutual importance to the relationship—if you competition is still making inroads or if the compensation received doesn’t match your level of effort (it’s hard to make B2B work if it’s not making your business grow, too)—then you have to evaluate whether it is in your best interest to continue. Part of any effective strategic plan is knowing when to walk away from certain kinds of clients. It is difficult, but if it is a losing proposition, you can’t, as they say “make it up in volume,” and you have to be honest to your needs.

And, in the end, you’ll get back in equal measure, if you give in the relationship. Sounds a lot like life (or a lyric from the Beatles).

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These days it seems that when the business performance turns south for the professional service firm, overhead takes the hit and revenue-generation becomes myopic focus. The sad part for the marketing and business development staff that isn’t part of the ‘profession’ is that their value seems to vanish overnight. How soon the ‘professionals’ forget those important parts of their organization that tell their story, promote the brand, find the next opportunity, build strong bonds, and help craft the message and coach the delivery that wins the next project. Running the business is fundemental. Doing the work is critically important. But you can’t run or do, if you don’t position and sell first.

Notwithstanding the fact that most of these ‘revenue generators’ (except for a truly rare breed of extroverted ‘seller-doer’—the one, who when s/he looks down to talk, looks at your shoes), don’t understand that ‘marketing’ isn’t ‘sales’ or that ‘business development’ isn’t just a two-drink minimum, and believe that ‘award-winning’ portfolio trumps true relationships. By virtue of ‘licensure’ they wear their profession as an entitlement (aspiring ‘black capes’ all), believing erroneously that their technical prowess will be all that the client needs to see to secure new projects. How’s that working out for you?

Over the last 30 years, it has been proven time and time again that the successful professional practice relies on a tripartite blend of inspiring leadership, operational expertise, and marketing strategy, mutually respecting that each has its own value and each is represented by different personalities and knowledge. Without ‘front line’ business developers, willing to doggedly pursue building long-lasting value-based relationships, who ‘listen’ first, and boast second (or better, never), and bring the experts to the opportunities, most professional service firms languish in the competitive arena where low price is the ticket to even lower profits. Leadership gets nervous (Lost your crystal ball?), and operations runs around in circles (Lost your compass?), and the staff scratch their heads wondering what’s going on (Hmmm?). In this economy that’s known as a death spiral.

Without marketing and communication expertise to translate the professional’s arcane and amorphous into the client’s language of potential and possibility, most professional firms retreat to jargon and acronymic pseudo-science to ‘baffle them with bullshit’ instead of ‘blinding them with brilliance.’ In the building industry, they don’t call it archi-speak for nothing. What is even sadder is the progress that has occurred in the last decade had actually elevated the strategic marketing and business development staff to valued peers in the organization devolved faster than the Dow on a bad day when the leadership couldn’t be consistent in their perspective, the operational management couldn’t seem to control any budget, and the staff is just happy to have a desk.

One only needs to follow the firms that are actively promoting their practice through aggressive development and creative marketing, who are positioning the firm with socially-adept ‘smart’ connectors, and who use communication in both traditional and social media to build and maintain the buzz, to see those firms that will rise and succeed through this economy. And one only needs to follow those firms that have cut some of their most valued and valuable business development and marketing leadership to see ‘karma’ in action. So, note to all you professionals: finding scapegoats for your bad behavior is easy, but remember, sacred cows make the best hamburgers. Bye for now… I’m going to lunch.

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As I start up a new office for a national consultancy and assist the company with strategic growth in our other offices, I’m faced with the challenge of reconnecting with business relationships that have been dormant for some time. I have history in this consultative space going back 20+ years, but because of my previous career focus, what are now potential clients had most recently been peers and competitors. Now they are clients again. Because of the speed of change, many have moved on to new careers with new potential clients. And, many have developed new “consultant” relationships with other firms that I now have to unseat. So, I have Seven Steps to reconnecting and rebuilding with those “too important to lose” relationships:

Step #1: Assembling the list—the business developers “first priority”—from backups of backups from my personal information manager (now MS Outlook, but “ACT!” and even “Time & Chaos” back in the day), and stacks and stacks of business cards (OK, on this I’m a hoarder; like that’s a bad thing). The goal, get the CRM system (Deltek Vision) loaded with new info.

