Consulting Skills

We are always looking for new ways to add value to the work we do.. I came across this great site with downloadable MP3 interviews given by some of the best small business marketing development specialists.

Well worth a look and then a listen

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/weblog.php

Doblin suggets that Finance, Process, Offerings and Delivery are four types of innovation category and within them there are ten innovation types..

http://www.doblin.com/WhoIndexFlashFS.htm

For those who are trying to assist organisations and companies to innovate this simple table provides some useful touchstones with examples..

Thanks to Doblin for sharing

Criteria for selecting consultants
In selecting their consultants, most clients would apply one or more of the following criteria:
(1) Professional integrity (how the consultant interprets and respects a code of ethics and conduct)
(2) Technical competence (knowledge and experience needed for dealing with the client's technical problem and producing results of desired level and quality)
This can be refined further by:
(a) differentiating between the competence of the firm and that of the individual (team) proposed;
(b) stressing knowledge of the client's sector of industry;
(c) in international consulting, stressing intimate knowledge of specific country conditions (economic, sociopolitical, cultural);
(d) differentiating between hard and soft skills (the knowledge and expertise concerning technical procedures, methods and systems, on the one hand, and the ability to deal with human problems and facilitate organizational change, on the other hand);
(e) stressing creativity and innovation (which may imply that past experience will be de-emphasized).
(3) Rapport with the consultant (mutual understanding, trust, the client's attitude to working with the consultant as a person)
(4) Assignment design (demonstrating the consultant's understanding of the specific problem and context of a given client organization, and the approach to take)
(5) Capability to deliver (structure, size, resources, location, flexibility and other features of the consulting firm, demonstrating the ability to deliver what was promised, even if conditions change)
(6) Ability to mobilize further resources (important in assignments that may call for expertise of other firms, new business contacts, additional capital, etc.)
(7) Cost of services (fee level and formula; this may not be a key criterion, but excessive fees may disqualify the consultant)
(8) Certification of competence and/or quality (formal competence certification of individual consultants and quality certification of consulting firms are taken into consideration by some clients, in support or as a surrogate of the criteria listed under (1 – 7))
(9) Professional image of the consultant (by using this criterion the client relies on the choices and assessment made and experience gained previously by other users of consulting services, or on the consultant's achievements outside consulting, e.g. as a manager or author)

Nick Rogers H&S 

The following link can be plugged into an RSS reader to keep you uptodate with the latest material from HBR..


http://hbswk.hbs.edu/rss/rss.xml

Thanks to Tom Rodenhauser at Consulting.com for the following insights..
The economics of consulting have changed over the last decade, which has fundamentally altered the business’ talent pool. IT service companies have increasingly decreased the premium on consulting, thus creating a downward spiral that pits costs against prices (forget about strategy firms for a second). The math is simple: expensive experience can’t compete when others are essentially giving away "near-experience" for free.
Consultancies like PwC, Bearingpoint, Accenture and Deloitte have replaced hundreds of experienced professionals with lower-cost alternatives in their quest to re-invent consulting. The early retirement packages and not-so-gentle exits have created a teeming mass of partner-level consultants without partnerships, vibrant ghosts too young to retire who rattle around the industry in search of a home.
Ten years ago, the orderly world of consulting held a couple of career options: join a partnership and work towards the brass ownership ring; or parachute to a soft landing with one of multiple loving clients.
Today’s consulting career track is much more convoluted. Many IT service companies still use the term "partner" to describe their consulting ranks, but like Vice Presidents at family-run banks, the term loses its luster when everyone holds the title. The only real partners are the ones at partnerships.
Having just returned from my annual pilgrimages to various b-schools, I can tell you that today’s students see consulting more as a CV enhancer than career destination. Long term, that view will further alter the industry’s ability to attract and retain professional talent.

http://www.consultinginfo.com

Many of us have professional and practical skills that we would like to share with others.. and maybe even do some good or make some money..

This blog (and its associated RSS feed http://consultingskills.blogspot.com/atom.xml ) will provide you with regular advice and support in you efforts to provide consultancy support to your clients..

Through sharing expertise and experience we can all learn..

Nicholas Rogers MSc.,
Bangor, N.Ireland