From Zero to $300,000 in 18 Months — An Interview with Organizational Development Consultant Betsy Jordyn

Betsy Jordyn is the founder of Accelera Consulting Group. She is an organizational development and strategy consultant who previously worked with Walt Disney World. Her clients also include JCPenney, United Airlines, Hilton Vacations, and many others. In this discussion, Betsy shares the benefits of identifying and narrowing in on a specialized area of expertise, her advice on how to efficiently take control of client requests in order to deliver a more valuable assessment, and how to determine if organizational development consulting is the right fit for you. Key Takeaways: [1:05] Betsy shares the kinds of challenges that come with increasing leadership and organizational capacities. [2:35] Even Walt Disney World needs consultants to take their concepts for improvement in the future to the next level. [4:45] Betsy’s Masters program gave her the start in OD that eventually led to her starting her own business. [7:20] The transition from consulting within an organization to working on her own was easier for Betsy because of her toolbox and her mentors. [8:35] Consultants need to narrow in on an area of expertise in order to keep their business growing. [11:00] Don’t ever hesitate to turn down work that isn’t the right fit, or to ask for more money for work in your areas of greatest strength. [14:05] Compliments are the key to identifying first tier gifts and strengths. [15:15] Specializing allows clients to easily see how you will fit into their team. [17:10] Betsy’s key tip for extracting more value from their client projects is to NOT say yes to the initial assignment that they ask of you — take control of the conversation so that you can help identify and fill their business performance gaps. [21:35] Consultants need to ensure that their expertise is relevant, timely, and has fit with each particular client system, before determining the best way to move forward. [25:10] You can add more value than 99% of consultants by first helping the client articulate their business performance gaps through your initial assessment. [28:50] Consultants that are interested in organizational development need to make sure that they are wired to think like an OD consultant, and get a mentor who can help with delivering practical techniques to their clients. Mentioned in This Episode: Accelera Consulting Group Betsy Jordyn Marcus Buckingham Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Join the Consulting Success Community today: