This is the first in an occasional series about people I love but haven’t necessarily met because they don’t know I exist because they are famous. People who inspire me to care a bit less about marketing. People like Thomas Keller and Amanda Palmer, who make a living doing nobler things, for which they are rightly worshiped. Each post includes a summary of why I love them, plus a brief website lesson you can act on today.

Thomas Keller is the famous chef responsible for the best fried chicken I’ve ever had.

His Michelin-starred restaurant, French Laundry, is so hard to get into you need to start auto-dialing 10 minutes before 5:30pm, precisely 2 months in advance, to have a chance. I’ve never managed to pull it off.

His newest restaurant, Ad Hoc, is more accessible. I’ve had drinks there. It’s also the title of his new cookbook, filled with family-style recipes for the sorts of dishes I grew up with—fried chicken, chicken soup, brownies, chocolate chip cookies. (Okay, dishes I would have grown up with if I could have eaten whatever I wanted, without interference from iceberg salad and meatloaf.)

Thanks to the cookbook, my first attempt at making fried chicken turned out to produce the best I’ve ever had. Crispy and juicy and tender and mind-blowing.

After devouring his buttermilk fried chicken, I became quite interested in Thomas Keller the business person. If the man can make fried chicken taste this good, what could he do for my business?

In the book, Thomas Keller explains that Ad Hoc wasn’t supposed to be called Ad Hoc. That was just a placeholder name. An ad hoc name, if you will. He didn’t have the resources to immediately begin developing the concept he wanted, so he decided to make use of the space he’d already bought by serving the kinds of ad-hoc, family-style meals the restaurant staff usually ate. Then it dawned on him. He could develop that as a concept.

Ad Hoc was born.

They only serve one meal each evening, but it’s a freaking amazing meal, and it’s served in big, family-style portions.

You don’t even have to look at the menu. Your only choice is to go there, and trust they’ll do you right.

Maybe consultants could take a page from Thomas Keller’s cookbook.

For example, what would Thomas Keller do about your Services page?

My old website used to have a page called Services. You know, so people could see what I did. Websites, case studies, bios, lead-generation emails, white papers.

Can you imagine if Thomas Keller had a restaurant called “All the Types of Food We Can Make If You Want?”

It dawned on me that people don’t really come to me for websites, case studies, bios, lead-generation emails, and white papers. Not the right people, anyway.

The right people come to me for because they want to transform their business. It’s my job to help them figure out what it takes to get there. And to keep them from ordering a bunch of stuff they don’t need.

Yet, so many consultants present these gigantic services pages with every combination of packages and services someone could possibly want. Alternatively, they specialize in one single thing, despite the fact most people need much more.

The alternative to “All the Types of Food We Can Make If You Want” doesn’t have to be “Thomas Keller’s Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs.”
Nothing wrong with bacon-wrapped hot dogs. But an entire restaurant dedicated to bacon-wrapped hot dogs would get boring for a chef like Thomas Keller. And you wouldn’t want to eat there all the time.

So, what if you gave yourself permission to write about just one package? The package of helping people figure out what sort of package they need? You tell them, “I don’t know what you need yet—because our work together is customized.” And then you proceed to ask them all of the smart questions you’ve developed in advance. That discovery process becomes the first package.

My Wilderness Concierge is a bit like that. It’s the only thing on the menu for people who have never worked with me before. And I don’t know exactly what we’re going to make next until we start talking. Maybe we’ll make fried chicken. Maybe we’ll make the best chocolate brownies and homemade ice cream you’ve ever had. Maybe we’ll make it all gradually, one month at a time.

I wonder what this kind of package might look like for your business—and whether anyone can get me a reservation at French Laundry.

What you can do now: Buy the Ad Hoc cookbook (not an affiliate link) and make the fried chicken. Then think about whether your Services could use a profitable make-under.

Fact: No one likes to write testimonials.

But most people don’t mind talking.

Fact: Interviewing is both a skill and an art.

But few people know how to really do it well. It’s too easy to freeze up and revert to yes-or-no questions.

The best way to demonstrate how to get a testimonial is to simply show you.

This is not only my first video post, but it’s also the first footage I’ve ever shot. Ever. Knowing this will explain so much when you see it.

Against my better judgment, I’m posting it anyway. My assistant kept insisting it was in his contract.

This is the first of a two-part series. After you’ve watched this disaster, I think you’ll see why I need the second part.

Learn how I can help you avoid getting an awkward testimonial.