Tag Archives: consulting

It’s all about relationships

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I’m back in New England in the cold and snow with lots of follow-up tasks after the hyperstimulation of HIMSS19 and a much quieter visit with a friend and colleague on the Florida coast. Yes, that meant a canstockphoto15501323 (1) handshake croppeddaily walk along the beach. As I prioritize and re-prioritize my to do’s, I am reminded that this business is all about relationships.

To show how important the relationships are that I’ve built in my 30 plus years in health IT, here’s some of my scheduled and add-on meetings/calls this week:

  • A discussion with someone who worked on my IT team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital many years ago. She is now a sales director for a security vendor and needed a CIO perspective – she reached out on LinkedIn and I agreed to do a call.
  • Conversations with a few CIOs who are interested in working with StarBridge Advisors as potential advisors. Mutual connections introduced us.
  • A search firm I’d been in touch with years ago contacted me and now I am interviewing for a board position with a vendor.
  • A business partner of a colleague invited me to discuss with an investor the potential to join their advisory board.
  • Talking through an opportunity to host monthly podcasts with a colleague I’ve known for 3 years.

Yes, it’s all about relationships. But it’s not just about who you know. It’s about who you are and how you show up with people. You need to be capable and competent with the right knowledge and experience, but also honest and authentic with high integrity. That’s what it takes to be successful in a business that is all about relationships.

One of the best pieces of sales advice I got from a colleague last year was the “know-like-trust-need” model. People need to know who you are and what you can do, they need to like you, and they need to trust you. If you have all that, when they need you, they’ll call you. Simple. That’s why I focus on relationships. Continue reading →

From One to Many

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In the past four days, I’ve learned about and interacted with ten different healthcare systems. Some are current consulting and coaching clients while others are prospective clients. Their needs for services canstockphoto1878305range from interim management to leadership development to small, discrete consulting projects.

Their challenges and needs are unique, but not necessarily new to me. After 30+ years in healthcare IT, I “know a lot because I have seen a lot” as the insurance company advertises.  But if I am going to be effective in meeting each client organization’s needs, I need to get to know each client organization, the players and the culture.

I enjoy the day to day work of an interim CIO engagement like my recent one at Stony Brook Medicine. It’s very rewarding to be part of a larger team making a difference for patients. But interacting with many different organizations around the country and helping them solve problems is an entirely different kind of challenge. It is fun and rewarding in its own way.

On that first call with a prospective client, you need to establish your credibility and determine if your services are a match to their needs. Listening skills are critical – when talking to a prospective client and once you get the work. You need to go deep to understand their unique issues. And at the same time, you need to apply your experience and knowledge from other organizations.

Five new leads for StarBridge Advisors have come my way this week. I’m chasing them all. Once I understand the unique need, I’ll match one of our advisors and prepare a proposal for the client.

This level of client activity requires good administration, organization, and tools. We have the tools and continue to refine our processes. We’re trying to fully leverage SalesforceIQ and use it consistently as a firm. Leveraging our tools and creating repeatable processes is all part of the work this first year in business. Continue reading →