Here’s a fascinating—if somewhat macabre—statistic about Mount Everest: of all the people who have died while summiting Everest, 82 percent have died on the way back down the mountain, not on the way up.
Consider this in the greater context of goal setting, orientation, and accomplishment.
We tend to place so much focus on reaching the summit—putting on the event, accomplishing the goal for our client—that we fail to put the appropriate planning into what happens after we reach the peak.
Our instinct is to put all of our mental energy and focus into visualization, planning, and tending to every little detail about getting there (wherever there might be).
In the process, have we neglected to consider the impact of the changes we make?
While our industry is certainly less dramatic than life or death on Mount Everest, those of us who are involved in the training and development space could benefit from the same lesson.
When it comes to events with our participants, are we disproportionately focusing on the event itself?
Are we considering the experience of the participants during the event and the event only?
Consider whether your focus truly reflects your priorities.
Impact starts during the proposal creation process.
If you’re in the midst of building a proposal for a client and need help ensuring you close the deal I invite you to download our
FREE Proposal Conversion Amplifier workbook
Through the 5-Step process included in the workbook you’ll learn how to build a high-converting client proposal that doesn’t have you reinventing the wheel every time.
As a consultant, are you solely concerned with providing an exceptional experience in the moment, or do you prioritize impact?
When we seek to create lasting change for our clients, we do them a disservice by putting the majority of the emphasis on the event.
What would it look like if consultants were to reframe the event as being a catalyst for the change that comes after it?
Perhaps we should begin to think in terms of the longer journey for our clients, which runs for 30 days, 90 days, even a year long.
Let’s reprioritize the longer timeframe—the space and times it requires for our clients to put our ideas into practice.
Let’s decenter the summit.
Begin by asking yourself: what is the minimum amount of time and content that we should spend during the intervention period, which will create the catalyst for the change we are implementing for the client?
We can all appreciate that this scenario is not as physically intense as descending Mount Everest, but remember the Everest lesson when you’re thinking about your events.
When you’re designing programs, don’t forget to plan for the journey home with as much care as you’d put into planning the journey to the top. After all, it’s about the impact, not the peak.
If you’re currently in the proposal building stage, that’s where impact begins.
I invite you to download our FREE Proposal Conversion Amplifier Workbook.
In this simple 5-step process you’ll learn how to build a high-converting client proposal that doesn’t have you reinventing the wheel every time.
Actionable is on a mission to help boutique consultancies scale their business by giving them the tools to prove and amplify their impact.
If you’re interested in focusing on impact, we’d love to show you how we can help. Book a time to talk with us.
We can’t wait to meet you.
Author
