Quotes from Alan Weiss

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.

None of us—not you, not me—is here to stick a toe in the water. We're here to make waves.

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

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.

Abraham Maslow observed, "When the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.

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 nonrainmaking consulting gurus are working for somebody else and merely earning a paycheck.

You Will Be What You Decide to Be, Nothing Less, Nothing More

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

The key is to minimize labor while maximizing fees.

The humorist George Ade once said, 'Don't pity the martyrs, they love the work.

Don't accept contingency fees or "pay for performance"; you're not a trained animal act. Variables are often outside your control, and besides, you're being paid for your best advice. It's up to the client to implement it effectively.

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.

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.

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

only measure that matters is

Value, like beauty, may be in the eye of the beholder, but it's nonetheless discussable and mutually appreciated.

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.

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.

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

Whenever you receive or generate a lead, don't simply do backflips because someone is interested in your services.

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

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.

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

Alanism: The phrase "specialize or die" is among the worst advice in the world. You need to "generalize and thrive.