The Anxiety Of Being A Guru

On the positive side of things for my consulting business, I have engaged a sales associate who will work at growing the business, and it will be an excellent relationship. However, with sales comes the production of marketing materials and other things designed to promote me as a "guru". These things include presentations, theories, outlooks, White Papers, imperatives, frameworks and other such advice that one may receive from a genie in a bottle, horoscope or a fortune cookie.

As I have continued to get involved in the marketing community, I have noticed two types of individuals and potential clients - The Introjector and the Projector. The Introjector says "feed me", "teach me" or "tell me what I should do". They are always looking for the latest and greatest idea, swallowing it whole and adopting it without much chewing it over at all. They never include themselves in the incorporation of new ideas because the grounding of who they are in their professions is very weak.

The Projector is actually someone who is "scared" of change or even "cowardly" towards those who suggest new ideas. They have a wonderful way of dismissing anyone or anything who is "new" by making other people shake in their boots. The shaking that Projectors cause in others is no more than their own uncertainty - they have the somewhat unique ability (and one that I secretly envy) to make other people feel uneasy when it is they themselves who are feeling awkward.

In dealing with both personality types as a supplier of research and consulting, I am surprised at the amount of work, and effort that is involved in justifying and explaining to satisfy these individual personality types. I believe that a good consultant can create value, provide insight and be competent with a particular methodology or framework. However, the best ones that I know simply have the ability to work in the here-and-now with their clients to force and manage necessary change, regardless of theories, frameworks, imperatives and White Papers. Do I have it in me to actually sell the "steak" while most others will still sell the "framework sizzle"?