Never Say Sell

CHAPTER 9Know Thyself

In the 2003 Christmas blockbuster Elf, Will Ferrell played a character named Buddy the Elf. Buddy has more Christmas spirit than anyone, the greatest enthusiasm for toy making, and lives rule number 1 of the Elf Code to the fullest extent possible: Treat every day like it's Christmas. What's abundantly clear to the viewer – but not to Buddy – is that he is not like the other elves, being two feet taller than the rest of the North Pole population. Also, he doesn't possess the rapid-arm-movement capacity of the other elves that is required for efficient toy creation. His production numbers are pathetic: He creates 85 Etch A Sketches in a day, leaving him 915 off the average. He's useful when a light bulb needs to be changed, but that is not the core skillset they hire for at the North Pole.

Buddy the Elf apparently is not a Marcus Buckingham “Know your Strengths” kind of guy. However, Buddy's not alone. Too many expert services providers make the same error as Buddy: They bring an 85 Etch A Sketch capacity to a marketplace that already produces 1,000 units per day, instead of going to market with their light-bulb-changing service. The light-bulb-changing service may seem like a smaller or less appealing market, but it's one in which they have the right to win.

We see this often in nascent consulting organizations where there is a lack of definition around the product or service being brought to market. This isn't surprising: The majority of new consulting ...