So what is it you want to see?
My client was asking me earnestly.
I had just come with a dozen requests and he was beside himself.
Was I jerking his chain? Being difficult?
“I’m a lamb,” I replied.
“A happy go lucky lamb chewing on grass and being all fluffy but now I need to be the shepherd boy crying wolf”
What the hell is he on about must have thought my client
“Ok, I’ve overdone the nursery analogy as been reading those books to Sophia and Elliana the last few nights for bedtime.
“But there is a wolf coming and he is going to look at the same things I’m asking..
“And since they’re a shambles.. guess what?
“He won’t be fluffy…
“He won’t be cute…
“He will attack and the rest of the pack will pile in..
“On your back, on your legs, buried in a mass of claws and teeth and you’ll wonder…how did the sweet animal who charmed me and the wife at dinner turn into this…”
The bored look on my client’s face began to melt away…
“They will bite and claw.. discount here, adjustment there, an extra year for you, and it will be relentless… and 20%, 40%, and 60% discounts will feel like a great deal.. and relief…just to stop the pain..
“And it drags on.. nine months, eleven, fourteen..
“You’re in the data room at midnight instead of running your business.
“Your best people start looking… customers take longer to pay, then some stop… suppliers turn into asses…
“And every one of those is fresh meat.. another discount, another adjustment, another clause..
“The longer they take, the more there is to bite.. and the wolves are not finished…
“they want more time…more flesh…
“And then they’re bored… and walk away…
“Not much of an exit is it?”
The files I requested and the format I needed were in my inbox the next day.
His files were a shambles and he had no idea until I asked for them.
Are yours?
The Critical Systems Scorecard is 25 questions on how your business actually runs, and you get a personalised report back telling you what the wolf will find.
Cheers,
George