Step #2: Validating the list—are they still there?; is there still there?; and, most important, do I have their current email address? (having replace “street, city, state, zip” as the most important one piece of data)—by sending out a simple “mass” e-mailing re-announcing my presence and new firm. (Moving forward: quarterly “news” is still the best way to keep e-mail data sets up to date; but please keep it relevant and interesting!)

Step #3: Setting priorities—who of these is in the best position to benefit from our help?—while market and geographic diversity are critical to long-term economic health, niche consultants are there to serve the interests of their clients (not the other way round). So, I focus on those people and companies whose clients are users of our expertise. Win-win!

Step #4: Pick up the phone—nothing says “relationship” like a voice from the past—while “cold calls” are painful and e-mail is passive/aggressive (and distant and disconnected), reunions are usually a time for celebration. How cool is that! What’s new with you? When can we meet again? (This is the “agenda” for the reconnection; for you or if you are introducing your old relationship to someone new in your firm.)

Step #5: What’s new and what’s changed?—exploring their current situation is critical—roles, focus, and even the “economic reality” (a nice way to say “how is this recession impacting you and your business?”) because learning their challenges is the critical to moving the business-to-business business to the next step.

Step #6: Book a meeting from a meeting—after all we’re both in this for “business” notwithstanding the professional friendship that comes from shared project experience—because unless we commit to building the relationship (“How can I help you?”), and the best way to reconnect is face-to-face. So don’t leave the call without a definite, time-defined, agreement to meet. Apply same strategy to that meeting as well.

Step #7: Share information willingly and freely—nothing builds trust better than helping a client win more work—whether “relevant” technical information (good), news in their market (better), or leads for opportunities (best). Helping clients succeed is the brand of the best consultants.

Go back to #1. Start over. If your list is healthy (several hundred to several thousand), the process is like painting the Golden Gate Bridge: they start at one end, and when done, start over. This will keep you connected and providing value (in information or in knowledge shared), and you’ll find your clients wanting to reconnect with you.

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Providing an overarching view of the business requires a silo-spanning perspective. Too often, left to our own core competencies and personal/professional responsibilities, we forget that there are many cogs in the works that create a high-functioning organization.

As a consultant who looks across management, marketing, operations, technology, and staff development for my clients as the key components of creating a successful and enduring practice, I realize that most organizations don’t realize the value of integrated services. Those that do, and who put in place collaborative and cooperative cross-functional teams and leadership, excel.

Those integrated services provide the foundation to developing integral systems; those value-delivering features of your business that are truly imbedded in the culture of the firm and that define your brand. The orientation to new employees of these integral values, and their on-going development and refinement by current staff, provide the catalyst to continual improvement.

The analysis of what’s important and what is valued—as seen by your clients—will inform your strategies and allow for the iterative development that is the hallmark of the best firms. Recognizing the importance of both the integrated and integral, management can guide the practice to provide higher and higher value to its customers drawn from that feedback, and expanded from the knowledge drawn from the expertise and experience of the practice’s leaders.

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I was reminded recently of the power of archetype in decision making. There was a time, not that long ago, that technology expertise was viewed with the mystical imprimatur of a “wizard.” The magic of electronics, seemingly so simple to the expert, but obliviously difficult to the uninitiated, gave the technology consultant an aura of importance that created a barrier to entry to those trying to compete in the field.

Times change. Technology that was once so mysterious just a few years ago (e.g., digital imaging, wireless internet connectivity, haptic controls, hands-free microphones, etc.) are so commonplace today (thanks to the ubiquity of personal telecommunications) that client expectations have been raised (expecting more for less), while the implementation at the facility or enterprise level has actually become much more complex.

