David A Fields
MAY 9, 2014
'A question I was asked… I have an introduction to a sales manager at a potential client. How do I tactfully go over his head to get to the decision maker?… See my response in the Solo Consultant’s Network. The post Reaching Higher in the Organization appeared first on David A. Fields. Agreements Consultants Positioning Proposals Relationships agreements positioning positioning.
Steve Shu Consulting
JULY 25, 2014
'I recently ran into a short video by the New South Wales government which does a great job of introducing the notion of behavioral insights and application in the governmental space. Although still early, behavioral insights and the application of behavioral economics principles have been going global in the public policy space. At some point in the future we will see a wave build in the private sector – the value proposition for getting smart about behavioral science is compelling.
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Management Consulted
FEBRUARY 2, 2014
'We’ve been busy. Not only have we spent the last several weeks gallivanting all across the East Coast speaking at schools like Harvard, Penn, Columbia, McGill, and Cornell, but we’ve also been busy creating a YouTube series. At the start of the new year, we promised our subscribers a YouTube video every week on a topic relating to consulting, and we’ve delivered.
The Clever Consultant
APRIL 12, 2014
'The old adage in consulting is: clients prefer to buy and not to be sold to. That is, they don’t like feeling forced into making a decision. Rather, they’d prefer to get as much information as possible to determine which solutions and vendors will deliver the best results with the lowest risk. Clients like to […].
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Tom Spencer
MARCH 3, 2014
'Ideas matter, stick with it, and figure out the right measure of success. (Source: Youtube ). STEVE Ballmer spoke today at Oxford’s Said Business School , the world’s leading business community creating ideas with global impact. A few hours later, he spoke at the Oxford Union , the world’s most prestigious debating society. We were fortunate to attend the second talk, and wanted to communicate the three tips for start ups that Ballmer shared with the audience.
Management Consulting Connection brings together the best content for management consulting professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Melissa Agnes
AUGUST 20, 2014
'Editor’s note: How and when should social media be incorporated into today’s higher education? Carolyn Mae Kim, a hands-on professor teaching in the Journalism & Integrated Media department at Biola University, has some great tips and strategies to help today’s educators answer this important question. As a PR practitioner turned professor, it just makes sense to me to use social media in the classroom.
Consultant Ninja
SEPTEMBER 26, 2014
'So many angry events in the last week. I got into business to work together with other people to solve problems, make money, and have fun doing it. Why is everyone so angry / depressed / aggressively posturing?
David A Fields
OCTOBER 31, 2014
'A question I was asked: When I make a referral or introduction, should the person I’m referring pay me in some way or should I make it clear I don’t expect any financial reward? What do you think? Do you expect a financial reward when you give a referral? Does it depend on the circumstances? If you do expect remuneration, how much do you expect? Post your suggestion by using the ‘Leave a Comment’ box below.
David A Fields
JUNE 23, 2014
'A number of years ago in Pittsburgh, a small group of onlookers (including me) collectively gasped. The slender, young man we were watching wobbled at the top of his ladder, briefly looking like he was going to fall. Then he deftly kicked out the ladder’s integrated platform and continued his home-show demonstration of the Little Giant ladder. Ten minutes later, every single one of us paid an impressive sum to own the Rolls Royce of ladders.[1] That man could close!
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David A Fields
OCTOBER 23, 2014
'If you’ve been running your consulting business for fewer than seven years, you’ll want to pay attention to the story of Meredith Starr. Meredith, who is in her mid-thirties, has been building a reasonably successful practice in northern Virginia, making rain of roughly $300k/year for herself and her full-time assistant. Not exactly the stuff of legends, but better financials than her neighbors working at the White House.
David A Fields
NOVEMBER 10, 2014
'A question I was asked: At the end of a contract a client asked me to train a guy they’re hiring to do what I was doing for them. They even told me they wanted a full time employee because it’s less expensive for them than using me. I don’t want to damage my relationship with the client, but their request isn’t sitting well with me. How should I respond?
David A Fields
NOVEMBER 11, 2014
'You know that adopting a few, personal, morning habits can dramatically improve your life. Fastening your seat belt on the way to work halves your risk of serious injury in a crash. A thirty-minute aerobic workout at the start of the day lowers cholesterol and staves off obesity-related ailments. Brushing your teeth triples the likelihood that anyone you engage in conversation won’t wrinkle their nose and make a quick excuse to scurry off.
David A Fields
OCTOBER 30, 2014
'Consulting is a lumpy business. Occasional, high-altitude spikes in sales separated by periods completely devoid of incoming revenue. Projects are won infrequently and irregularly. Most independent consultants work on fewer than 20 projects in a year and some fill their coffers with only three or four large assignments in that time period. Even independents who tackle numerous, small projects face the vagaries of a Poisson-like distribution; i.e., your chances of getting a project on any given
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David A Fields
MAY 14, 2014
'Stranger asks, “What do you do?” Clearly, for this step to work you need to be in some sort of situation where talking about business makes sense. In America, that means pretty much anywhere any time. If your target isn’t jumping onto the first step without prompting, a good bet is for you to lead […]. The post How to Convert a Stranger into a Prospect in 10 Steps appeared first on David A.
