Alan Weiss Quotes

“Aim for success, not perfection.”

“Change the question from 'Should we do business?' to 'How should we do business?'”

“Determine whom you respect, whose feedback would be valid and worthy, and solicit their advice and reactions. Pretty much ignore all other feedback because it’s for the sender, not you, and can absolutely ruin your day if you have esteem issues. Save yourself the stress. You have to have the strength to ignore unsolicited feedback.”

“If you don’t know, ask. If you’re not sure, test. If you’re unfamiliar, admit it.”

“Leadership is driven by values and measured by results.”

“Move three things forward a mile, not a hundred things forward an inch.”

“Only the gifted few can wing it (and if you’re wondering who they are, you’re not one of them).”

“Tell the audience what they need to know, not everything you know.”

“What's the biggest obstacle to your being even more successful right now?”

“The key to finding a terrific mentor is not to pursue someone who is at the very top of the profession, but to find someone who two years ago was where you are now. He or she will be most familiar with your current situation, and have relevant, timely experiences and perspective to share.”

“You should be seen as a credible peer by clients and prospects, not as a vendor, salesperson, or subordinate.”

“You will be what you decide to be, nothing less, nothing more.”

“While generosity is about more than just money, bear in mind that the idea of it is really based not so much on what you give but rather what you have left after you give.”

“Real wealth is discretionary time. Money is simply fuel for your life. You can always make another dollar, but you can’t make another minute. Don’t let the pursuit of money erode your wealth.”

“Always ask yourself, 'Would I be proud of this if it appeared all over the Internet tomorrow?'”

“Fees are money paid to you as equitable compensation for the value you’ve delivered.”

“Marketing is the art and science of creating need. You can reach out to people to do this, but it’s far more effective to attract them to you.”

“Million Dollar Consulting Orchestration: if you don’t blow your own horn, there is no music.”

“My fee represents my contribution to this project with a dramatic return on investment for you and equitable compensation for me.”

“On a more localized basis, you can and should relentlessly pursue need within your clients and with your prospects.”

“One Percent Solution: Videotape clients giving you testimonials and place these on your Web site home page. This is the most dramatic video marketing tool that I know of.”

“Too many consultants fall in love with their own methodology. Success in this business comes from marketing, not from the depth of consulting expertise. I know that this is heresy to many of you, but all the non-rainmaking consulting gurus are working for somebody else and merely earning a paycheck.”

“When people knock on your door, credibility is assumed and fees are whatever you say they are.”

“When you settle for 'vanilla' objectives such as 'increased clarity', or 'more confidence', or 'higher commitment' (which I call 'human resources objectives' because they are so weak and nonmeasurable), you deny yourself the opportunity to create dynamic ROI, where the client receives huge benefit and your equitable compensation is quite reasonable in light of that improvement.”

“You grow based on exploiting strengths, not by acclimating to weaknesses.”

“Ironically, most people submit proposals far too early and far too often. They are actually at the conclusion of the sales process, just prior to a project’s launch. When a proposal is accepted, you should be able to begin work immediately.”

“No money. There is always money! The lights are on, the floors are clean, people at their desks are being paid. Professional services providers think that money is a resource. It is not. It’s a priority. So the question is really not one of finding money but of moving money that already exists from something else to you.”

“Objectives are business outcomes and results that have substantial impact on the products, services, and relationships of the enterprise, and which can be measured. They may be new opportunities reached or problems solved.”

“Only measure what matters.”

“The only measure that matters is improved results — an improved client condition, in this case represented by objectives met and validated by key metrics.”