Friday Field Notes: Patterns I'm Seeing with Clients

Here's what I'm hearing in the field this week—real conversations, real patterns. 1 – Conferences don't end when the conference endsThe most important part of working a conference is actually after the conference. Most people do the "meeting before the meeting" well—setting up conversations ahead of time. Where 90–95% fall short is post-conference follow-up. Your follow-up plan should: -Be intentional -Start on day one of planning -Have a 6–12 month shelf life If the follow-up isn't tight, the conference ROI disappears fast. 2 – Your value shows up in the questions you askI keep seeing this: As someone's sense of value goes up, the quality of their questions improves. Simple. Direct. Curious. Too many people: -Take orders instead of guiding -Avoid asking deeper questions -Stay on the surface to feel "safe" But the real work happens below the surface. Better questions → better listening → clearer understanding of client pain. If someone is in the room with you, they already see your value. Step into it. 3 – Clarity removes friction—every timeHere's a simple rule I give clients: When managing people → they should always know what to do now and what to do next When working with clients → they should always know what you're doing now and what's coming next Over communicate. Confusion is optional. 4 – Knowledge isn't enough—translation is everythingYes, stay up-to-date with: -Podcasts -Articles -Real-time data -Industry signals But the biggest gap I see is here: Not explaining what it means to the client. They don't care how much you know. They care about: -What this means for them -How they should execute differently now -Translate. Simplify. Target it to their world"