Speaker: Jim Poage

There is an old marketing saying that people buy on emotion and then justify the purchase rationally. This idea applies, as well, to technical consulting work where we are all, in a sense, continually selling our work and ideas —pitching to perspective clients, providing ideas and interim results to impress clients during a project, and presenting output to persuade clients of its value. If you design the content of your work and communicate your work in a way that energizes clients, they are more likely to adopt what you propose, follow up with you, remember you, and hire you. Energizing is effective because energy overrides inhibitions that block action, and energy spreads and propels the popularity of what you do.

This talk is about how to energize clients and audiences emotionally as well as rationally. We do not usually think of engaging audiences emotionally when considering technical consulting work, but it can be done effectively. Feeling trust for you, finding you pleasant to work with, and feeling energized by your insights and recommendations are emotional aspects of successful consulting. Some techniques to be covered are: structuring your work and your writing/presentations to tell a story of how your results will provide value, creating an experience of what it will be like when clients use your findings, using memorable examples, being concrete in the way your explain your work so clients can visualize it in their context, and using humor related to your topic to enliven your audience. Examples of using these techniques in consulting will be discussed, including: marketing to potential clients, designing the content of your work, designing the overall structure for reports and presentations, writing the content, creating tables and figures, informally discussing your work with clients, and interacting with clients.

Jim Poage, PhD, has spoken to various groups and conferences, been interviewed in podcasts, published articles in business and technical journals and in online publications, and conducted webinars about putting an emotional pull into communications and products to energize others. Jim is co-author, with his daughter Jennifer Poage who works in fashion design, of Flair: Design Your Daily Work, Products, and Services to Energize Your Customers, Colleagues, and Audiences (Maven House Press, 2016). Flair shows how to make your products and everyday work draw in customers, colleagues, and audiences so that they follow up, adopt, and/or buy. Jim founded JLP Performance Consulting in 2003 to help organizations integrate technology and humans to work together effectively within an organization. His consulting has expanded to coach organizations and individuals on how to create an emotional draw with customers and audiences.

At JLP Performance Consulting, Jim Poage views the applicable aspects of technology, processes, managers, workers, customers, suppliers, organizational structure and culture, and external influences as parts of a holistic system working together to achieve end-value efficiently. Reflecting the content of his book, Flair, this approach accounts for both the emotional and rational aspects of organizational productivity, output, and communications.

Jim’s clients include, among others, BAE Systems, Kopin, L-3 Communications, Engility, Saab Sensis, NASA, FAA, Georgia Institute of Technology, and San Jose State University. Much of this work was on future concepts for Air Traffic Control. Jim holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Harvard University and an M.S. and B.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. See www.jimpoage.com for more information about Flair and Jim’s work.

PLEASE NOTE: The meeting is open to the public. No charge for Consultants Network members or employees of Constant Contact; $5 entrance fee for all others. Casual dress.

The Consultants Network meeting starts at 6:30 PM.  The meeting will take place at Constant Contact, Reservoir Place - 1601 Trapelo Road, Waltham, MA 02451, in the Great Room on the third floor.

A no host, PRE-MEETING DINNER will take place at 5:15 PM (sharp) at Bertucci's, 475 Winter Street, Waltham, MA (exit 27B, Rte. 128)

Driving Directions to Constant Contact

Follow I-95/route 128 to Trapelo Rd in North Waltham, Waltham. Take exit 28 from I-95/route 128.(https://goo.gl/maps/tvn3I)

Consultants Network meetings generally take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month, but are not held during the summer months. 

For more information, e-mail cn.boston@ieee.org or chairman@boston-consult.com; or contact the chairman Heinz Bachmann, at 978-637-2070.