The reason why so many people are skeptical about strategy consultants is because strategy without execution is meaningless.

A strategy isn’t great (or even good), unless someone does it.

While I love setting up Community Driven Marketing strategies for clients like Pinstripe, I know that they will not become Raving Fans just off a piece of paper.

Together, we have to roll up our sleeves and make it happen.

So, after we build the strategy together, I move into a “sounding board/fitness trainer role” holding people accountable and trying to help them iterate as the plan unfolds.

Today, I was talking to Michelle Krier, the Marketing Services Manager at Pinstripe and we were heads down in reviewing the execution plan.

Now, I think Michelle' is the bee’s knees, but on one issue, she had missed her deadline…badly.

So, I started exhorting her on to victory and demanding compliance (think about an impassioned sports coach, not a raving lunatic).

And thus it began:

“I love that you’re yelling at me. This is fantastic.”

and later, after I said, “you’re damn right, you will!” she said:

‘and now you are swearing at me. This is wonderful!”

When the call was done, we not only had clarity, but we had specific times when each action would be done (on her calendar) and you know what she said?

“I feel great because you yelled at me.”

Clearly, not every potential client is a good fit ;-)