My voice or chat.openai?

Over the past few months, I've taken to sending a megillah [loose translation from the Yiddish meaning = Long Harangue] to many friends and colleagues when they refer prospective clients to me. I started it as an attempt to filter out time wasters, but if I'm honest with myself, it was more of trying to clarify what I do, so that it should lead to the perfect clients. The response from friends and colleagues were generally effusive with praise. While there was the obvious constructive critiques about the roughness and long windiness of it, for the most part they seemed to think that it explains my style as they know it quite well. 

However, when they shared it with the potential clients, The filter seemed to work all too well. 4 out of 5 recipients of it took a hard pass, and most of the rest seemed to be overwhelmed by the time they got a few paragraphs in... I tend to stick to my guns, so I let it roll that way, smug in my successful filtering and proud of using my own voice. 

And then came chat.openai.com. I started out probably as incredulous as the millions of others trying it and using it. But very quickly it grew on me. I played around with different marketing copy ideas for clients, inspiration for pep talks and speeches, and generally having fun trying different creative artificial realities in words. 

Then it hit me. How does my voice sound to a trained machine? Can they get the subtlety of what I’m trying to convey? 

I went ahead and just copied in that whole megillah, and asked chat.openai for advice. after giving me some basic guidance, I asked them to follow their own advice and just rewrite it for me. They happily complied, and cut my 1,314 words down to 274 words. I had some back and forth on tweaking and finessing some words, and it was scary the speed of the responses. Yet, I still feel that it's inadequate. it seems hard for me to give up on my own long-winded voice. I'm wondering... do I have hope of living in a future of AI manufactured communication perfection?

I'm struggling for an answer to this question. My first instinct was to just ask the question of chat.openai, and even just ask them to even edit all these words above, but thought better of it. 

Let humans be the judge!!! 

Please see both versions. I would love to know Your thoughts. 

MY VERSION

Thanks for referring prospective clients to me. Being that there was a recent uptick of such referred calls [I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing ??, it’s probably due to people hearing that I’m no longer traveling to London all the time] and I keep on being asked mostly similar questions. For the most part I answer that they should find out information on me themselves, but somehow, I feel that this response seems arrogant, and it frustrates them. I usually end up in some sort of interview/self-congratulating conversation that I generally dislike. So, I decided to write down these questions, and basics of what I do and don’t do, so that these conversations can be more fruitful. Feel free to share. 

What do you do? I’m a management consultant…

·   This title does not mean that I “give” advice. While I’m quite smart and experienced [if I say so myself], I don’t believe in “giving” advice. I believe in working with my clients and clarifying with them their business goals and tasks that it takes to get there.

·   While there might be many valuable consultants out there with good strategies and ideas, I’m not one of them. I personally don’t ever trust my own words if I’m not there for the long haul. Meaning, I always work on the premise that 20-40% of ideas fail or need to be modified, and they are only worth it, if the person giving these ideas and strategies is there for the implementation, follow up, and modification.

·   While I speak passionately and forcefully my ideas, I don’t consider myself a guide or a prophet, for the most part, I expect buy-in from the client to the strategies whether short or long term. If a client thinks that I’m King Solomon and can fix everything with a magic wand, it usually doesn’t work.

·   The easiest way for someone to understand my role, is as a senior c-level employee for hire [private contractor]. My company is called GTJD [Get The Job Done], that’s the only thing that matters to us!!!

What’s my expertise?

·   My skills involve creating, transitioning, designing, assisting, and most importantly helping execute growth and scalability for companies.

·   I take a 360-degree approach to everything in a business. Meaning, I don’t just work in a silo, I approach a goal, by thinking of many strategies and micro tasks involved to get to the finish line. For example, when designing a product roadmap or sales structure, I approach it from a market, marketing, legal, coaching, guiding, recruiting, financial, facilities, procedures, branding, ethos, support, technological, HR, and management perspective.

·   My key expertise is in effectuating growth. Over close to the last two decades I’ve worked with many different organizations, while I had many successes, and naturally some that were less successful, but overwhelmingly across the board, almost every organization or team I was involved with, experienced a tremendous growth transformation over my time with them.

What type of clients do I work with?

·   I work with clients large and small. Meaning whether they’re just starting in business, are on a growth trajectory and need help growing with a stable structure or are mature organizations that want to take it to the next level.

·   I love clients that are passionate about their service offering and driven to get there. 

·   I respect clients that have an understanding that there’s no gain without pain, and it always takes a lot of commitment and hard work to get to success. 

