Regular readers might remember a post I did a few weeks ago entitled Instead, I’ll Let You Be the Judge, in which I published my deleted comments from a bog post by a FileMaker programmer.
This morning, I was thrilled to receive a mention in post entitled Passing the Torch of Value Pricing by a consultant in the FileMaker community named Jonathan Stark. To Jonathan, I wish to express my thanks for the mention. I had trouble posting a comment, so I thought I would just mention it here.
In addition, a shout out to Kirk Bowman, another FileMaker consultant who I met for lunch shortly before his presentation at a FileMaker un-conference. I hope to post his slides and the audio from his session in a future post.
Jonathan and Kirk, thanks for advancing the cause!
Being forced to read this would be the intellectual equivalent of water boarding.
The copy reads:
TIME IS a lawyer’s commodity - or rather - it is how most lawyers quantify their expertise. How successful you are as a lawyer depends fundamentally on how you use your time. There is direct correlation between how much value you can extract from your time and your profitability. Most lawyers must record how they spend their time on a daily basis and regularly justify their use of time to clients, the court or their employers.
My wife, Christine, and I have recently become devotees of the AMC Original Series, Mad Men. For those of you not familiar the shows follows the personal and business life of a Madison Avenue creative who goes by the name of Don Draper in the early 1960s.
Small spoiler alert if you are planning to watch the show!
In Season 3, Don happens upon an elderly gentleman in the back unused bar of a country club named Connie. It turns out, he is Conrad Hilton. In this later scene, Hilton asks Don for his opinion on a new ad campaign. What follows is a terrific lesson on providing a free sample without giving away too much.
I haven’t been blogging very much lately, so big thanks to Ed for keeping up!
I’ve been working on my new book since December.
My publisher (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) and I are struggling with the title of the book, so I thought I’d solicit the “wisdom of the crowds,” because there is so much of it in this community.
Structure of the Book
The book deals with much more than just implementing Value Pricing. When professional firms eliminate billable hours and timesheets, it changes the DNA of the firm, not just its pricing, but everything: its marketing, it value proposition, how it communicates with clients and manages their expectations, what it measures for customers and team members, and so forth.
The book is actually proposing a new Business Model, from “We sell time” to “We sell intellectual capital.”
It will have a toolkit, along with a 7 step process for pricing an engagement. Moreover, an Appendix for each professional sector—advertising agencies, CPA, Law and IT firms— and will include customized checklists, sample forms, examples, issues, etc., from that particular profession.
So, it’s a Toolkit + Reference Book + an explanation of a revolutionary business model. It’s a one-stop read that is not dependent on reading any of my other books.
Some Titles So Far
The Timeless Practice: VeraSage Institute’s Revolutionary Business Model for Professional Firms
Transitioning to Timeless: VeraSage Institute’s Guide to Selling Intellectual Capital, Not Time
From Time to Timeless: VeraSage Institute’s Guide to Selling Intellectual Capital, Not Time
The Timeless Firm: VeraSage Institute’s Revolutionary Business Model for Professional Firms
Professional Firm 3.0: VeraSage Institute’s Revolutionary Business Model for Professional Firms
Timeless: The Professional’s Guide to Profitability, Effectiveness, Intellectual Capital, and Value Pricing. Thanks to Ed for the subtitle on this one!
Any suggestions folks? There’s a bottle of Dan Morris’ finest wine in it for the best suggestion.
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