A colleague recently requested that I comment on his LinkedIn post about building a roadmap for getting value out of data. I said the biggest obstacle was the people problems in consulting. For those of you who are Dilbert fans, even he agrees: “I found the root cause...
Consultants often struggle with setting fees for their own services and expertise. It is common to struggle with decisions about hourly billing versus fixed fees, premium pricing, bundling, discounting, and adjusting for scope creep. After a long career as a pricing...
As I sat down to write a recent newsletter, I had originally planned to introduce some new services. However, I felt compelled instead to refocus on a topic that has been on my mind recently. Like many of you, I haven’t been feeling very grounded in the last few...
This blog post is the fourth in a series on how to differentiate your consulting practice. Continuing our series on Five Ways to Raise Your Game in Consulting, in this post I take an added step and suggest additional market differentiation through the understanding...
In the competitive landscape of consulting, the importance of a robust network cannot be overstated. During my time in business school, a professor imparted a crucial lesson: success in business hinges not only on what you know but also on who you know. Initially, I...
When you launch your consulting practice there are obvious marketing tactics and strategies that make sense. You create and build your brand, start networking, write articles and get speaking gigs. You join some professional organizations where you can meet clients...
This article is the second in a series designed to help our member consultants maximize the value they add for their clients and their professional development. What are the qualities of a great consultant? What are the “dos and don’ts” of starting a consulting...
Alan Weiss wrote a book titled Value-Based Fees, How to Charge - and Get - What You’re Worth. Even though the book was published more than fifteen years ago, it still offers pearls of wisdom for consultants today. Here are some highlights to consider when it comes to...
Build Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities and Get Certified As a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) myself, I understand the immense value consultants bring to organizations. Having served dozens of internal and external clients across 30 industries, I found my...
A business is a complex system. CEOs view the business as a whole, not as individual functions. This holistic perspective sets the CEO/owner apart from functional managers and other employees. CEOs must watch cash flow while they work on marketing. They must manage...