The Paradox of Value Pricing
The beauty (and wisdom) of Value Pricing is that services provided to, and received by, customers are fully customized. Customization fulfills a basic human need to be connected and to feel special....
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A Post On, Egads, Effort
Regular readers of this space will know I am not a fan of the cult of efficiency that enraptures most businesses today. In my project management classes I stress that duration is the more important...
View ArticleSlow Down!
How quickly do you feel you have to reply/respond/react to an email? How quickly do you expect your people to reply/respond to emails? I have been thinking of late about how we are working. The...
View ArticleEgo is a Dirty Word
Do you treat your people like mushrooms? I was speaking to a firm recently where the Partners would not let their staff meet with customers. They would not let anything go out of their office without...
View ArticleWhy Accountants and Lawyers Suck at Learning
I have just put up a post on my site relating to the behaviours that we professionals can adopt in our businesses that can seriously impede us from learning (and contributing). It should make you...
View ArticleClass of 2013: What Is Calling You?
It you have not already, you should really check out Ron Baker’s graduation speech post on LinkedIn: Class of 2013: What Is Calling You? Related posts: Driving Your People Away? The CPE/CLE of the...
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Are You a Diamond Cutter?
Do you cut diamonds in your role? No, I recognise that we’re not really jewellers – we’re dealing with far more valuable and precious things than they ever do. When someone comes into your business,...
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The Billable Hour Is Dead-Sort Of.
Fearless lawyer Mike Ayotte who is never afraid to express his opinions as The Last Honest Lawyer, recently wrote a post titled “The Billable Hour is Dead” and likened lawyers use of the billable...
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How would Charles Darwin see you?
It isn’t about survival of the fittest. Darwin actually held that the most adaptable were the survivors. So, are you and your business adapting or are you heading down the path of the Dodo? The current...
View ArticleMissed It By That Much
Thanks to Sheri Blaho from CS3 Technology for passing Three Ways Brush Factories Are Surviving In America from Planet Money on NPR on to me today. Audio here. There is much with which to agree here....
View ArticlePodcast: Touring IVP – Chapter 2 Part 1 – The Firm of the Future
Ron Baker and Ed Kless continue their tour through Ron Baker’s book Implementing Value Pricing: A Radical Business Model for Professional Firms. This a part one of three on Chapter 2 – The Firm of the...
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Are You Really In The Service Business?
By Tim Williams, Ignition Consulting Group Partners, managers and associates of advertising agencies, accounting firms, and law firms alike are increasingly frustrated by the master-servant dynamic...
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The Potential Consequences of Hourly Billing
I ran into this still shot from a video I did with Mike Bailey in 2011. (If you haven’t seen the video yet, click HERE.) Related posts: Why don’t CPA firm leaders trust their people? Trailblazer Mark...
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The Simple Truth About the Professional Firm Business Model
As we slip into 2014 there is much talk- and even some action-about what business models are appropriate for professional firms in the 21st century. Whilst some professional firms are still in denial...
View ArticleShakespeare was Right!
Latest blog post about communication and how being more effective at it (which involves taking responsibility for ensuring the message is received) can make a big difference. It can be found here....
View ArticlePartnerships: Lessons from the Army
A little over a year ago, I read a fantastic book by Thomas Ricks title The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today. It is a fantastic book on leadership, vision, character,...
View ArticleWhat PKFs Can Learn from Country Music
Modern country music blends the best of traditional American values of hopes and dreams with classical rock rhythms and melodies. It is difficult for even the most ardent anti-cowboy listener to avoid...
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Professional Firm, Decouple Thyself
Before the world was flattened by the personal computer and the Internet, most of the services provided by law firms, accounting firms, architectural firms, and even advertising agencies was...
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July 25th Show Notes: The Economy in Mind
How much does the economy weigh? Believe it or not, it weighs the same as in 1950, even though output is roughly five times larger. We are increasingly an economy driven by mind, not matter. Thomas...
View ArticleDecember 19th, 2014 Show Notes: Interview with Dr. Thomas Sowell
Ed and I were absolutely honored to interview Dr. Thomas Sowell, certainly one of the world’s greatest living economists, on The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Knowledge Economy. Dr. Sowell is...
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