Business consultants

I am so tired of these people. Business consultants have a theme song. (Oh, by the way, I don't care if you call them marketing consultants, sales consultants, good ole consultants, motivational speakers, or Anthony "Walk on hot coals at my idiotic convention that you paid money for and burn your feet because a fool and his money are soon separated" Robbins. They are all the same.) This is it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C0oCxf-HSI (Warning: There is some profanity.)

Today, I heard an interview with one of these guys. His grand pronouncement: business doesn't give a shit, his words, not mine, about anyone. Huh? Really? Is that what we think? Let me back up. I agree  - some businesses don't give a shit. Those would be called bad businesses.

Maybe I am a romantic. Maybe I am naive. Maybe I am a fool. Maybe I am a product of my upbringing. Maybe, its all of the above. Heck, no maybe about it. I am naive. I am a fool. I am a product of my upbringing. Ask my wife if I am a romantic.

Anyway, I grew up hearing this: http://www.jnj.com/wps/wcm/connect/c7933f004f5563df9e22be1bb31559c7/jnj_ourcredo_english_us_8.5x11_cmyk.pdf?MOD=AJPERES (Okay, so you can't hear it. You have to read it, but I heard it as a little kid. Often.) Read the first sentence: "We believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses and patients, to mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services." Have they failed? Absolutely positively without a doubt yes. But its not called Our Every Day Life. Its called our Credo. Its an aspiration that they live up to - or try to live up to.

And it should be no different for anyone else. I know it works for me. My first responsibility, every day, is to my clients, to the people who trust me to resolve whatever issue they bring to me that day. My first responsibility is not to be an ass, is not to not give a shit, is not to make a killing and count my money all the way to the bank. I have always said the biggest mistake I make is to get to know my clients, and like them as people. A lot of attorneys try not to do that. That's fine. Its their right. For me, this is my business. This is my livelihood. This is how I do things. And I do it by caring.

I find it funny how many consultants have never really done anything with their lives. What, exactly, have you done? You started a business that sells your line of BS to some poor business? That is not actually doing something. What is the positive impact you have made? Taking a business from $1,000,000 in sales to $5,000,000 in sales is not doing something - especially if you are doing it by not giving a shit. Sorry, it doesn't count. You have not done anything.

Look back at the people who make a difference in the world. They have one thing in common: they care about people. They give a shit. Its not just rich folks, its every day folks. You know why I bank where I bank? They actually are interested in what is going on in my life and not just how to make a dollar off of me. You know why I get clients? Its not because I have some magic potion or I have some special skills. Its because when people talk to me, they understand I care.

So I am going to stand up right now and say I am done with business consultants. Those who can do, those who can't consult. Yes, I know this is a generalization and overly broad, but screw it. If the consultants would stand up and say enough is enough about their own brethren, then perhaps I wouldn't need to. But these folks go out there and suck people dry and then wonder why the world hates the businesses they consult with. Think about it. If Allstate actually put you in good hands, you would like them. But they don't care and they can't even fake it. So they are not well liked.

Its time for small business to take a stand and say enough is enough. We are sick and tired of people who want to tell us how to run our businesses. Go away and find someone else to not care about!