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1-Page Summary of Getting Naked

Uncovering “Naked Service”

Businesspeople are supposed to be confident and self-assured, but they usually try to hide their mistakes. However, if you show your flaws and imperfections in a positive way, you can build stronger relationships with clients and make them feel more comfortable. It’s particularly effective in the service industries because people like knowing that a businessperson is human too. The following story illustrates how this works:

Once Upon a Time…

Jack Bauer was a rising star at the management consulting firm Kendrick and Black in San Francisco. He lost many competitions for new business to Lighthouse, a small consultancy. Jack was relieved when he heard that Michael Casey, founder of Lighthouse, would be leaving the firm because it usually meant getting fired. However, K&B had bought out Lighthouse and Jack became head of the merger between them. He discussed his new duties with Marty Shine who admitted that he saw Casey as “self-righteous” and “phony.” Shine also said that there were cultural differences between K&B and Lighthouse since they worked different hours.

Getting to Know You

A few days later, Jack drove to the Lighthouse office where he met with Amy, Dick and Matt. They were all partners of the company that owned Lighthouse. It was a former school that had retained some of its original charm. From the parking lot, Jack could see a blue and white lighthouse in the distance. He also learned about their recent growth in business from Matt who said they even had to turn away clients because they didn’t have enough staff to handle them all!

The partners at Lighthouse were shocked to learn that K&B had more junior consultants than they did. They also discovered that the firm charged lower fees than them, and they were even more surprised when Jack told them about K&B’s strategy of investing in junior staff members during his first week there. The next day, he met with Marty and explained how Lighthouse beat them in getting clients and earned higher fees by spending a lot of time on-site with clients.

Jack went to Lighthouse and asked Amy about Michael Casey. He wondered why he hadn’t come in, but it turned out that his daughter was involved in a terrible accident. Although her husband died, she was injured and required care from both of her parents. Humbled by this news, Jack apologized and then asked Dick, Matt and Amy why Michael didn’t sell the company to them. Matt explained that each partner’s financial security had been guaranteed through the sale so they wouldn’t have to worry about having enough money for their old age if something happened to one or more partners.

Dick’s Approach

Jack was still confused about why Lighthouse was so successful. Then he went on a sales call with Dick to visit a client, Charlie. First, they visited the Mexican restaurant chain marketing department and saw some mediocre artwork. Dick asked if they had decided to go away from typical Mexican fare because of that art. The owner liked it, but Dick thought it wasn’t appropriate for the company’s new image. He told Mike what he thought directly and bluntly without being offensive or rude; in fact, Mike appreciated his honesty and agreed with him immediately. Jack wondered why Dick would say something like that to someone who could fire them at any time—until he quoted Michael Casey saying “If we weren’t willing to tell the client the kind truth, then why should they pay us?”

A typical K&B sales meeting would involve Jack making a presentation about the firm’s services and explaining how they could help a potential client. In contrast, Dick would ask questions to learn more about the prospect’s needs and then offer suggestions on what Lighthouse could do for them. The CEO of a transport company was impressed by Dick’s approach and asked if they could continue their discussion at his staff meeting. When it came time to discuss fees, Dick said that he couldn’t charge until after they had met again since he didn’t sell anything during their first meeting. The CEO agreed so easily that Jack felt bewildered because he thought “I am a salesman” while Dick was just there as an advisor who didn’t do any selling…he just went in there and started helping them.” When Jack asked why Lighthouse turned away clients, Dick explained that some clients are bad for business because they sap your energy without giving you referrals later on down the road.