·   I only work with clients that are generally honest, respectful, and ready to do the right and smart thing when situations or opportunities arise. [this is more important than one might think, if I ever feel a lack of mutual trust, that is usually my time to leave]

·   The most important thing I seek in a client is a serious willingness to grow, to learn how to be disciplined in always following the big picture goals.

What’s my experience?

·   I’ve worked as a CEO, CFO, CMO, VP of Operations, HR, Strategist, Change Manager, and most roles up & down the corporate chain.

·   I’ve worked in industries as varied as from Luxury jewelry to Sanitation, from financial services to logistics, from traditional brick & mortar operations to highly developed SaaS models.

·   I’ve worked with companies that were doing over a hundred million in sales annually when I first joined, to startups even before the first seed was planted.

How do I work?

·   All my engagements start with an initial hour and a half consultation, that’s where we try to identify the basics of what the business is looking to achieve and what the challenges are. 

·   After the initial consultation, some people just leave, and I might not hear from them again, or I’ll hear from them again a few months later that they want a little more consultation. While I don’t like doing this much, it’s usually part of being in this line of work. [While I chose this career for financial benefit, I am only interested in engagements that the client gains value in his business. Even when people enjoy or like to work with me, if I don’t believe that we are really accomplishing growth or transition for the business, then I will not proceed in working with the business.] 

·   If after the initial consultation we BOTH think that there’s value to be realized in us working together, I will usually spend between 15- and 20-hours meeting, reviewing, and strategizing with the owner and the team as much of the business as I’m able to. [while I consider myself quite quick, I’ve yet to find a person that can join a business and know anything without spending this time]. after that I will usually make a summary of my findings and an initial plan and options of how to proceed. 

·   During this time and thereafter, my commitment is to do whatever is best for the business. I work hard, I’m brutally honest and pragmatic with the owners and management of a business. I never rest from the main goals of the business.

·   I work in person onsite, on the phone, on video, and primarily emails with all my engagements. 

·   I consider myself an outsider in a business only insofar as thinking out of the box, and not being stuck in following the current rhythm of things. However, I will always act and work with as if it’s MY business. I will passionately push and work for any ideas and change needed because the businesses success is the main goal I focus on. 

How does someone work with me?

·   It always starts by the business owner coming to my office near Borough Park for the initial consultation. [in rare cases, I do it via video call, or an onsite visit]. My experience has shown, that without the first effort of the client coming in person here (when applicable), to a change of environment, then ultimately, they end up not ready for the commitment and discipline it takes for growth.

·   Depending on the scope of the business, it ranges from me spending 2-3 hours a week in meetings with the owner and maybe one senior manager, to myself taking on a key interim position in the company where I work 20+ hours a week. 

·   Being that time is the most valuable possession for a business owner [and the costliest], most of my time working on a business’s behalf are clocked in and out, [with some obvious short 1–3-minute conversations here and there] 

·   We invoice weekly, and our invoices are due upon receipt. 

·   In some larger or longer engagements, we work out a flat weekly fee, to allow for time flexibility. This is usually only after initial consultation and the following research process, that this can be considered.

·   Please see our basic rate table below.

·   [Image not copying here]

Thanks again 

Shaya Weisfeld

[email protected]

347-280-3260

www.gtjd.com

________________________________________

CHAT.OPENAI.COM'S VERSION

I'm a management consultant and the founder of GTJD (Get The Job Done). I work with clients of all sizes to help them achieve growth and scalability through a 360-degree approach that covers all aspects of their business. My key expertise is in driving growth, and I have a track record of transforming organizations and teams over my close to two decades of experience.

I work with clients who are passionate about their service offering, understand the hard work and commitment required for success, and are willing to do the right and smart thing when situations or opportunities arise. I have experience as a CEO, CFO, CMO, VP of Operations, HR, Strategist, Change Manager, and various other roles, and have worked in a variety of industries including luxury goods, fashion, e-commerce, and more.

I believe in working with my clients to clarify their business goals and the tasks required to achieve them, rather than just "giving" advice. I expect buy-in from my clients on strategies, both short and long term, and work on the premise that 20-40% of ideas will fail or need modification. I consider myself a senior c-level employee for hire and value mutual trust and respect in my working relationships. My goal is to help my clients get the job done and achieve their growth goals.

Please note that my initial consultation has a cost, as outlined in my rate table below:

Hourly rate: $425/hour

Recurring hours (10+ per week): $350/hour

Introductory 90-minute consultation: $475

Full day (approx. 8 hours+): $3,000

I look forward to discussing your needs and how I can help you achieve your goals.

Shaya Weisfeld