What once was a relatively simple matrix of components and connections, is now a very complicated database of fields and records, interconnected, and interoperable, allowing information to be accessed, disseminated, displayed, and modified in real time by individuals who may be many miles or even time zones apart, on devices that span hand-held to fully spatially integrated.

Which leads to the “warrior.” For the technology consultant to provide value a new paradigm needs to be established. It is now no longer enough to know the latest model of the latest widget (though you have to know that too; see below), but it is mandatory (if you are to succeed) to know the business process and expectations of the client and to be able to demonstrate real ROI on the investment in both your service and the technology solutions you purport. Warriors defend “truth” and it will take a warrior’s mentality to win the business-to-business wars of the “new normal” economy.

In this challenging market (one that we expect will be known for “stay lean ‘til ‘13” by the reality that expenditures of any kind will be checked and rechecked against measurable value before you are hired), coming to a client relationship, opportunity, or engagement with anything else but a highly defensible value proposition will leave the unprepared unfulfilled, but will position the ready as entrenched. Know your truth, but better, know your customer’s.

And finally, widgets. From iPhones to iPads, from flat-screens to touch-screens, from software-as-service to hardware-as-DSP, almost any new technology invigorates the imagination. It takes the speculation and dream of “what if” into the reality and realm of “how now.” The client with foresight sees the potential and wants it today, even when the widget may not be fully realized.

At this point, the consultant needs to be the trusted advisor (cautioning patience and beneficial application; investing in “the responsible minimum” as I once heard from an Apple facilities executive), not the mad scientist (willing to experiment on the client’s dime to see what that widget just might do—after all it’s not your money).

Embodying those architypes can help clients chose the right advice. Those who can bring the wisdom of the wizardry, the truth of the warrior, and the creative application of the right widgets, will be the trusted advisor clients will seek out, recommend, and refer.

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There seems to be some confusion regarding the position of chief marketing officer. The enlightened enterprise values a strategic thinker who complements the vision of the chief executive officer, and who can work hand-in-hand with the other technical, operational, and financial leadership to develop overarching marketing and business development goals and objectives. The role is best suited to a free-thinker, who is unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom, but who can work in collaboration and concert with organizational goals, and is willing to be patient to see ideas become outcomes. Unfortunately, too often the CMO role is only valued for increasing ‘sales’ (now!), and that is the position’s inherent weakness.

Sales are driven by individual efforts, more often than not, several tiers (and reporting levels) below the CMO. Those responsible for sales may take big-picture direction for vertical or geographic market coverage from the CMO, but their efforts at the local level for research, planning, and execution typically fall under the guidance and supervision of their direct report. If that manager is not strong in sales (or in sales management) themself, no matter how the good the CMO’s plan, the execution falls to less-trained, less capable, and/or less motivated staff. It is the Peter Principle in action: strong technical skills do not inherently make a good seller, but that is who is too often responsible.

In product oriented* companies, sales and marketing are distinctly separated, with sales management acting in the form of watchdog over sales performance, and marketing delivering new product concepts and promotional programs. However, that sales management role is equally challenged if the measure of success is viewed from a rear view mirror. Unless sales data is current, there is no way to catch up to events already too far gone to recover.

In professional service firms, with much longer sales cycles, the completion of a specific contract is the result of a continuum of roles. From finder, to persuader, to closer, there is a team involved. That does not ensure the sale is a given, but does provide multiple touch-points with the client, and multiple perspectives on strategy. However, if any one fails, they all fail. And there is very little, if anything, the CMO can do to change that reality.

For the CMO to be successful, they must find a way to build strong brand recognition so that client’s are inherently aware of the company’s value proposition. They must strengthen brand message through consistency and quality of message delivery (in print and in person). They must establish orientation, training and performance expectations of those individuals responsible for sales in an equally consistent manner. And they must develop metrics that are ROI-based— because “marketing” is easy in the eyes of everyone who doesn’t have to do it—they see it as amorphous in concept and as only ‘overhead’ (with not intrinsic benefit) in cost.

