Are you consultants?

Not in the traditional sense. If you think of consultants as groups of MBAs who come in and attempt to implement a complicated process, collect a huge fee and leave you with a system that your people don’t believe in. That’s not what we do.

 “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today.  Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”

If you’re looking for a fish, that’s not what we do. We prefer to provide greater long term value through a customized development experience. We help you take your business where you want to take it by discovering what’s getting in the way. And then, get your people committed to overcoming the obstacles to your success as they never have before. We are more Catalysts than consultants.

What if we don’t have a clear picture for where to take our business?

We would then suggest that what’s getting in the way is the absence of a plan or business strategy. Upon completing our Strategic Thinking and Business Planning process, your management team will not only be able to precisely answer this and other key questions with renewed purpose.

What do you know about our industry?

It is unlikely that we know more about your industry than you do. We likely do know more about elevating the performance of key people and developing effective strategies. We have measurably improved the performance of executives, managers and sales professionals in over twenty different industries. This diversity came about through client referrals into new industries. Often the more technically complex the industry, the greater the potential for measurable improved results by addressing the soft side of your business.

 Knowledge alone is not power. Applied knowledge is power.

Our clients tell us that we help them to leverage their inherent technical knowledge more effectively. By effectively applying universal laws of human dynamics, you can dominate any industry, any market, against any competition.1″

Are you a training company?

If your experience with training companies is sending key people off-sight to learn new skills and concepts only to have 90% of the presented materials forgotten and never implemented. That’s not what we do. Our process provides significantly more value than that. With a customized development experience, we build focus and commitment that can not be achieved through a seminar format. Unlike trainers that develop people first then hope for results. We first define your desired results and design a process to achieve your measurable outcomes.While we cannot guarantee specific behaviors, our process has impacted the lives of thousands of participants. And, it has positively changed the fortunes of organizations. While your results may vary, we promise a results orientated experience unlike anything that you have encountered with seminar training.

What is your Comfort Guarantee?

If, for any reason, you are not completely satisfied with the quality of our professional development programs, let us know.  We’ll make things right or we’ll happily offer a refund less materials and will disengage. To date, no client of Vista Development has asked for a refund. Since we can not promise it will never occur, our guarantee assures your comfort and reduces your risk in working together. Our clients tell us we provide one of the most enjoyable and effective engagements their employees have experienced.

Testimonials and The Comfort Guarantee fine print.

My needs are in sales and marketing? How can you help?

Your Marketing activities are those designed to make the phone ring. Your Sales activities are your processes for finding prospects and turning them into customers. We have helped clients with significant improvements in both areas. Your marketing plan is part of our Strategic Planning Process. Developing a marketing plan without an overall strategy can be a costly shortcut. Part of Working SMART is developing an effective, disciplined plan for leveraging your strengths for pursuit of your most profitable prospects while not wasting your resources trying to be all things to all people. For those looking for a more effective marketing message, we offer our Silver Bullet Discovery Process.We offer a complimentary suite of services for improving sales performance. They range from pre-employment assessment of candidates to our Sales Development Process to a unique activity driving system for business to business selling environments. Improvement of sales results between 20% to 30% are typical. Visit our sales site Chicago Sales Coaching learn more.

What do you mean by Working SMART?

The essence Working SMART is gaining a working understanding of the difference between efficiency and effectiveness. It is a state of habitually and strategically achieving more goals, more often.

What kind of results might we expect?

It depends on you situation, our level of involvement and what we discover is getting in the way. Some of our clients have posted record numbers for both their top and bottom lines within six months of engagement. From an individual standpoint, our participants typically realize a 20% to 30% boost in effectiveness. This improvement is based on the metrics for their particular position. In the absence of initial measurements, vision focused metrics are established and progress is monitored. The results are measurable. Our client testimonials speak for themselves.

What is organizational alignment?

It is one of the things we can do. There are entire books written on the topic. Working SMART is about effective, focused achievement of the activities that have been established as the highest priority in relation to the vision of the organization. Simple to say. Without a method to overcome the madness, challenges occur from deficiencies in soft skills, knowledge, attitudes and lack of focus in leadership.

Who needs this, anyway?

Our Organizational Checkup and Entrepreneur’s Quiz will provide you with some quick answers. 

We’re historically not very good at hiring or promoting the right people, can you help?

While we are not a recruiting company, we do have some effective tools that combine behavioral science with computer science for determining fit for key positions.

We’re just a small company or department. How can you help us?

We work with groups as small as one or two. We find good business principals and enhanced performance will apply regardless of your size or industry. We offer one-on-one executive coaching for individuals that some very small companies have found to be both affordable and beneficial.

What is your hourly rate?

If your experience with professionals includes being billed for all telephone conversations, that’s not what we do. We prefer to work with predetermined, project based fee. We thereby avoid surprise invoices. Unless requested by the client, we do not work with a running meter. We welcome follow-up conversations. Your success is our success.

What does this cost?

Your cost depends on the agreed upon work required to achieve your desired outcomes. However, if we can’t establish an opportunity to generate a potential return of six to ten times your investment in our fees, we should not be doing business. While such opportunities may not be readily apparent, we are skilled at helping our prospective clients to uncover hidden profitable opportunities. That service is free. Once opportunities are crystallized, our clients can view our services as an investment rather than an expense. After completion of the initial project, the value is so apparent that cost is no longer a primary concern for future engagements.