The Twelfth Proclamation contains an excellent summary: "We will see ourselves as professional practitioners who bring real solutions to our clients’ business problems. We will seek respect above money, for only when we are respected as experts will we be paid the money we seek."I especially like the approach to sales as the expert practitioner determining fit, rather than as the persuader.

Blair is a self-proclaimed “recovering consultant.” He’s shifted from full-time consultant to focusing on his Win Without Pitching program, a sales training program for creative entrepreneurs and their teams around the world. Confucius quote: Speak softly and people lean toward you; speak loudly and they lean away.” —> It is human nature to follow what retreats? Raise the objections first. Instead of waiting to hear, “You seem expensive,” we might say, “I’m a little concerned about the ability an organization of your size has to afford us.” We Will Build Expertise Rapidly I feel that the proclamations are easier for established firms to follow than those that haven't yet built up a strong reputation.We will not develop, nor share with the client, creative of any kind before the challenge has been diagnosed and the strategy prescribed and agreed to." The book then continues by suggesting an alternate means to approach business. Enns suggests starting from scratch by not offering a service that is a commodity. Don't compete on price but rather position yourself as having expertise in a niche and capitalize on that to avoid bidding wars/ races to the bottom/ competition for business.

NOTE: when you pitch too hard, you make it difficult for the client to be honest / trust. This makes it hard to get to no / understand objections.The outcome of the diagnostic phase is 1) findings (discoveries) and 2) recommendations (plan to move forward with timeline and budget).