As I advise companies in developing strong and effective marketing programs, I am an advocate of the CMO role. But I am also a realist. Strong sales starts at the foundation of the brand (the quality with which the service is delivered), and the CMO is too often excluded from input on “client perceptions” because the truth regarding that perspective is often hard for technical operations to stomach. No one likes to hear that their service was less than satisfactory or worse, to be handed a summons to litigious acrimony where no one wins.

The CMO can help companies succeed. In challenging economic times there is no ‘quick fix.’ The entire C-Suite should be taking the long view, positioning the company financially and operationally to weather unseen storms and uncharted waters. At best, the CMO is equipped with a crystal ball and a compass; used to predict the future and sense the direction to take to reach that outcome. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.

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* Defined as “the direction you are facing.” There is no word “orientated” but it is heard too often from those who are truly lost.

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At the end of the day, “it’s just business.” However, sometimes just business seems more like just madness. As the economy tries it’s best to turn around, the “new normal” can’t come fast enough for some. Strained by “profit as goal,” management too often forgets that profit is always just a result. As Branch Rickey, referring the outcome of hard work and discipline, once said, “Luck is the residue of design.” Unfortunately, we all don’t see the inherent aesthetics of good “design” the same way.

For the senior professional service marketer, developing effective strategies during recessionary times generally means “back to basics.” The fundamentals of marketing, business development, public relations, and sales remain absolute. There have been too many words written about “innovation,” “creative,” and “social media” solutions (today’s fix all, end all), to even bother reminding the more seasoned of us that it starts and ends with a list, a phone call, a meeting, a presentation, a proposal, a negotiation, and a sale (and then go tell that story to others). Period. End of story.

No simple fix. No magic pill. No web-based, social media, interactive, multi-lingual, video testimonial hoo haa. Those who understand, do. Those who don’t, struggle. Those willing to mentor and teach the struggling, help. Those willing to only measure, too often miss the big idea. Strategy is lost on those who only count. Tactics to execute take time, management, and fortitude.

There are also too many other aphorisms that relate to change and growth to share here, but as Robert Green Ingersoll simply said, “A believer is a bird in a cage; a freethinker is an eagle parting the clouds with tireless wing.” The eagle knows the distant view is a daily show put there by the universe for them to enjoy. Enjoy the day.

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Becoming almost ubiquitous, the ‘app’ for iPhone or other smart communication device has revolutionized the B2C market, allowing retailers and restaurants to know who you are, where you are (and have been) and when you are usually there. Scary, but definitely a future you can’t avoid. So what’s available for the B2B marketplace?

Not a lot, really. But there is a new trend toward ‘information on demand’ that may supersede your website, your Facebook ‘fan’ page, and certainly will make your brochure obsolete. I recently saw a cool (for its potential) app for a company called “Saint Consulting Group” available on iTunes (and other platforms), created by Mobile Roadie.

Saint specializes in working with real estate developers and building owners who run into the ever-challenging “Not in My Back Yard” (NIMBY) syndrome. They work as a liaison and help identify objections and build consensus to see projects move forward; sort of a lobbyist at street level. The Saint app provides an overview of their services, links to their new book, “The NIMBY Wars,” and connections to learn more. I think this is a very simple, very deceptive piece of great marketing.

Why? Because if what they post through their app is viewed as cheaper (ie, ‘free’), better (‘perfect’), and more timely (‘now’) than other more tedious ways to get pertinent information and engage with a proven advisor, they will have a strong barrier-to-entry for their services in their market.

Rather than go through the typical consultant selection RFQ cycle of qualifications, dog-and-pony presentations, and ‘lowest price wins’ negotiations, they provide almost immediate access to relevant information that puts them metaphorically and figuratively in the pocket of the customer.

So as you plan your next marketing campaign, you might ask what information you can provide ‘freely’ that has high value and think about developing an ‘app for that!’

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