David A Fields
MAY 27, 2014
'You’ve built great relationships. Maybe you’re an uber-connector and have thousands of connections who know your name and would pick up the phone if you called, or maybe you’re the type of person who only maintains a few, close connections. Either way, your relationship deck is stacked with valuable names. They’re in your Rolodex, in […]. The post How to turn relationships into money appeared first on David A.
David A Fields
APRIL 24, 2014
'The reality-TV show Shark Tank plays out the American dream: anyone can make it big if they have a great idea and a great [1] Each episode, aspiring business moguls pitch their ideas to a panel of five, self-made zillionaire investors. If the pitch goes well, one or more of the wealthy panelists will pony […]. The post Four Lessons Consultants Can Learn from Shark Tank appeared first on David A.
Management Consulted
AUGUST 10, 2014
'During an interview, it is common to be asked “Tell me about yourself.” Even though you’re mentally prepared for the question to be asked, suddenly your heart starts racing, your mind goes blank, and you just plain forget how to talk like a normal human. In thousands of hours of interview preparation every year, we find similar themes with EVERY client: you love breaking your brain for the case interview, and assume that for the the fit interviews – being more predictabl
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Management Consulted
FEBRUARY 16, 2014
'Today, we continue our series of book reviews with a look at The McKinsey Way , a book written by a former Associate at McKinsey, Ethan M. Rasiel, who is also the co-author of The McKinsey Mind. Our author today is Daniel, an MC intern focused on video and social media marketing. Enjoy! —————— Why read it? The McKinsey Way is a light and enjoyable read for those who want a brief overview of what management consulting is , for those who would love a better p
David A Fields
DECEMBER 3, 2014
'Can you think of anything enduring and useful from the fads of the 1970s? At least one concept from that era will help you win more clients and, importantly, deliver higher perceived value to your current clients. No, not disco. Handles. In the parlance of the 1970s CB craze, your handle was your short, memorable on-air nickname. A CB-er would refer to himself with a moniker like “Soap Daddy” or “Large Marge” or “Ruptured Rabbit”.
David A Fields
NOVEMBER 5, 2014
'A question I was asked: When networking with people in person, how much time should be spent on building a relationship and finding common ground versus getting down to business? What do you think? What would your advice to this consultant be? Post your suggestion by using the ‘Leave a Comment’ box below. Agreements Consultants Context Discussion Creating Value Fees Positioning Proposals Relationships adding value agreements attitude benefits Consultative selling context discussions
David A Fields
OCTOBER 8, 2014
'Let’s make a Yay and Blech list. Raisins, yay; unsweetened cranberries, blech. Netting big dollars on a project, yay. Paying taxes on big dollars, blech. Playing hockey with other old men, yay; Being humiliated on the ice by 25-year olds, less yay. Fielding out-of-the-blue requests for projects, yay; outbound calling to replenish the pipeline, blech.
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David A Fields
SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
'A question I was asked: Is it possible to provide too much information in an article so that prospects feel that they can do it themselves? What would your suggestion be to this consultant? What has worked for you? Post your suggestion by using the ‘Leave a Comment’ box below. Consultants Context Discussion Creating Value Fees Positioning Relationships adding value benefits closing fees Marketing positioning.
David A Fields
SEPTEMBER 24, 2014
'We are a nation of do-it-yourselfers. Pay a plumber to fix that leak? Nah, a quick trip to Lowes and we’re good. Hire an attorney to write the will? No thanks—these online forms look pretty solid. Check into a hospital for an operation? Please… we’ll just head back to Lowes for a box cutter! Consultants encounter this phenomenon every day in prospects’ offices: “Why hire a consultant to improve our compensation plans?
David A Fields
SEPTEMBER 10, 2014
'Look no further than the gas pumps to see the extraordinary, often nonsensical, choices made by shoppers reacting to comparisons. Prominent signs proclaim each brand’s current price per gallon, making it easy to compare among alternatives. And drivers whose time is worth hundreds of dollars an hour will drive miles out of their way or wait in line for what amounts to a dollar or two off their total bill.
David A Fields
JUNE 5, 2014
'Malcolm Gladwell has five books on Amazon.com’s top-sellers chart (which seems to update by the minute), each of which has been there for at least three years (I guess the minute-by-minute updating doesn’t matter). Obviously, a lot of people like to read his books. What about your writing? Is anyone reading it? Would you like […]. The post How to Write Stuff People Want to Read appeared first on David A.
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Management Consulted
MARCH 16, 2014
'Is consulting right for you? This question has two parts. The first part involves deciding whether working at a consulting firm would be a great fit and a great next step for you career-wise. If you don’t know about consulting at all, first watch Why Go Into Consulting? The second part – the one we cover in this post – requires you to judge whether you are the type of candidate top consulting firms, especially the ones you are applying for, are looking to hire.
Management Consulted
APRIL 27, 2014
'A prospective management consultant without basic business understanding is like a camera tripod with 2 legs — it just won’t work out for you. Many history, English, and art majors, engineers, and law students – all of interest to consulting firms, but lacking in business basics – come to us asking how they can develop their business understanding to prepare for consulting interviews.
David A Fields
OCTOBER 29, 2014
'A question I was asked: During a Context DiscussionI was getting good information, but the prospect was getting impatient with all the questions. He just wanted to talk about my approach. How do I get through all the Context Discussion questions without annoying the prospect? What would your suggestion be to this consultant? If you use a process to guide your discussions with prospects (and you should), how do you stick to it without frustrating the prospect?
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